BlackBerry Leap launched in South Africa
BlackBerry South Africa has launched the BlackBerry Leap – its new mid-range full touchscreen device aimed at “power professionals”.
Martin Fick, senior product manager at BlackBerry South Africa, said the device is available through Vodacom, and that other mobile operators will start selling the device in the next few weeks.
Fick said he couldn’t speak for the other operators with regards to pricing, and could not give a recommended retail price just yet. He said they may provide pricing closer to MTN and Cell C’s launch dates.
Vodacom’s website lists the BlackBerry Leap on its Smart S contract for R299 per month, and offers a prepaid option to buy the device for R3,999 once-off.
Power Professional
When BlackBerry launched the BlackBerry Passport in 2014, it also used “power professional” to refer to the target market of the more expensive device.
Asked about this, Fick said “power professional” users can require entry-level, mid-tier, or high-end smartphones.
In their view, a power professional prioritises certain functionality over others, such as:
- Battery life
- Productivity
- Security and privacy
The Leap’s specifications are detailed in the table below.
| Specifications | BlackBerry Leap |
| Dimensions | 144 x 72.8x 9.5mm |
| Weight | 170g |
| Operating system | BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 |
| Display | 5″ 720p (720×1280) |
| Rear camera | 8MP |
| Front camera | 2MP |
| Storage, internal | 16GB |
| Storage, expandable | microSD |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Processor | 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon 8960 |
| Battery | 2,800mAh |
| Cellular data | LTE, HSPA |
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