BlackBerry launches $200 Z3 ‘Jakarta Edition’ for Indonesia

BlackBerry is launching its latest smartphone this week. The Z3, also called the Jakarta Edition, is a sub-US$200 smartphone designed specifically with the Indonesian market in mind.

Apart from a 540×960 5-inch display, the Z3 has 8GB storage and carries a 5MP rear camera. Impressively, it claims a long-lasting battery life of more than 15 hours talk time and 16 days on standby.

It runs BlackBerry 10 OS and boasts the usual software features such as Time Shift Mode, a variety of photo filters and the BB Hub which groups all your instant messages, emails and SMSes into one application.

By throwing the tactile keyboard out the window, the Z3 is said to give you the best “Bahasa typing experience” on a touchscreen.

Though recently in decline, Indonesia has been one of the world’s few diehards to have kept ample support for the BlackBerry brand over the years. With this low-cost device, BlackBerry hopes to regain its support.

In reference to the Southeast Asian country’s capital, the Jakarta Edition has been exclusively designed for the Indonesian market. And so, it features a “Jakarta” inscription on the back and will boast some special Punakawan Stickers for BlackBerry Messenger that have been designed by Indonesian illustrator Susilo Saptoady.

In a press release, the Finnish company revealed the handset and said that it will launch 15 May in Indonesia.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen hopes that the US$191 price tag together with the Z3’s capable features will be a deal-breaker in Indonesia. “The BlackBerry Z3, Jakarta Edition was designed specifically with our Indonesian customers in mind. This device gives users more ways to connect, share and communicate, providing the best tool for secure, reliable communications and collaboration with friends, family and co-workers,” says Chen.

There’s been no word of an international release date for the Z3 so far.