Blackberry has slashed the price of its Z10 smartphone. The device was launched last month under a sea of anticipation, and the company’s latest flagship that runs on the BB10 OS is already seeing a price drop.
We are not entirely surprised to see the Z10 get a price drop, although at the moment we cannot tell whether it is because sales figures are unspectacular or because Blackberry is marketing against other smartphone launches. It could be that the company formerly called Research in Motion priced its device high on launch in anticipation of launches from Sony (Xperia Z) and HTC (One) among others.
Alternatively the reason for the price drop could be because the Z10 has simply failed to really explode with consumers and has only sold moderately well. Whatever the reason, the Z10 will now be sold at a cheaper price in major retailers as instructed by Blackberry. The device cost between $820 to $850 at launch but will now be available for $750 to $800 at major retailers, although even better prices can be found.
For example Clove is selling the Z10 16GB for $790 while Bell Canada is offering the unlocked handset for $760. EBay retailers are offering the best deal though; with the lowest price we have found offering the Z10 at $690.
Blackberry face stiff competition in the smartphone market, and some analysts say that the company waited too long to release its Z10. While a fine device, it is not advanced enough to separate it from its competition, and it seems that if it had been released last year as planned then it would have been a hit. However, this year with a load of new more powerful Android phones hitting the market, the Z10 is already looking a little lost and dated.