The BlackBerry Q5 went on sale today across Canada for about $50 on a two-year contract or $200 on a $150 tab, which falls in line with what we were expecting. Virgin has an exclusive on the red version, and elsewhere you'll only have the black model, even though we've seen the Q5 in white and pink during the launch. Here are some links to everybody putting this on store shelves.
That's an awfully broad launch, so expect to see plenty of these up north. I've been using the Q5 for a few days now, and honestly, I'm really happy with it. My impression is that you get about 80% of what the Q10 offers for $200 less. I even find the curved back more comfortable than the more squared-off rear of the Q10.
If you're hankering to get your hands on one of these, stick around - there may be a giveaway coming soon... In the meantime, check out our review of the version launched last month in the UAE.
Reader comments
BlackBerry Q5 now available in Canada
I find that instagram runs way smoother on the Q5 than my Z10. (v 3.x)
And nobody camped out last night to support BB?
Sweet, would have been cool if the rest of the colours were rolled out as well - more choices...
I saw the red one today in a mall and was surprise how excited the salesman was about it.
Wheeennnn ROGERS?
Bye bye BlackBerry ur on the way to android merger.
Posted via CB10
Bye bye? Why r u here? This thread is about q5 release. U cant read?
STL 100-3 os 10.2.0.1047
Theres always one in every crowd
yaaaaayyyyy im with virgin so I get the red one! :D
I got mine for 349 somehow. Maybe because my provider likes me. Maybe because I routinely purchase BlackBerry products from them and always pay my bill. I would sell my. . . in order to. . . for life.
Posted via CB10
In my opinion, it is hard to beat the design of the Q10. I do enjoy the look of the Q10 more than the Q5, but the Q5 is still super nice. I want to wait until my Q5 arrives and I actually use it for a bit before I actually fully determine what's better.
I guess it doesn't really matter if it has an hdmi port considering 10.2 has that miracast feature, allowing for an easier way of connecting to a big screen.
Posted via CB10
Can't wait to get my very first television for the sole purpose of using a miracast hdmi adapter with 10.2. It will change how a guy games on BlackBerry 10, sans hdmi cable.
Posted via CB10
I love the look of all the new BlackBerry 10 devices so far. Pure golden-ness. Can't wait to get the Z30 when it comes out. The Q5 will be fun to have, love those chicklet keys. It will be fun to play around with all the different versions of BlackBerry 10 hardware, especially as 10.2 becomes publicly available with the Z30. So rrrraaaaad.
Posted via CB10
I may buy this phone when it drops a bit off contract. Like the z10 but miss my curve (strangely). Wish we had a track-pad model.
/ludite
Posted via CB10
Q5 is in the mail, on its way to me. Awesome.
Posted via CB10
Lol... and why so long for the release? this has been out for 2 months now... or am I mistaken?
National Rail Times App for BB10 (Native Q10 and Z10) - http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/20352963
BB has only themselves to blame. Lack of vision, poor marketing. They went from being on everyones want List to no ones. When the newest apps are featured BB is not even mentioned. The sad fact is that even with all that not going for them I still would have purchased because I have had a BB for over 20 years, but poor marketing has sprint not carrying it. Truly sad.
I played with this today at Best Buy. I was very impressed. It felt great in the hand, the touchscreen is a nice size, and the browser was very responsive. I wouldn't consider it a low-end device at all. It could be a great option for people that want a physical keyboard and nobody does physical keyboards better than BlackBerry.
Posted on CB 10 with my Z10
mobile syrup say its $350 outright.Good deal shame about colours.The pink colour is mystical.
I'll get one when it comes to Wind. I know not to expect good quality but until Z30 comes out it'll have to do.
I would love one of these as they are a cheaper device for business use rather than the Q10. Great device for people in the trade/construction sector!!
Too bad our provider for business (MTS) doesn't carry it nor will they probably. Last damn carrier to launch Z10/Q10 here in Winnipeg...
I have friends waiting for the Q5... super
Can these be unlocked? I assume $50 like any bb10 device.
Posted via CB10
Wow 400$ without term that's ridiculous!
Posted via CB10
Actually looking at the five carriers' pricing of it, I think the pricing strategy is actually done quite well. I've always been a budget smartphone shopper as I've never felt the need to use the highest end (long time Curve user) and the price disparity between it and the Q10 - at a whopping difference of $350 on Koodo and $300 on Fido it would be an easy choice for me to pick the similarly specced Q5. Virgin and Bell are also selling it at $230 and $180 cheaper than the Q10 on certain contracts.
