BlackBerry's £199 Leap smartphone launches first in the UK
BlackBerry isn't the smartphone powerhouse it used to be. Android and iOS are slowly eroding what's left of its market share, but the company isn't giving up just yet. Its latest effort is the Leap, an all-touch smartphone (sorry, keyboard fans) aimed at "young power professionals." The device is launching in the UK today for £199 on BlackBerry's online store, although it won't actually ship until April 24th. If you want the Leap on contract, you can grab it immediately through Vodafone, otherwise it's also available SIM-free through third-party sellers such as Clove, Unlocked Mobiles and Mobile Phones Direct.
As its price-tag suggests, this is a mid-range handset through and through. It boasts a 5-inch 720p display, a 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor and 2GB of RAM, as well as an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2,800mAh battery. The dimpled back gives it some premium flair, but as we reported at MWC, we're skeptical it'll make up for the flawed software. If you're still interested and based outside of the UK, hang tight -- BlackBerry says it'll be hitting North America, India, the UAE and other parts of Europe in the next few weeks.
