The BlackBerry Q10 will hit shelves in the United States as early as Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
The Q10, the first BlackBerry that has a keyboard and runs on the newest BlackBerry operating system, will become available to T-Mobile customers starting Wednesday.
Since last week, Verizon has allowed its customers to pre-order the phone. On its website it says the Q10 will ship Thursday. Currently the phone costs $199.99 (as much as the Samsung Galaxy S4) with a two-year contract.
AT&T won’t begin to allow orders until Wednesday. It will also sell the phone for $199.99 with a two-year contract.
Verizon and AT&T have not confirmed a date for when the Q10 will be available at local stores.
Sprint Nextel plans to begin sales of the phone during the summer.
BlackBerry is making a push to compete with the iPhones and Androids that have taken over the smartphone market.
Its new Blackberry 10 operating system is geared towards launching Blackberry into the touchscreen smartphone world.
The Q10’s predecessor in the U.S., the Z10, was said to have experienced a slow launch and that its returns had exceeded its sales. However, BlackBerry CEO Thorston Heins said, “sales of the BlackBerry Z10 are meeting expectations and the data we have collected from our retail and carrier partners demonstrates that customers are satisfied with their devices,” according to BGR.com. Verizon also said "after 14 days, quality performance [of the BlackBerry Z10] has been in line with other smartphone launches."
The Q10 has already been a hit in the United Kingdom. The phone has previously sold out at two retailers, according to Jeffries analyst Peter Misek.
“Salespeople were well-versed on the device, and there was more apparent buzz versus the Z10 launch,” he said.
