BlackBerry's new full-touch Z10 smartphone finally hit the U.S. last month, and the company plans to follow that device up with the keyboard-equipped Q10 model. Besides announcements that AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will all offer the Q10 in the U.S., though, the only information that's been given about its availability is a vague "May or June" timeframe. That changed today, as BlackBerry has shed a bit more light on the Q10's impending arrival.
BlackBerry today revealed to Bloomberg and Engadget that it expects to begin selling the Q10 in the U.S. in late May, complete with a price tag of $249 with a two-year commitment. The company also says that in addition to launches on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon, T-Mobile also plans to offer the new QWERTY smartphone to its customers. None of the U.S. carriers have announced launch plans for the Q10.
The BlackBerry Z10 is now available on AT&T and Verizon for $199.99 with a two-year contract or from T-Mobile for a down payment of $99.99. That means that the Q10 is expected to come in at a price that's more expensive than its BlackBerry 10 sibling as well as most other flagship smartphones. Of course, since the Q10 is the first BB10 device to feature a hardware keyboard, there are likely many folks that've been holding out for the phone and will gladly pony up the cash for it.
Besides its price, the other big piece of Q10 news today is that BlackBerry's statement that all four major U.S. carriers intend to offer the keyboard-clad device. While we'll have to wait for official announcements from the operators before we know any of the concrete details, it sounds like most QWERTY addicts won't need to switch carriers to get their fix. What do you think of the Q10's $249 price? Are you planning on picking up a unit once the phone makes its way stateside?
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