The first BlackBerry device to feature the latest BlackBerry 10 software will make its way across the pond on March 22nd. AT&T will be the first US network to stock the BlackBerry Z10.
To our surprise, the latest BlackBerry launched exclusively in the UK before anywhere else back at the end of January. It then made it over to Canada and some other regions, but the US had to wait. Now that wait is less than two weeks away from being over, with AT&T confirming a launch date.
Unfortunately the news isn’t all good however, as the network will be asking for $199 up front to get the phone on contract for 2 years. By contrast, the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC One X+ and LG Optimus G are all $99.99. The price does however match that of the 16GB iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy SIII.
If the price doesn’t phase you then you’ll be able to pre-order a Z10 with AT&T from tomorrow (March 12th) and pick one up in store come March 22nd.
Up until now we’ve only spotted availability of the Z10 in the US on a lesser-known network Solavei, which put a hefty premium on a SIM-free version of the phone.
T-Mobile US has also confirmed that it will be offering the Z10, however so far it has only offered the handset to its business customers and not the general public.
So far the BlackBerry Z10 has exceeded the company’s expectations, with sales tripling previous first week records according to CEO Thorsten Heins.
As for the more traditional BlackBerry with a QWERTY keyboard, the Q10; that’s said to be hitting the US mid-way through May, and we’ve had this timeframe backed up by Bell of Canada.