BlackBerry Q5 gets released in the U.K. and South Africa

The entry-level BlackBerry Q5 launched on Tuesday in the U.K. and South Africa. Similar to the BlackBerry Q10, the device features a 3.1 inch 720 x 720 resolution screen. Unlike the Bold-esque QWERTY on the Q10, the keys on the Q5 keyboard are more basic. The device can be purchased unlocked from retailers like Expansys for £344.99 ($523 USD). Carphone Warehouse has the device for £319.95 ($485 USD). Vodafone, Orange and EE are offering the phone with monthly plans ranging from £21.00 up to £36.00 per month ($32 to $55 USD).

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins said earlier this year that the Canadian based manufacturer would launch six BlackBerry 10 models in 2013. Two would be low-end.phones, two would be mid-range units and two would be high-end models. Each price tier would consist of one all-touch and one QWERTY-enabled phone. With that in mind, we can assume that the BlackBerry Q5 is the low end QWERTY. The question has always been, where would you put the Q10 and Z10? Heins has said in the past that all of the touch models would have a 4.2 inch screen and share the same resolution, while all of the QWERTY equipped models would have the same 3.1 inch 720 x 720 display. This would make it easier for developers to produce apps for all models without worrying about different screen sizes and resolutions.

Heins has said in the past that there would be a high-end model coming for the holidays, and this could be the BlackBerry A10 that is allegedly coming to Sprint in November. If true, that would mean that the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 are mid-range models and leave BlackBerry short one low-end all-touch model, and one high-end QWERTY equipped model. We've already seen a leaked photo of a phone called the BlackBerry Z5 which just might be the entry-level all-touch device we are still waiting to hear about.

source: phonesreview via IntoMobile