Despite being launched as the first BB10 smartphone designed for the price conscious, the affordable BlackBerry Q5 may launch with a hefty £349.98 SIM-free price tag.
Launched last month at the BlackBerry Live conference as a mid-range device packing a full physical QWERTY keyboard, the BlackBerry Q5 was said to target “budget and emerging markets” by BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins.
However, according to Unlocked-Mobiles, the BlackBerry Q5 may not be as kind on the wallet as expected. The site lists the QWERTY keyboard handset for £349.98 on a SIM-free basis, which may put it in line with other mid-range handsets like the Nokia Lumia 820, but is certainly not for those on a tight budget, especially when something like the Google Nexus 4 only costs £239 for 8GB or £279 for the 16GB option.
The supposedly affordable BB10 OS smartphone should become available around the middle of July.
BlackBerry Q5 Features
Packing the same 3.1-inch LCD touchscreen display with 720p HD resolution as the BlackBerry Q10, the BlackBerry Q5 is a compact handset bearing the full physical QWERTY keyboard synonymous with BlackBerry smartphones.
It has a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage bolstered by its microSD card slot for expandable storage options. Powered by a 2,100mAh lithium-ion battery, the BlackBerry Q5 will be available in red, white, black and pink body options aiming to appeal to the younger market.
The BlackBerry Q5 has a 5-megapixel rear-mounted camera with an additional 5-megapixel snapper up front and weighs just 120g, despite its 10.8mm thick body.
Running the upcoming BlackBerry 10.1 OS, the BlackBerry Q5 certainly feels like the inferior version of the BlackBerry Q10, but still has a fairly strong set of innards.
Next, read the review of the flagship BlackBerry Z10.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
