The BlackBerry Passport is ready to hit retail in the U.S. very soon, launching on Wednesday, Sept. 24, with a $599 price tag unlocked.
BlackBerry has been bleeding customers for a good while, as it saw many users ultimately switch to its competitors. The company is still trying to make a comeback on the fiercely-competitive smartphone market, but it lost significant ground to rivals in the past few years. Android is now at the top of the food chain, dominating the scene along with Apple's iOS, while Microsoft's Windows Phone has dethroned BlackBerry from the third spot.
The Canadian smartphone maker has been making notable efforts recently to keep its head above the water, and the BlackBerry Passport is its latest attempt to turn things around.
The smartphone has already stirred some interest due to its odd design with a square form factor, and is expected to draw plenty of attention when it makes its official debut.
While so far it remained unclear just when the BlackBerry Passport will hit commercial availability, we now have an exact launch date for the U.S., complete with pricing details.
BlackBerry will formally showcase its new Passport smartphone at a trio of media events on Wednesday, Sept. 24, and the handset will become available for purchase on the same day.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, BlackBerry CEO John Chen has revealed that the BlackBerry Passport will launch on Sept. 24 in the U.S. with a $599 price tag unlocked and contract-free. The CEO further pointed out that the smartphone should normally have a higher price tag unlocked (about $700), but the company wants to undercut rivals with this aggressive pricing in hopes that it will be able to attract more customers.
As a reminder, the BlackBerry Passport is expected to pack a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.2GHz, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage capacity, expandable via microSD. Other specs should include a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front shooter, and a 3,450 mAh battery that should deliver up to 19 hours of use on a single charge.
The highlight of the device, however, will be its screen, as it's something unusual for the smartphone arena. More specifically, the BlackBerry Passport will sport a 4.5-inch display with an odd resolution of 1,440 x 1,440 pixels. The device is reportedly inspired by an actual passport, as it wants to symbolize mobility. BlackBerry also touted that the display on its Passport handset is ideal for reading e-books, browsing the web, or handling documents, as it can show more characters per line than the average smartphone due to its bold form factor.
Not all aforementioned specifications are officially confirmed at this point, but we'll know all there is to know about the BlackBerry Passport straight from the source soon enough. We'll be covering the launch and bring you the official scoop, so stay tuned.
