T-Mobile (US) is gearing up to launch the Microsoft Lumia 640 finally for Wednesday, June 17. The information comes from two sources, including a representative of the company and a more conclusive internal document listing the launch date.
The bad news here is it looks like T-Mobile retails stores will not be stocking the phones on their shelves. Instead, the Lumia 640 is listed as a 'Ship to (direct fulfillment)' system. That means T-Mobile will order it for you online or via telesales, and then either ship it directly to you or your local store. Third-party retailers, however, like Best Buy or Walmart, may have them in their outlets.
For those in the United States getting their hands on the well-reviewed Lumia 640 or Lumia 640 XL has been a very long wait. Both devices were announced at Mobile World Congress back in early March, but since then the US rollout has been slow. So far, only Cricket is offering one of the devices – the Lumia 640 – for those in the States.
T-Mobile's "coming soon" banner for the Lumia 640 has been on their website for what seems like ages. Supposed release dates have positioned the device as late as July. Conversely, that date later proved to be false. Device placeholders were also spotted at Walmart, and even Microsoft spilled the supposed price.
Potential delays of the Lumia 640 in T-Mobile likely include network testing and their coveted Wi-Fi calling feature, which has been known to slow down or even delay releases.
The Lumia 640 launches with Update 2 and will likely have the most recent OS update. Version 15148 enables HD Voice (VoLTE) and native Wi-Fi calling for the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL, and it came out last week.
Lumia 640 Specifications
- Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim
- Windows 10 Ready
- Colors: Glossy cyan, orange and white, as well as matte black
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8926), 1.2 GHz quad-core processor
- 5" HD (1280x720, 16:9) IPS LCD, 294 PPI, Glance screen, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, Sunlight readability enhancements
- 1GB RAM
- 8 GB internal mass memory + up to 128 GB Micro SD & 30GB free OneDrive cloud storage
- Rear camera: 8 MP AF (3280x2464), f/2.2, 28 mm, 1080p @ 30 fps video (continuous autofocus), Flash: LED, Lumia Camera 5.0 (with Dynamic Flash, HDR)
- Front camera: HD 1 MP wide angle, f/2.4, 720p video
- Connectivity: BT 4.0, microUSB2.0, Micro SIM, A-GPS+GLONASS, BeiDou, DLNA, Screen cloning with Miracast, WLAN 802.11 b/g/n/
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Proximity, Ambient Light Sensor
- Battery: 2500 mAh (BV-T5C) removable battery
- Weight: 145 g
- Size: 141.3 x 72.2 x 8.85 mm
No word on pricing for the T-Mobile Lumia 640, however, the Microsoft Store once listed the price as just $89 off-contract. The Microsoft Store has since pulled that listing and customer representatives have told customers they may not be stocking the device any longer.
AT&T is also supposed to pick up the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL. No launch dates have yet been revealed for either phone.
Thanks, Tyler, anonymous, and Coreuy B
