BlackBerry Q10 launched in India on Thursday and there is some concern that it may struggle to sell in the Indian market. The BlackBerry brand, which was formerly known as Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB), has failed to make a positive impact in the company as they lost market shares.
Research In Motion (BBRY)’s Blackberry Q10 Price
The new Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) Blackberry Q10 phone was priced at 44,990 rupees (or $790 in US dollars) which makes it one of the Canadian tech giant’s most expensive phones right after BlackBerry P9981 which is priced at 139,000 rupees (about $2444 in US dollars).
The Q10 phone has a physical QWERTY keyboard, 8 megapixel camera and high-definition video recording. This particular model already hit stores in the United Kingdom and Canada. It also comes with 14.8 days of standby time on third generation networks when the phone is fully charged and not in use. It also has 13.4 hours of battery life for talk time, that’s the amount a phone has of battery power before it runs out.
Although the average smartphone user may not find the Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) Q10 worth the high fee, the BlackBerry fan will most likely love this new device. Katherine Boehret (Wall Street Journal reporter for technology) added in her review “For plenty of users who gave up on BlackBerry years ago, the Q10 probably won’t change their minds. But for those of us who love physical keyboards and want a keyboard paired with the full functionality of a serious smartphone, the Q10 delivers.”
India’s market could be key to Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB)’s survival as the country has one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world. Mobile phone makers have shipped about 5.7 million devices to India within the January through March period. That was an impressive increase by 64 percent from last year. Last month, the Panasonic P51 and Google Nexus 4 launched in India. Just yesterday, Lenovo launched six new smartphones in the Indian market.
With a market that’s thoroughly saturated with numerous smartphones, can BlackBerry stay relevant?
[via: WSJ]
