Cricket adds Microsoft Lumia 650 to its pre-paid lineup with tempting low price

Windows Phone managed to find some of its biggest success not with high-end feature-packed flagships, but by bringing shoppers some of the best values around on really low-priced hardware, pairing affordable handsets with a platform that wouldn't over-burden them with steep system requirements. Now that Windows 10 Mobile is here, will this this trend continue? Certain carriers would sure like to see that happen, and today Cricket Wireless is doing its part to help, stepping up to offer a pre-paid Windows 10 option in the form of the Microsoft Lumia 650.

We saw the Lumia 650 launch back in the days leading up to MWC with its sleek metal-rimmed looks and sophisticated design, targeting business users with an affordable enterprise option. And indeed, the $200 sticker price Microsoft announced was a pretty attractive point of entry. True though that may be, Cricket thinks it can do things one better, and it's selling its own Lumia 650 for significantly less, letting the handset go for a scant $130.

That's not quite down to the same level as the sub-$100 WP models we've seen in the past, but considering everything that the Lumia 650 offers, it still represents a tantalizing deal for that kind of cash. And while Cricket is using the phone's launch to once again mention its $70 unlimited plan (which can be had for $65 after an auto-pay discount), it's worth noting that the carrier also has plans priced much lower, like its $40 2.5GB tier. Combined with this hardware deal, the package adds up to something that might just be worth considering for smartphone users on a budget.

Cricket begins sales of the Lumia 650 in just over two weeks, on May 5.

Source: Cricket Wireless

Source: Cricket adds Microsoft Lumia 650 to its pre-paid lineup with tempting low price