New BlackBerry & Porsche Design collaboration focuses on style

The latest limited edition BlackBerry handset puts exclusivity above processor performance or internal specifications.

Introducing-the-Porsche-Design-P-9983-Smartphone-from-BlackBerry-Photo-AFP

The latest limited edition BlackBerry handset puts exclusivity above processor performance or internal specifications.

This might seem like a strange decision, especially considering the amount of competition in the smartphone market and the capabilities of the latest flagship Samsung and Apple smartphones, but BlackBerry must have a market in mind for its latest premium handset, the P'9983, which will cost €1650 ($2350) when it goes on limited sale in October.

The third collaboration between the Canadian smartphone firm and Porsche Design, the P'9983 started out life as a lowly Q10 handset but has been given a thorough external aesthetic remodeling, and the result is a glass-encased angular handset with a textured 'glass-like' full QWERTY keyboard.

It also gets a stainless steel chassis and Porsche Design rear-plate logo, a sapphire glass lens cover for the rear camera and unique screen wallpapers.

However, strip away the elegant façade and underneath it is still more or less the same handset, albeit one with a lot more storage (64GB plus MicroSD card support for a further 128GB) on board.

But this handset isn't about internal hardware specifications, it's about productivity, exclusivity and desirability. 'The Porsche Design P'9983 smartphone from BlackBerry makes a statement about its owner's impeccable taste and drive for achievement and success, as well as discernment in making the right choices with products that help them stay on top,' says Juergen Gessler, CEO of the Porsche Design Group.

So it offers secure, encrypted messaging, an all-day battery life -- traditionally one of BlackBerry's strongest features -- and a special PIN that will tell any other BlackBerry owner that they're messaging someone who owns a Porsche Design handset.

In terms of accessories, owners can snap up a custom Italian leather cover at extra cost, but the device will ship with an international charging cable for the productivity-focused global business traveler, a set of premium headphones, and a USB cable for faster, secure data transfers.