Optus is the only Australian carrier still offering Windows 10 mobile phones

Microsoft's ambitions when it launched its Windows 10 Mobile Phone platform to market were high, with the software maker pitching its platform as an information-centric way to take on both iOS and Android while also leveraging the power of its Windows 10 desktop platform.

Consumer take-up figures for Windows 10 Mobile phones has been dropping over the past year according to most figures, and that has led to a situation that doesn't exactly look rosy for the future of Window 10 Mobile in the Australian market. As of right now, there's a single main carrier offering a Windows 10 Mobile product on contract, and it's not even a particularly high-end model.

While the current effective king of the hill in Windows 10 Mobile terms would be HP's Elite x3, the sole handset being offered by a carrier is the far more mid-range Lumia 650 handset. It's not a notably powerful phone, and that is reflected in the fact that you can grab one on a 24-month contract through Optus with no additional handset repayments on any plan. Here are all your handset-plan options through Optus for the Lumia 650:

So if you are a fan of the Windows 10 Mobile platform, what are your options? Microsoft does sell Windows 10 Mobile devices through its online store, although at the time of writing only the HP Elite x3 is available to buy outright for $1,099, or $989.10 if you're an eligible student or educator.

You may be able to buy the older Lumia 950 or 950XL from other online retailers if you're keen, but with essentially no movement in the Windows 10 Mobile space, and with Microsoft ending support for the Windows Phone 8.1 this week, it appears that the death knell for Microsoft's phone hardware ambitions is imminent.

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Source: Optus is the only Australian carrier still offering Windows 10 mobile phones