BlackBerry has officially the Q5, a Qwerty smartphone running BlackBerry 10 but designed for emerging market countries.
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We’ve known for some time now that BlackBerry would be launching such a device, but in the run-up to its unveiling we had it pegged that it would run under the R10 moniker.
It’s unclear how much the Q5 will cost, although we do know that it will come with a 3.1-inch touch-screen. If the leaks prior to the Q5’s unveiling are to be believed then it will also come with 2GB of RAM, alongside a 5MP camera, 8GB of internal memory and a 1 800mAh battery.
“BlackBerry is excited to bring a new BlackBerry QWERTY smartphone, the BlackBerry Q5, to our customers in selected markets around world,” said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of BlackBerry. “The BlackBerry Q5 gives you the best of everything with its cutting-edge BlackBerry 10 functionality and a physical QWERTY keyboard. It is for youthful fans that are passionate, confident and bold, and it makes it easy for them to have fun, create, share and stay connected.”
The Q5 will ship mid-year and is set to come in red, white, black, and pink. The Q5 is most likely a BB10 replacement for the low-end BlackBerry Curve series, long popular in emerging markets. That means that pricing will be crucial. If it costs even a little more than the Android equivalent, the customer loyalty it’s built up over the years will mean little.
Emerging market countries helped keep BlackBerry alive at times when the company was in a bad place. If it’s to continue using these markets to its benefit then it has to make sure it’s actually giving people what they want while holding off the threat of cheap Android devices.
