Blackberry Q10 smartphone set for April UK launch

AMSTERDAM: Blackberry has said its Qwerty keyboard BlackBerry 10 device, the Q10, will be hitting the UK "sometime in April".

Speaking with V3 during a demonstration of the device at the BlackBerry Jam conference BlackBerry's head of software, Vivek Bhardwaj, said the BlackBerry Q10 will arrive in approximately two months.

"We are just bringing the final touches to the software and we expect to launch this product in April, so not long to go," Bhardwaj said.

However, US buyers will have to wait even longer after BlackBerry chief Thorsten Heins said earlier this week the US won't see the Q10 until as late as May or June.

US customers will also have to wait for the Z10 full touchscreen device, which will be available six to eight weeks after it's been on sale in the UK.

Measuring 10.4mm thick and weighing 139g, the BlackBerry Q10 looks like older BlackBerry models on first glance, but on closer inspection, users will notice that it features a robust glass weave construction on the back, which BlackBerry claimed is twice as strong as plastic.

There's also a stainless steel frame that wraps around the BlackBerry Q10, making it more robust and expensive looking than previous BlackBerry smartphones.

BlackBerry didn't reveal how much the Q10 will cost when it hits the UK, nor how long its battery will last between charges, despite claiming that it's the most powerful battery it has built into a smartphone yet.