The most important Windows 10 Mobile smartphone is now available

When you look at which smartphones are most-popular with the Windows Phone crowd, you will not see many mid-range or high-end offerings making the top 10. That is because low-end devices, like Lumia 520, dominate the charts, a trend that is unlikely to change with the launch of Windows 10 Mobile.

This makes Microsoft's new Lumia 550 the most important Windows 10 Mobile device for the foreseeable future. Officially available starting today, it is first being released in Europe, with other major markets across the globe to follow shortly.

Lumia 550 is most likely going to be the best-performing Windows 10 Mobile device, sales-wise, given the success enjoyed by Lumia 520. The price in Europe comes in at $139 before any taxes or mobile operator subsidies are applied, making it a solid option for first-time smartphone buyers and other shoppers in the low-end segment.

Lumia 550, which was announced alongside Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL in early-October, comes with some pretty attractive specs.

It has a 4.7-inch display, with a resolution of 720 by 1,280, and Glance screen support. There is a 1.1 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor inside, 1 GB of RAM, a 2,100 mAh battery that is user-replaceable, 8 GB of internal storage, 4G LTE support, and a microSD card slot.

On the back, Lumia 550 features an 5 MP camera with LED flash, while on the front of the device there is a 2 MP shooter. The smartphone comes in at 136.1 x 67.8 x 9.9 mm and 141.9 g.

I've typically recommended low-end Windows Phones to first-time smartphone buyers and smartphone buyers on a budget, because of their superior user experience compared to rival offerings. And now that Lumia 550 is available, I don't think that will change.