If I was buying outright, no question I would just leap to the Q10, but if I wanted an almost entirely-subsidized phone for signing a contract and planned to keep it for a couple of years, I'd seriously give the Q5 a look.
It's a hard sell in places like canada where you can buy a brand new sealed z10 for less than a outright q5. I only see it selling on contract.
Posted via CB10
In a month the price of the BlackBerry Q5 should collapse by at least 50%. The September earnings report will be the final nail in the coffin.
Yay Q5!
Posted via Q10 using CB10
Nothing wrong with a few models to sell to more people. Not everyone wants the baddest phone out there. To bad the USA is that last to ever get if ever any of these other phones which could capture more market share.
Very good, my nephew wants one.
BB Z10 Rocks!
Very cool, hope we get these in the US
Posted via CB10
in Germany it's on the same price level als the z10 on Amazon
For 350 mite be fun to grab one as a spare phone. Humm. .
Posted via CB10
Any idea if/when us release?
Posted via CB10
2015 :)
Went to my provider yesterday to inquire early about the expected arrival of the Q5 and the lady said, "oh yeah, tomorrow for sure". Went back to see them this morning and they at first had no idea what I was asking about, then when they finally clued into my desire for a Q5, they said, "oh we won't have those until later on today." Okay, so I then went to an independent dealer of my provider and they had zero clue what I was even talking about for at least a minute before trying to claim how, "oh, we won't see those for about a week or so."
Wow, really? For the Z10 and the Q10 they had both models in before the launch date (which is completely usual and normal for a carrier to have new devices even a few days to weeks or even months earlier).
What a gong show. They're all likely sitting in boxes in the back still waiting to be "received" by the scanner monkey. I want my friggin' Q5! I don't own anything except nice BlackBerry phones and I want each BlackBerry 10 device on launch day because that's my minor contribution to the evils of consumerism. LoL
Posted via CB10
This phone looks more streamlined and eye-catchy to me than the Q10. Hopefully, it catches on like the Curve line.
Post via CB Z10
With virgin it's at 100$ with a 2 year gold plan
Posted from Uranus, on my Zed10 of course.
I certainly consider the Q5 to be a more attractive device than the Q10 and with only fractionally reduced hardware specification that is unlikely to make a significant impact anyway.
Just a pity it runs the lemon that is BB10
Bb10 is amazing, no lemon!!
Are you speaking in opposites today? Did I miss the memo? The Q10 is gorgeous, and BB10 is no lemon. It is the fastest and most capable mobile OS in existence. Period.
10000000% Agree. Which is why somebody here coined the saying "BB10 "IS" the Greatest Mobile Platform in Existence and the only one that goes beyond Mobility"
The Q5 is already available here in Malta (not 3rd World country) but quite regional. It's crazy priced at Eur499 off contract, Eur200 with Eur60/month and Free with Eur100/month. It's priced exactly the same as the Galaxy SIII just crazy. So i can't really consider it a cheap entry phone. I bought my Z10 outright from the UK for Eur599 a weak or so after launch.
That's overpriced as hell but you live on an island where most things are usually overpriced.
Posted via CB10
electronics yes ... but nothing else. Beer is cheap :)
Gas, food, and all necessities of life (except beer & cider) is woefully overpriced in the UK!
I.want.it.
How badly? If TMO doesn't carry this, any North American carrier's Q5 will work since it's the same model. You'll just need to get it unlocked.
I do want it, but I might wait for the price to come down.
I'm a but bummed about the way BlackBerry has fumbled the release of practically every product under TH. Not that the actual launch has been bad, but the release schedules have been a mess, the updates are staggered and dictated by the carriers and the pricing seems to be all wrong. It's not that nobody doesn't want BlackBerry products, they just can't get then or they see their valuation all wrong. I bet the z10 would've done a lot better @ $500 and the q5 wild be killing it a $300.
But to appease carriers and shareholders rather than sell products to customers, the whole ordeal has been marred just tugging all perception of BlackBerry down as a whole, further devaluing the brand continuing the downward spiral.
Back to the q5. I can't wait to give it a test drive.
Zedtenbitches
Perfect timing right before students head back to school/university and all other people looking at a good BlackBerry device.
