BlackBerry slashes Z30 price

BlackBerry slashed price of its latest smartphone Z30 by 12 % to ₹ 34,990 for a limited period following a good response to earlier discount offer on Z10 handsets.

'We have seen a phenomenal response to our initial promotional offer on BlackBerry Z10 and are confident we will see similar offtake for the 5-inch screen BlackBerry Z30,' BlackBerry India Director for Sales Channel, Hitesh Shah, said in a statement.

'This anniversary price of ₹ 34,990 will ensure that consumers are able to experience the latest technology,' he said on the eve of BlackBerry's 10th anniversary in India.

The company has launched this offer for period of 60 days starting March 27.

The offer will run across all BlackBerry retail networks. The white BlackBerry Z30 will be exclusively available on online marketplace Flipkart at the same price of ₹ 34,990, the statement said.

The company had launched Z30, equipped with the biggest screen among all BlackBerry handsets, in October 2013 for ₹ 39,990.

Early this month, BlackBerry cleared all the stock of Z10 smartphones within a week of announcing heavy discount offer to sell it for ₹ 17,990 against the launch price of ₹ 43,990.

BlackBerry lowered handset prices in the face of losses due to declining sales and build-up of inventory across the globe. In December, the company offered incentives on handset sales, especially devices built on its latest platform BlackBerry 10.

BlackBerry posted a loss of $4.4 billion in its third quarter ended November 30, mainly due to unsold handsets.

The company recorded a primarily non-cash, pre-tax charge against inventory and supply commitments of approximately USD 1.6 billion in the quarter of fiscal 2014, which was primarily attributable to BlackBerry 10 devices.

During the quarter, BlackBerry sold about 4.3 million smartphones to customers, of which 3.2 million were BlackBerry 7 devices, including models such as the BlackBerry Curve, Bold and Torch.