Competing smartphones, CEO John Chen said, often cost something in the range of $700.
What would make you purchase a BlackBerry Passport? How about a cheap price tag?BlackBerry CEO John Chen is hoping that's the case, so the company's new square smartphone will arrive with a $599 price tag, he told The Wall Street Journal.
That's the unsubsidized, contract-free price, which is cheaper than the iPhone 6, which starts at $649 off-contract, and the iPhone 6 Plus, which sells without a contract for $749-$949. Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5, meanwhile, went on sale this year for about $650.
"But I figure that to try to get the market interested, we're going to start a little lower than that," Chen told the Journal.
BlackBerry's 4.5-inch square handset is set to launch on Wednesday. There's a 1,440-by-1,440 display that offers the same viewing space as a 5-inch phone, the company said, and the physical QWERTY keyboard for which BlackBerry is known.
Early reports suggest the device will come equipped with a quad-core Qualcomm processor and large 3,450mAh battery, though it looks like interested consumers will have to wait until Sept. 24 for more details.
Wednesday's launch, according to Journal, will go live simultaneously in Toronto, London, and Dubai; the phone will be available "immediately" in some stores. Those who miss the opening day festivities can pick up the Passport within a week or two of its debut.
A BlackBerry spokesman declined to comment on the reports, telling PCMag that particulars, like pricing and general availability, will be announced when the phone officially launches.
Reports of the BlackBerry Passport first emerged in March, with rumors about a phablet-sized device codenamed Windermere. The company confirmed the device this summer, teasing a few images and features.
At the CTIA trade show earlier this month, the Canadian phone maker revealed that it has been experimenting with wearables, but don't expect to snap on a BlackBerry watch anytime soon. Enterprise head John Sims declined to release further details, but said "it's definitely an area of research for us."
No comments:
Post a Comment