14 DAY TRIAL // Lots of BlackBerry users had mixed feelings regarding the Passport, the Canadian’s company new flagship smartphone. BlackBerry Passport is an unusual device, as it is a bit wider than your average smartphone.
Many of those who had the chance to play with the phone before it went official either loved it or simply hated it. There’s no middle ground with the BlackBerry Passport, which means that if there are more people who won’t like it, the smartphone won’t be as popular as the Canadian company expects it to be.
The good news is that BlackBerry Passport is now the best-selling unlocked smartphone on Amazon.com. According to the company, its flagship handset sold out in only 6 hours on ShopBlackBerry.com and in 10 hours on Amazon.com.
“Customer demand drove the BlackBerry Passport to the number one selling unlocked phone on Amazon.com within hours of launch, which our partner told us is unprecedented,” said BlackBerry’s Donny Halliwell.
One of the important things that bumped the Passport to the number one position on Amazon.com is the quite affordable price for a flagship smartphone. The unlocked version of BlackBerry Passport is available on Amazon.com for only $599 (€470) outright, which is quite good considering what value the smartphone offers.
Only 200,000 BlackBerry Passport units were pre-ordered in 48 hours
BlackBerry’s CEO John Chen confirmed that 200,000 BlackBerry Passport units were pre-ordered in the first 48 hours, which is nowhere near the numbers posted by other companies like Apple, Samsung or even Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Gionee or Oppo that sell hundreds of thousands of flagship smartphones in a matter of seconds.
Obviously, there’s a big price difference and arguably quality difference, but still, 200,000 BlackBerry Passport units pre-ordered in 48 hours is not that much.
Hopefully, the Canadian company will sell close to 1 million units by the end of the year, when the Passport should have made it to up to 30 countries.
The important thing is that people are interested in getting the BlackBerry Passport, which means the company needs to make it available in as many regions as possible.
BlackBerry plans to launch another smartphone by the end of this year. Dubbed BlackBerry Classic, the mid-range handset was confirmed by John Chen during the Passport’s launch event earlier this week.
For those waiting for a BlackBerry phablet, the Canadian company may have something in store for them, but only next year when a certain BlackBerry Victoria (Visa) may be unleashed.
Until then though, let’s hope the Passport will do better and pave the way for BlackBerry’s comeback among the major players in the smartphone business.