No low-cost BlackBerry 10s coming in 2013

BlackBerry has dashed the hopes of users wanting to buy a cheap BlackBerry 10 pre-paid, with the Canadian smartphone-maker announcing there will be no low-end BlackBerry 10s in 2013.

As SmartCompany reported yesterday, Nokia has recently announced it will release its low-end Windows 8 smartphone, the Lumia 620, in Australia on February 22.

BlackBerry’s European managing director, Stephen Bates, has told Tech Radar his company won’t be joining Nokia in releasing a low-end smartphone.

“We’ve brought out these high-end devices as a as a statement of intent – to demonstrate vividly the new BlackBerry. Our intention is to evolve that portfolio to enter the mid-tier,” Bates says.

“But we don’t see us getting to the entry level tier for some time; certainly not this year.

“Based on the great sales we’ve had over Christmas in the UK there is a demand for the entry level BlackBerry and we don’t want to give that up so we’re going to continue with Curve and the entry level as we bring BlackBerry 10 down through the mid-tier and eventually into the entry level.”

Bates says BlackBerry users wanting a new low-end phone will have to settle for an older BlackBerry 7.

“In enterprise the BB7 portfolio is the workhorse device; government, financial institutions… these guys are continuing to purchase BB7. And in the prepaid space we had a very successful run for Christmas,” he says.