BlackBerry’s latest comeback hopes now rest on the largest smartphone it has introduced to date – the Z30 model which comes with a 5-inch screen.
“It is our biggest, fastest and most advanced smartphone, and easily my favorite BlackBerry smartphone to date,” wrote BlackBerry’s blog manager Donnie Halliwell.
“In addition to its stunning 5-inch touchscreen, the biggest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone, it features BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2 and is packed with new features designed to enhance the BlackBerry 10 experience. I use the BlackBerry Z30 to keep me connected and in control while on the go. As you know, I’m always sharing and collaborating on social media and I find that the BlackBerry Z30 is ideal for this. And it has the largest battery yet on a BlackBerry smartphone, so I’ve got power to get me through. With the large screen and intuitive features, I’m able to be more productive and better in-touch with those I care about.”
The Z30 goes on sale in the U.K. and Middle East next week.
The Z30 was unveiled today at an event in Kuala Lumpur, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company said in an e-mailed statement. Pricing will be announced by partners, BlackBerry said.
The company is counting on its new range of BlackBerry 10 phones to deliver a return to sales growth and profitability as it tries to regain market share from Apple and Samsung Electronics. Sales two quarters ago missed analyst estimates by almost 1 million units, and BlackBerry said last month it would consider putting itself up for sale or new partnerships.
BlackBerry, which traditionally made devices featuring a physical keyboard, in January unveiled the Z10 with a 4.2-inch touchscreen that more closely resembled handsets like the iPhone.
The worldwide mobile phone market is forecast to grow 7.3 percent to pass 1 billion units for the first time this year, researcher International Data Corp. forecast Sept. 4.
BlackBerry, which already trailed Google Inc.’s Android and Apple’s iOS operating systems, also fell behind Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Phone in the first half of this year, IDC said. BlackBerry’s operating system will account for 2.7 percent of smartphones this year, declining to 1.7 percent by 2017, IDC said.
“BlackBerry OS share will decline markedly over the forecast due to tepid BlackBerry 10 reception and emboldened competition that are expected to whittle away share in its remaining regional bastions of strength, such as Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East,” IDC said in a Sept. 4 statement.
BlackBerry will report fiscal second-quarter earnings on Sept. 27. Morgan Stanley is holding off on upgrading its employees to BlackBerry 10 because of concerns the company may not be around long term to support the platform, two people with knowledge of the bank’s plans said last month.
BlackBerry maintains a research and development operation in the Triangle.
