Smartphone prices slashed after CES

The holidays are over, and the slew of smartphone debuts at the Consumer Electronics Show have come and gone. It’s now safe for retailers and carriers to start dropping prices on 2011 and early 2012 smartphone inventory, and that’s great news for those looking for a good deal.

Since CES has ended, a number of smartphones are now available at very affordable prices. You’d be safe, nay, smart to pick up one of these options if you’re looking to make the big switch from a feature phone to a smart device, or perhaps you recently bore witness to the death of your Droid in a wave of spilled beer.

If you’re itching to try a Windows Phone for the first time, you’re in luck. The Nokia Lumia 710 went on sale January 11 for a budget-friendly $50, and is now available for only a penny from Costco, with the purchase of a T-Mobile data plan (which can be had for as cheap as $50 a month). The 3.7-inch, more spec-ed out Lumia 800 hasn’t had a U.S. launch date announced yet, and the new 4.3-inch Lumia 900 will land sometime “in the coming months,” representatives said.

Motorola dropped the price of its ultra-thin 16GB Droid Razr from $300 to $200, with contract from Verizon. The cheaper price tag dumps the 16GB microSD that previously came bundled with the phone, but if you still need that extra storage, you can pick up your own microSD for around $10.

Why the price cut on a phone that just launched in November? In Motorola’s case, it’s time to make room for the new kid in town, the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx, which will be available starting January 26. It’s essentially the same phone, only the Maxx has way better battery life.

The Samsung Infuse 4G, which launched this summer with a brilliant 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, is on sale at AT&T for a mere penny through January 24. And Apple’s iPhone 3GS is always just 99 cents (with contract) on AT&T. At Verizon, the Droid Pro and Droid 3 are also on sale, priced at $0 and $100, respectively.

With the Sony Xperia S rumored to arrive January 30, it wouldn’t be surprising if prices on 2011 Sony handset prices start dropping soon.

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, and none of these models tickle your fancy, keep your eyes open: There will definitely be more smartphone steals over the next few weeks as 2012 smartphone models start landing on store shelves.