Yes, they "finally" got launch/release timing right on something ...
You mean launching the BlackBerry Q5 the day after the BlackBerry Chief Executive Officer announces the company is being liquidated because management lacks the ability to execute? OPh yeah! Students will be lining up by the thousands to buy a BlackBerry Q5. Not.
Now smile :)
Posted via CB10
Your reply made me smile. :-)
Posted via CB10 from the BlackBerry Z10
I am a university student and the price tag on the Q5 is more appealing compared to the Q10. But I want the best so I will let this one pass. Not saying it won't appeal to any other students. Oh, I am smiling too :D
Liquidated!?? No, partnership or privatized
+1
$350 off contract isn't that bad at all
It is when you're gonna be competing with the cheaper iPhone soon.
Posted via CB10
It also has more RAM and a better processor than the iPhone 5, it is priced well for a phone that was just released
Posted via Z10
ahem...did you just compared a Q5 to the iPhone 5?
well...i thought i was a bb cheerleader ...
iP5 ... meh, Samsung is beating the pants off it. No one in China is buying the iP5, all Samsung.
I can understand why, my wife has an S4, and it is quite impressive :)
Posted via Z10
Only making a point, the Q5 is not a low end device!
Posted via Z10
Your point was clear and well made. Q5 has a better processor and more Ram than the current flagship phone of a major competitor.
From my sweet BB10 Neutrino powered Z10 :D
It has a FAR worse processor than that in the iPhone 5. Heck, the iPhone 5 has a better processor and GPU than the flagship Q10. No need to broadcast your ignorance for the world to see.
Q5 has the same SoC as that in the Nokia Lumia 521 which is being sold for $99 off contract at AT&T. It's not nearly an upper midrange device.
The words cheap and iPhone don't go together. An iPhone with 64 GB is $400 on a 2 year contract. A Z10 with 80 GB (16+64) is $99 with 2 year contract plus $50 for the 64 GB SD card.
So, let's summarize:
- iPhone 64 GB - $400
- Z10 80 GB - $150
That's a massive $250 difference!!!!!
Even if the cheaper iPhone comes, it still won't compete. It will likely feature only 8 GB RAM, and non expandable!
Especially for a LTE phone
It should be 250 off contract and 0 dollars with contract.
Posted on my Q10
It's available in United Arab Emirates. :) my country
Wish they had all colors!
Posted via CB10
Carriers don't want the inventory.
Most stores are stocking like 4-5 black Q5's
Posted via CB10
Is this your opinion? If not, how did you determine these "facts"?
Posted via CB10
ticks me off that BlackBerry or their partners haven't started rolling out the Q5 in my country (honduras). we're considered a third world country, shouldn't they brought the Q5 with the Q10? nooooope. they brought the Q10 first. asked BlackBerry Honduras when they'll hace the Q5? all they say is: keep posted to our promotions!
i own a lovely and handy Z10 and want the Q5 for my mom, upgrade her from a qwerty samsung.
Funny thing, it's not officially out in the USA, but I was walking by a tech shop and right in the window were a few Q5's... Unlocked I'm guessing.
Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10
More colours just means more inventory. Anyhow great to see the Q5 make it.
BlackBerry will survive in the Corporate and Government Sectors! My Z10 is so much better than an iphone!
More colours = more sales, especially for teenagers which is why its available before the start of the school year. This Q5 would make a great entry phone for somebody starting off. But beware, BB10 is one powerful masterpiece which keeps getting better with every update. ;)
Is BlackBerry having issues launching the Q5 in all colors? Anyways, its great it is available in Canada.
Cool
Zedtenbitches
I wanted to say this for a long time so here it is.........most people are so dump by making BBRY sunk, we will 1000's of high paying jobs in North America and all the tech sector will all be in Asia, we all loose if BBRY sinks. All our kids future for jobs look worst.
Sexy White BlackBerry Z10
Thanks. This is what i have been saying. Pass this around, canvas with those who can reason. This is a solid company and we in Waterloo cannot afford to let BlackBerry fail and Canada for that matter.
Posted via CB10
Too bad the average consumer doesn't realize what their effects on the economy.
Posted via CB10
Why do you guys always blame other people, carriers and competition? Those people don't make decisions where the company is going. You don't deliver, you won't make money and lose market share. Sure it is sad people lose their jobs but you should blame the management and the people in charge.