Nokia to write off 1 million Lumia 800 & 900 phones, says analyst

Substantial price cuts incoming.
Nokia has been left saddled with over a million unsold top-end Lumia smartphones, an influential mobile analyst claims.

According to Mobile Review editor and industry sage Eldar Murtazin, the Finnish phone-maker is set to cut prices to clear its stockholding, but will still be left with over a million handsets.

The prediction from Murtazin, whose track record with Nokia leaks is mixed but whose credibility is boosted by the fact that was the first to break news that the company was about to get into bed with Microsoft, comes on the day that Nokia is about to lift the lid on a fresh set of Lumia-branded contenders.

Assuming he's correct about the one-million handset overstock, the Lumia range’s relative underperformance would be a real blow for Nokia given the vast marketing spend that was lavished on the phones, in a campaign that took in everything from DeadMaus-helmed son et lumiere shows on the Thames to those heavily rotated ‘amazing every day’ TV ads.

Nokia’s debut Windows Phone 8 kits, details of which were apparently leaked earlier this week, are set to be unveiled in New York later today. We have a man on the ground who’ll be livetweeting the day’s events. So be sure to follow us at @uSwitchTech if you want to keep up to speed with everything Nok-Nok-related.