Wireless carriers and retailers have already slashed its price tag

Mar 5, 2013 12:01 GMT  ·  By

BlackBerry Z10, the very first smartphone to sport the BlackBerry 10 platform loaded on top, is now available for purchase in the UK for a bit less than before, it seems.

The Carphone Warehouse is selling the device at £29 ($44 / €22.6) upfront on Three UK’s £29 per month plan, which translates into a £160 ($242 / €185.5) price cut overall when compared to the previous deal, which had the phone for free on the £36 per month plan, Telegraph.co.uk reports.

Furthermore, the smartphone can be seen listed on Vodafone UK’s website at £33 per month, which allows users to save around £72 ($109 /€83.5) when compared to the previously available deal.

The price cut was applied roughly a month after the device was made available for purchase in the country, and it might not be a good sign for the troubled Canadian mobile phone maker.

In fact, James Faucette, an analyst at Pacific Crest, suggests that, although BlackBerry 10 comes with a completely redesigned interface and was loaded on brand new devices, it’s still not capable of successfully competing with Android and iOS.

“The case for [BlackBerry’s] recovery has been that in the long run, the company could return to selling high-end handsets that would feature enough profitability that handset profits could more than offset long-term declines in the highly profitable service business,” Faucette reportedly said.

Although the company’s new flagship, the BlackBerry Z10 is seen only as a mid-level device when compared to smartphones such as the Galaxy S III and the latest iPhone flavor.

Even so, BlackBerry said last month that the launch of its new platform was a success, and that it was looking forward to bringing it to more markets around the world.

BlackBerry Z10 is currently available for purchase in various markets in EMEA, as well as in Canada, and is expected to arrive in the United States before the end of this month.