The BlackBerry Q10 could sell ‘tens of millions’ of units, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has predicted as the QWERTY hosting handset receives its full UK release.
Having gone on sale exclusive at Selfridges in the UK last Friday, April 26, the BB10 powered BlackBerry Q10 is now available from a selection of smartphone retailers and UK network providers, with Heins suggesting early interest could see the Canadian company sell millions of Q10 handsets.
“We have very, very good first signs already after the launch in the U.K.,” Heins said speaking with Bloomberg in the US. He added: “This is going into the installed base of more than 70 million BlackBerry users so we have quite some expectations. We expect several tens of millions of units.”
The first BlackBerry 10 handset to sport the company’s traditional physical QWERTY keyboard, the BlackBerry Q10 follows on from the full touch BlackBerry Z10 as currently the only two BB10 handsets on the market. According to industry analyst Peter Misek, the familiar site of a QWERTY hosting BlackBerry has seen the Q10 generate “more apparent buzz versus the Z10 launch.”
Following the handset’s three day period of exclusivity at Selfridges in the UK, the iconic retailer has stated the BlackBerry Q10 has become its fastest selling and most successful technology product to date, selling out of initial stock in just a matter of hours.
“The BlackBerry Q10 has been, without a doubt, the most highly anticipated smartphone we have ever sold and is already our most successful,” Julian Slim, Head of Home and Leisure at Selfridges said. “Our partnership has proven to be a powerful combination of great technology and commercial success.”
Rob Orr, Managing Director, UK and Ireland, BlackBerry, added: “The BlackBerry Q10 represents the next chapter in the BlackBerry 10 story and we are delighted that it has been so well received. This initial success at Selfridges highlights the strong consumer demand for a high-end physical keyboard smartphone.”
BlackBerry Q10 Specs
Far from the smartphone specs powerhouse of the Samsung Galaxy S4, the BlackBerry Q10 builds on BlackBerry’s past successes, pairing the formally customary physical QWERTY keyboard with a 3.1-inch touchscreen display.
With a 1.5GHz dual-core processor running the show and the recently released BB10 OS at its core, the BlackBerry Q10 features list is further complimented by 2GB of RAM, a 2100mAh Lithiu-Ion battery and 16GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD.
Measuring in at 10.4mm thick and 139g in weight, the BlackBerry Q10 specs sheet is rounded off by an 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera with 1080p Full HD video recording capabilities and a second, 2-megapixel snapper on the device’s fore.
If you’re tempted by the BlackBerry Q10, be sure to check out our best smartphones roundup before splashing the cash.
