Leaked: Mid-tier BlackBerry R10 could replace the outdated Curve

BlackBerry was expected to launch a series of handsets running on BB10 this year and it seems to be living up to that expectation. The full-touch BlackBerry Z10 made its debut on Jan 30 and the touch and QWERTY Q10 followed a few months later, although it hasn’t hit the Indian markets as yet. Now, it is the turn of the mid-segment Blackberry R10, which leaked on Instagram of all places

There isn’t any official information regarding the R10 from the Waterloo-based phone maker. However, the current buzz is being generated by an Instagram update that shows a red bodied full-QWERTY phone running what looks like the BB10 OS. We assume the phone will also be a hybrid (touch+QWERTY) like the Q10 and will be targeted at those who want a physical QWERTY keypad on their phone.

Is this the Curve replacement? (Image credit: tamarabatal)

Going by the "plasticky" look of the phone, we’d guess that it will definitely be priced lower than the Q10 and the Z10. As much was confirmed by the person who uploaded the photo in a comment who claimed that it was a "mid-tier" smartphone. The said source also mentioned that the phone is scheduled for a Q3 launch.

It seems that the phone will be available in multiple colour options, with red and white clearly visible in the Instagram update. Earlier in April, CrackBerry.com had reported a leaked image of a white R10 sporting BlackBerry Curve style buttons. Judging by its looks, the R10, if launched, could be BlackBerry’s mainstay in the sub-20,000 segment in India and could be the replacement for the BlackBerry Curve series.