BlackBerry Z10 out in the UK 31 January, networks price it up
The new BlackBerry Z10 phone will be available from most UK networks from 31 January. Woah, that's tomorrow!
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The BlackBerry Z10, the Canadian phonemaker's new flagship touchscreen blower, is due to hit UK shops tomorrow.
O2, Vodafone, Three, Phones 4 U and Carphone Warehouse have all confirmed they will be offering the new phone. EE will be the first to have the phone its super-speedy 4G data network.
You can have the phone on a £41 per month contract with a £50 up-front charge, netting you unlimited texts and calls but only 1GB of data -- and considering how fast 4G speeds are, you'll likely eat through that in a matter of minutes.
If you don't want the hyper-speeds of 4G, you can get it on Orange and T-Mobile's 3G network too. A £50 up-front charge will score you the phone on a £36 per month plan, although at the time of writing, it wasn't clear what you get for that money. EE said it will have a range of plans available, so stay tuned for more info soon.
Vodafone will demand £29 for the phone up-front on a £42 per month contract, for which you'll get unlimited calls and texts along with 2GB of data. Pay £47 per month and you'll get the phone for free. You can have it on a £37 per month contract with an upfront cost of £69, netting you unlimited calls and texts and a lesser 1GB of data.
Vodafone also pegs the phone as "4G-ready". Currently the only network to offer 4G Internet in the UK is EE, but other networks will roll out their own super-fast services towards the end of the year so it's good to know the phone will be compatible when Vodafone's goes live.
O2, meanwhile, told me it'll have an introductory offer giving the phone away for free on a £36 per month contract. There's no more information about its other plans, but I expect to hear more from O2 and indeed all the other networks over the next day or two.
Phones 4 U will give away the phone for free on contracts starting from £36 per month on various networks. There'll be a range of price plans available soon so pop down to find a deal that suits your wallet -- the first 250 customers will get a free BlackBerry Playbook too.
The Z10 will be available SIM-free in the US for $599, which after conversion and adding VAT, pegs it at £455. That immediately puts it up there with the top dogs of the smart phone world, so it's going to have to do a huge amount to stand any chance.
The Z10 is rather reminiscent of the iPhone 5, with its tall design and 4.2-inch display. It doesn't have any physical navigation buttons, as BlackBerry 10 is based entirely on gestures.
The interface is neat and attractive and has a bunch of great features, such as improved BlackBerry Messenger and the ability to peek at your notifications without leaving your app. To see more of what's in store, check out the full reviews of both the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry 10 software by our excellent US colleagues at CNET.com.
If you're keen to get your hands on the Z10, bookmark this page and check back when we can update it with more prices and deals. In the meantime, make sure to let me know your thoughts on the phone and its software in the comments below and over on our Facebook page.