MUMBAI: Struggling mobile phone maker BlackBerry has launched its first smartphone from its BlackBerry 10 line in India, pricing the phone at Rs 43,490, a shade below rival iPhone.
BlackBerry’s Z10 handset will be sold in India from tomorrow, before the phone’s introduction in the US. The device will cost Rs 43,490, lower than Rs 45,000 charged by rival Apple’s for an iPhone 5. Samsung’s Galaxy Note II costs 35,600.
“This is the second costliest offering from the BB stable after the ultra-luxe Porsche Design priced at Rs 1.4 lakh launched last year. But I don’t think pricing will be a deterrent for an interested consumer as we have got very positive feedback on the pricing from consumers themselves.
“Also, going by the initial booking we have received here so far, I don’t think pricing is a problem. More importantly, we have exceeded our target in both the markets (England and home market Canada) where we launched the BB10,” Dutt said.
Gartner Principal Research Analyst Anshul Gupta said, “Although, the device is priced high, this positioning is on expected lines. The operating system looks good and has excellent features”.
Samsung’s S-III is selling at about Rs 30,000 for 16 GB, while Nokia Lumia 920 is priced at over Rs 35,500.
Dutt did not share the booking numbers or sales target, saying they do not do that normally. “The BB10 is a game-changer and we hope to gain considerable market with this model. We don’t work for market share, which is only a derivative of the product’s acceptance,” he said.
-PTI
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