Check out our review of the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone.
Long-time BlackBerry supporter Verizon has confirmed it will be stocking the company’s newest smartphone, the BlackBerry Z30. The news came via its official Twitter account, saying simply, “The BlackBerry Z30 is coming soon to the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network.” BlackBerry announced the Z30 earlier this week, but mentioned only that the phone would be out in the UK and the Middle East before the end of September. Other places would follow, but precise information was lacking.
So, good news for BlackBerry fans, but it’s a little surprising it’s Verizon which has announced the Z30 first. If we think back to the release of the Z10, the rumor was Sprint wouldn’t be carrying the device because it had bagged a future touchscreen BlackBerry instead. If that phone is the Z30, which makes sense, then Sprint has missed the opportunity to grab the first few headlines regarding the phone.
In case the BlackBerry Z30’s announcement passed you by, it is the first big-screen phone from the company, and also the first to come with BlackBerry 10.2 installed. The screen measures 5-inches and has a 720p resolution, while the processor is a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon, and there is an 8-megapixel camera on the rear of the device. Now Verizon has finished, or is about to finish, approving the phone for use on the network, there’s a strong chance subscribers with other BlackBerry 10 phones will be getting the BlackBerry 10.2 software update too.
No exact release date for the phone has been provided, and at the time of writing there’s no mention of it on Verizon’s website. Don’t expect it to be a bargain when it does go on sale though, as the SIM-free Z30 is priced at the equivalent of $950 in the UK. However, if the Z10 is anything to go by, any initially high price may fall quite quickly. Previous leaks have indicated the phone will get its U.S. launch in November.
