Skip to main content

BlackBerry Z10 hits India as Canadian retailer says new BB10 device is selling better than iPhone

blackberry-z10-front-displayBlackBerry’s new Z10 smartphone launched in India on Monday, with the Canadian mobile company hoping it’ll be a hit with the country’s burgeoning consumer class.

Its 43,490 rupees price tag (about $800) is a shade lower than that of the iPhone, which retails for 45,500 rupees (about $840), but is much more expensive than Samsung’s flagship S3 device, which can now be found for 29,480 rupees (about $545) following two recent price cuts.

Recommended Videos

The BB10-powered Z10 will be the most expensive handset BlackBerry has brought to the Indian market, with most sales up to now coming via handsets among its much cheaper Curve range, which can be picked up for as little as 9,900 rupees (about $180).

However, the company formerly known as Research In Motion clearly sees potential in the fast emerging Indian market, with IDC data suggesting that nationwide sales of smartphones could increase by around 50 percent to $4 billion in 2013 and may even exceed $7 billion within three years.

Meanwhile, Canada’s biggest independent mobile phone retailer indicated on Monday that the Z10 is getting strong support from the home crowd, calling it “the leading smartphone sold” at its 330 stores since its launch early last month, making it more popular – for this month at least – than Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S3 handset. Glentel declined to give specific figures, however.

Shortly after the Z10 hit the market in Canada, Ontario-based BlackBerry said it was the “best day ever for the first day of a launch of a new BlackBerry smartphone” in the country. It’s going to be interesting to see how US consumers react to the new device when it launches in March, with the mobile maker desperately hoping for a positive response.

Concrete sales figures for the device won’t be available until March 28 when BlackBerry reports its fourth quarter financial results, though even then this will only include data collected up until the end of February.

[via Bloomberg]

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
My Android 16 update made me jealous of iOS 26… but it shouldn’t
Deep down, I know my disappointment is irrational
The Android 16 logo on the screen of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold

I've just downloaded Android 16 on my Pixel 9 Pro Fold. As someone who’s a sucker for a software update this should be a momentous occasion - so why am I feeling flat?

Whether it's an update for one of my favourite apps, or a complete operating system overhaul, I love pouring over change logs to see what's new and diving into features.

Read more
Samsung won’t stop teasing the Galaxy Z Fold 7: here are 3 things revealed already
We're getting a better idea of what the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be
The open Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Samsung is expected to announce its next generation of foldable devices in the coming months, and while we await confirmation from the South Korean brand on when exactly it plans on revealing the phones it’s continuing to tease the upcoming releases.

Samsung's remaining coy on exact specs, but with each teaser it publishes we get a clearer picture of what we can expect when the Galaxy Z Fold 7 launch finally happens.

Read more
Apple’s new iPadOS 26 shows Google what Android tablets need
4 windows open multitasking on the iPad Pro M4 11 running iPadOS 26 developer beta 1

Since the launch of the first iPad, Android tablets have struggled to compete. A lack of optimized apps means that Android tablets still don’t offer as seamless a transition to larger displays, which also impacts the best folding phones, where many apps don’t take advantage of the larger displays.

However, one area where Android tablets have outperformed the iPad is in productivity and multitasking. Samsung’s DeX desktop mode has been key to ensuring that some Android tablets offer a desktop-like experience, albeit one that needs more optimized applications. Last week, OnePlus also joined the party with the innovative Open Canvas system on the OnePlus Pad 3.

Read more