TORONTO – Canadian smartphone-maker BlackBerry announced Tuesday that the BlackBerry Q5 will be making its way into the hands of Canadian consumers, despite the device originally being pitched as a device for emerging markets.
The Waterloo, Ont.-based company announced the Q5 in May during its annual tech conference in Orlando, Fla., making it the third smartphone release for BlackBerry in 2013.
The phone, which features BlackBerry’s traditional QWERTY keyboard design, runs the new BlackBerry 10 operating system.
Read More: Blackberry announces new Q5 smartphone for selected markets
Originally it was announced that the phone would only be available in selected markets, such as Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Andrew MacLeod, Managing Director for Canada at BlackBerry, noted in a press release that the phone was brought to Canada thanks to “strong partner support.”
“Canada is our home, and bringing the BlackBerry Q5 smartphone here is a testament to our strong partner support and ongoing commitment to delivering innovative technologies that enable Canadian enterprises and consumers to improve how they connect and communicate,” said MacLeod in the press release.
Global News contacted BlackBerry for further comment on the decision to bring the Q5 to Canada and will update this story with their response.
Smartphone-makers have been turning their attention to emerging markets recently as the North American smartphone market becomes more and more saturated.
Experts noted upon the BlackBerry Q5’s release that although the move to emerging markets was a good one for BlackBerry, it won’t be the company’s saving grace.
John-Kurt Pliniussen, marketing expert and professor at Queen’s University School of Business, called the move a “keep floating initiative,” suggesting that a competitive price point would be the deciding factor in the phone’s success.
Read More: BlackBerry entering into emerging markets good, but no savior: expert
Pliniussen said that if BlackBerry were to use a marketing technique called “penetration pricing” – setting a low entry price on the phone initially to lure in new users – they could see better results.
The Q5 will be available starting August 13 for Bell, Fido, Koodo, Sasktel, TELUS, and Virgin Mobile Canada customers, as well as other retail stores.
Telus sub-brand Koodo Mobile will be selling the device for $350 without a contract, however other participating carriers have not yet released pricing information for the phone.
Comments