Nokia Lumia 920: Sales of the New Flagship Smartphone Questioned; Is the Device in Short Supply, on Purpose? – Report

News of the Nokia Lumia 920 selling out left and right are making the waves but is there a simple reason for it?

As Latinos Post reported, 2.5 million devices of the Lumia device have been sold as prices start at $99.99 when signing a two-year contract with exclusive carrier AT&T. Price were slashed in half during the Black Friday 2012 weekend to $49.99, and it might have contributed to the sales numbers.

The device has been sold out in AT&T online, Amazon, and Best Buy, pending on the color of the device.  The red and white version on Amazon is sold out, but customers can sign up to be notified when supplies stock up. Amazon still has the black version for sale for $69.99.

However, is the news too good to be true?

The New York Times' Brian X. Chen has questioned the reporting numbers of the Nokia smartphone.

According to Chen, "Tero Kuittinen, an independent mobile analyst, says he thinks Nokia limited the supply of the Lumia [in the US] because it was aiming its first wave at Europe, where its smartphones have sold better in the past."

Chen alludes that perhaps Nokia purposely 'lowballed' supplies because expectations were set to be low and didn't "expect to sell many phones" in the US.

Chen noted a Nokia spokesperson declined to comment on the low supply theory and added that Nokia didn't have early sales numbers yet.

"You can be very sure that we are working hard to meet the demand," said Nokia spokesperson Doug Dawson in the Times report.

According to WMPowerUser, the Lumia 920 has sold out in the UK and Germany, and Italy.

For the comparison of the Lumia 920 vs. iPhone 5, click here.

For the reviews round up of the Lumia 920, click here.

For the drop test results of the Lumia 920, click here.