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At long last, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available in America this week!
With three of the four major service providers (AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile) offering the next-gen BlackBerry, it can be a little tricky figuring out which to go with, but luckily we’re here to help you out.
If you're currently with a certain carrier, you'll most likely want to stick it out with them.
If you're thinking of changing up however, we can help you sort out which carrier would be the best fit.
After figuring out the coverage area that makes the most sense for you, we’ll start digging into the rate place and device prices to see how everything stacks up.
Verizon
Verizon is the big kahuna, and will likely offer you the best 4G LTE coverage money can buy. Verizon is selling the BlackBerry Z10 for $199 on a two-year contract, or $599 with no strings attached. As you can see, coverage is pretty great, though you’ll want to check for yourself to see if your town’s taken care of.
One of the biggest downsides of picking up a BlackBerry Z10 from Verizon is that you’ll have to deal with that big obnoxious logo on the front. Being able to keep a clean front face may be enough to convince users to opt for AT&T or T-Mobile instead. On the flipside, Verizon is also the only carrier with the white BlackBerry Z10 for the time being. Here are the major plans you can pick up with Verizon.
- Unlimited nationwide text and talk, 300 MB data - $80.00/month
- Unlimited nationwide text and talk. 2 GB of data - $100.00/month
- Unlimited nationwide text and talk, 4 GB of data - $110.00/month
It's worth noting that all of these plans are share plans, so you can give another phone access to your data bucket for $40/month, or $10/month for a tablet. You can dig deeper into Verizon's plans here.
AT&T
AT&T is still playing catch-up to Verizon, but they're still a viable alternative. AT&T will have the BlackBerry Z10 on sale for $199 on a two-year contract, or $549 outright. You can see the AT&T data coverage above, but get a closer look at your hometown’s status at AT&T’s network page.Covered?
Here's what you'll get when subscribing to AT&T.
- 450 rollover minutes, unlimited messaging, 300 MB of data - $79.99/month
- 900 rollover minutes, unlimited messaging, 3 GB of data - $109.99/month
- Unlimited nationwide minutes, unlimited messaging, 5 GB of data - $139.99/month
Then set number of minutes may be a deal breaker for real chatterboxes, but otherwise these are pretty comparable to Verizon's plans. Hit up AT&T for a closer look at their plans.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile has a smaller coverage footprint, but that’s okay - their rate plans are relatively cheap to make up for it. The BlackBerry Z10 is expected to be one of the few LTE devices to be running on the T-Mobile’s upcoming 4G network, which will be something of a novelty to long-time customers used to HSPA+. Be sure to keep an eye on T-Mobile's coverage map to see which markets will have initial LTE service.
We're expecting an announcement on March 26. Though T-Mobile U.S. doesn’t say much about BlackBerry Z10 pricing on its landing page, the prices on AT&T and Verizon are a good indication that T-Mobile will be selling for around $199 on contract and $549-ish on its own.
- Unlimited nationwide text and talk - $59.99/month
- Unlimited nationwide text and talk. 5 GB of high speed data - $89.99/month
- Unlimited nationwide text and talk, 10 GB of high speed data with hotspot enabled - $94.99/month
As mentioned, T-Mobile's prices are a fair bit more reasonable, though you'll have to be willing to deal with limited coverage. More information on T-Mobile plans can be found here. There are also Value Plans that help you pay off the device in installments, or some very attractive prepaid plans if you've got the cash to pay for your device outright.
Take Your Pick
So that's a look at the major U.S. carriers that will be selling the BlackBerry Z10. Sorry Sprint customers, you'll have to hold out for the Q10 launch this spring.
Coverage is likely to be a deciding factor in which carrier you go with, but for popular areas where you've got a few options, you can clearly save some cash.
Where are you going to get your BlackBerry 10 service? Are you switching, or sticking with an old favorite?
Check out our Canadian BlackBerry Z10 buyer's guide
Check out our U.K. BlackBerry Z10 buyer's guide
Get help for your BlackBerry Z10
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