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Sprint to pass on the first flagship BlackBerry 10 phone

Categories: BlackBerry OS, Sprint
By: , IntoMobile
Monday, March 4th, 2013 at 8:37 AM
BlackBerry Z10 press image

When the first BlackBerry 10 handsets were announced, Sprint was noticeably absent from the list of carriers that would be selling the flagship Z10. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile all announced the Z10, while Sprint confirmed it would be selling the entry-level Q10. The status of the Z10 on Sprint was unknown, but according to a new report in Bloomberg, the wireless carrier is going to pass on the high-end handset.

Sprint spokesperson Mark Elliott told Bloomberg that “We think our customers will be happy with the qwerty keyboard and touch screen on the Q10.” Elliott only made that blanket statement and didn’t elaborate on why Sprint chose the qwerty-toting Q10 over the full-touchscreen Z10.

For those anxiously awaiting the Z10, it’s slated to arrived sometime in March, though no US carriers have announced a concrete launch date. The Q10 will land a month later in April. Anyone planning on grabbing a new BlackBerry 10 handset when they launch in the next few months?

[Via Bloomberg]

About The Author

Kelly Hodgkins

Kelly spent the last four years covering mobile technology at places like BGR, Gizmodo and The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Before writing, she spent a few years working with and teaching others how to use Adobe Flash and Macromedia Director. Even earlier than that, she spent several years as a Ph.D student in Microbiology. When she's not writing, she can be found fishing the lakes and hiking the mountains of Western Maine with her husband and tribe of children. You can follow her on Twitter @kellyhodgkins.

  • Jibbo

    To be clear, the Q10 will not be an entry-level handset. It will be a a high-end phone, sort of a Blackberry 10 version of the Bold 9900. The significant appeal of this phone will be its QWERTY keyboard, for those who prefer that over on-screen keyboard. Price-wise, it will likely be in the same range as other high-end phones, including Blackberry’s own Z10.

    • http://www.rogerkondrat.com/ Roger Kondrat

      I actually always liked the idea of a touch screen with a keyboard. I can’t wait to give it a try once it’s out in the wild.

      Ditto on the comment about ‘entry-level’, that was a baseless comment that clearly has nothing to do with reality.