Despite already being on sale in 21 countries around the world, the BlackBerry Z10’s launch in the U.S. has been held up thanks to strict network testing procedures. However, rumors spread at the end of last week concerning the BlackBerry Z10’s launch with AT&T have been proven correct, as the network has officially announced the new touchscreen phone will be available on March 22.
If you’re interested in getting hold of the first BlackBerry 10 phone to be released, you can pre-order it from March 12, when it’ll cost you $199 along with a signature on the bottom of a two-year contract. A visit to AT&T’s website doesn’t reveal anything about the tariffs, as at the time of writing, the pre-registration page is still displayed.
The BlackBerry Z10 is not only the first BlackBerry 10 device, but also AT&T’s first 4G LTE BlackBerry phone, and it’ll be joined by the QWERTY-keyboard equipped BlackBerry Q10 sometime later in the year. The release date for its sister phone is unknown, but believed to be May at the earliest, and AT&T has committed to stocking the device when it does finally arrive.
AT&T won’t be the only network to offer the BlackBerry Z10 in the U.S., as Verizon (where an exclusive white model will be sold) and T-Mobile will also sell the new phone. Neither network has confirmed when the phone will go on sale, but now AT&T has spilled the beans, expect them to quickly follow. Sprint, on the other hand, has shunned the Z10 in favor of the Q10, so it won’t be announcing much anytime soon.
If you’re already planning a trip to your nearest AT&T store, then you’ll want to take a look at our tips for the first apps to download from BlackBerry World, but if you’re not quite convinced the BlackBerry Z10 is for you, then have a read of our handset review here and operating system review here.
