Technology

BlackBerry's new luxury phone will cost thousands—who exactly is buying?

The timing is, well, interesting

BlackBerryP9982When new CEO John Chen said BlackBerry won’t be getting out of the hardware business anytime soon, he wasn’t kidding.

The Canadian tech company is releasing a new luxury smartphone in collaboration with Porsche Design. The latest model, called the P’9982, is an apparent update on the previous P’9981 model. While the price tag for the new release hasn’t yet been confirmed, the P’9981 is currently being sold on Amazon for about $2,200 (the P’9982 would likely go for more.)

In the video below, BlackBerry’s official blogger Donny Halliwell unveils the premium smartphone, which comes with a “hand-wrapped genuine Italian leather battery cover,” and a collection of chargers that allows the user to charge up anywhere in the world. The phone’s pin also alerts the owner’s friends that the phone is an exclusive Porsche Design model (we’re assuming via the owner’s BBM profile). [adspot]

It’s certainly a luxury item, but the question is whether those with the required bank account size will want to spend their money on a BlackBerry.