BlackBerry Q5 prices, launch date on Vodacom in SA
The BlackBerry Q5 smartphone will be available from Vodacom World, the Vodacom online shop, and participating outlets from Thursday, 27 June 2013, a spokesperson for the operator recently told MyBroadband.
Without a contract, the BlackBerry Q5 will cost R4,999, and on Vodacom’s Smart S package it will cost R289 per month, Vodacom said.
This is significantly cheaper than Vodacom’s deals on the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10, but still somewhat more expensive than deals on the old BlackBerry Curve 9300 and 9320.
Vodacom will only offer the version of the BlackBerry Q5 with LTE support (SQR100-2), which is expected to be more expensive than the HSPA-only model.
It’s worth mentioning that the BlackBerry Q5 runs on the new BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system from BlackBerry, which no longer requires a subscription to BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS).
This also means that unlike the BlackBerry Curve and other devices running on BlackBerry’s older platform, the uncapped Internet offered through BIS is not available to BlackBerry 10 devices.
Vodacom’s Smart S package includes 75 anytime minutes, 200 SMS, and 200MB of data until 6 August. Normally Smart S only has 75MB of data and 150 SMS.
Pricing on Vodacom’s other contracts was not immediately available at the time of publication.
Contracts include the unlimited BBM text service, which interestingly Vodacom values at R19 per month. Unlimited BBM lets subscribers send messages using BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) after they have been capped, without incurring additional charges.
Pricing and launch details for the BlackBerry Q5 on South Africa’s other mobile networks have yet to surface.
| Specifications | BlackBerry Q5 |
| Dimensions | 120 x 66 x 10.8 mm |
| Weight | 120g |
| Operating system | BlackBerry 10 |
| Display | 3.1″ 720×720 IPS |
| Camera, primary | 5MP |
| Camera, secondary | 2MP |
| Storage, internal | 8GB |
| Storage, expandable | microSD |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Processor | 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon |
| Battery | 2,180mAh |
| Cellular data | HSPA, LTE |
| NFC | Yes |
*Update: Vodacom has confirmed that it will be offering the LTE version of the BlackBerry Q5, which BlackBerry calls the SQR100-2 model in its documentation. The article has been amended to reflect this.
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