This morning, BlackBerry announced a new variant of its Q line of QWERTY-keyboard equipped smartphones in the Q5, a mid-range version of the current Q10 meant for select worldwide markets in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with significant cost reductions in materials and hardware from the Q10 in order to drive down handset costs further from current Q10 pricing.
The Q5 features a revised QWERTY keyboard that moves away from its recognizable design and layout and favors a more conventional design with individual keys being given more space and prominence with increased height as well as being aligned island-style. The display has been downgraded from the OLED display on the Q10, but is otherwise similar in terms of key specifications as listed below:
- Create the perfect shot with BlackBerry Time Shift mode and Story Maker
Create the picture perfect shot with BlackBerry Time Shift mode, then create and share your story, weaving together your photos, videos and music into a movie with BlackBerry Story Maker. - Share and be seen with BBM Video with Screen Share
Instantly switch your BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) chat to a BBM Video conversation and catch up face-to-face. You can even share your screen, whether it’s a photo, a page in the browser, an idea, or a view from your camera.
- Stay close to what’s important to you with BlackBerry Hub
With BlackBerry Hub, all of your messages and social conversations are only one swipe away. There’s no need to stop what you’re doing. Simply peek into the BlackBerry Hub from anywhere with a swipe to effortlessly flow in and out of your messages and conversations. - BlackBerry World delivers a rich, thriving app and content ecosystem
Discovering and sharing great apps and content is easier than ever with recommendations based on similar purchases, and access to more than 100,000 apps on the BlackBerry World storefront.
The phone will be available starting in July in the aforementioned markets with no word on a release for the US and Canada. In related news, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint have confirmed that they will release the Q10 in June with pricing and release dates to be confirmed.
