Microsoft will soon begin selling two new Windows Phone 8.1 smartphones. The unlocked 5-inch Dash 5.0 and 4-inch Dash 4.0 from BLU Products will reportedly be priced at $99 and $199.
When it comes to smartphone market share, Microsoft is doing everything it possibly can to ensure its smartphone OS gains more users. The company is rumored to have paid Samsung over $1 billion to continue making smartphones that run Windows Phone and a similar deal is also said to have occurred with HTC.
Nokia is the most successful Windows Phone licensee and its Lumia smartphones account for close to 90 percent of Windows Phone handsets sold. Microsoft is about to give a new Windows Phone licensee major support by selling its smartphones in the company's online and retail stores.
Windows Phone Central is reporting that Microsoft will soon begin selling the Dash 5.0 and Dash 4.0 from BLU Products. The smartphones will reportedly be sold unlocked at a very attractive $99 and $199 price.
The Dash 5.0 will reportedly feature a 5-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 854 and include dual-SIM support. The handset will be powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM. It will pack in a 5-megapixel rear camera and 4GB of internal storage. There was no mention of the capacity of the smartphone's battery.
The Dash 4.0 is said to include a 4-inch 800 x 480 resolution display and 1.3GHz dual-core processor. It will have 4GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM. The smartphone is expected to pack in a non-removable 1,500 mAh battery.
While the specs of the Dash 5.0 and Dash 4.0 are definitely not something that will get most smartphone fans excited, its rumored pricing is sure to attract consumers. Both smartphones will be sold unlocked and contract-free, will ship with Microsoft's latest and greatest Windows Phone 8.1 OS out of the box, and be priced at $99 and $199.
The site's sources say that a specific launch date is unknown but Microsoft is preparing to make it official very soon. We'll be sure to keep you updated on the Dash 5.0 and Dash 4.0.