BlackBerry Teases 'Dual Curved' Slider BB10 Smartphone And Announces $275 'Leap'

BlackBerry is taking aim at young mobile professional types with its newly unveiled Leap smartphone for 4G LTE networks. It's an all-touch handset (read: no physical keyboard) sporting a "modern and powerful design" and an edge-to-edge 5-inch HD (1280x720; 294 pixels per inch) display. The device will replace the Z3 in BlackBerry's lineup.

"In today's mobile world – influenced by trends like BYOD – where personal and corporate data are frequently under attack from hackers, companies and everyday consumers are finding out the hard way that mobile security is paramount," said Ron Louks, President, Devices and Emerging Solutions. "BlackBerry Leap was built specifically for mobile professionals who see their smartphone device as a powerful and durable productivity tool that also safeguards sensitive communications at all times."


The Leap is powered by a Qualcomm MSM 8960 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM. It also features 16GB of internal storage expandable via microSD, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, 2,800 mAh non-removable battery good for up to 25 hours of battery life, and BlackBerry 10 OS.

BlackBerry is expected to release the Leap in April for around $275. In the meantime, you can preregister on the product's website.

The Leap isn't the only device BlackBerry has up its sleeve. On Twitter, the company posted a picture of a phone with a dual-curved, all-touch display with a slider keyboard, seemingly offering BB fans the best of both worlds.

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, BlackBerry CEO John Chen told the media that the dual-curved device doesn't yet have a codename, but that "it will come sometime this year."