We know for sure that BlackBerry’s duo of new Torch smartphones are on their way to the UK, but so far information on exactly when and for how much is still somewhat scattered, so we’ve scoured the internet and contacted a number of retailers and networks to see if we can’t shed a little more light on the SIM free and on contract availability of these exciting new handsets.
At the moment, the all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9860 is listed as “Coming soon” on contract by Vodafone, the Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U, e2save and Mobiles.co.uk, while the touchscreen slider BlackBerry Torch 9810 is being listed by Three and Phones4U. We were unable to get any more specifics on exact release dates or contract prices of these handsets, except from a Phones4U representative who told us that these phones are expected “in September”.
| CONTRACTS: | Coming Soon |
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In the SIM free world, we found a little more information. There are quite a number of retailers offering either the Torch 9860, the Torch 9810 or both SIM free, with a range of prices and expected release date. The earliest release date we found for the Torch 9810 came from Clove who told us that while no exact date had been set, they’d had indications that the phone could be released as early as the end of this month or in early September. For the Torch 9860, a few retailers are reporting an expected release date in September, but most are expecting to have the phone in early to mid October.
In terms of price, the cheapest estimate we’ve seen for the Torch 9810 and Torch 9860 both come from retailer Super-e-Trader, at £390.00 and £349.98 respectively. Prices for the 9810 range up to £478.80 and prices for the 9860 range up to £549.99. All the release date and pricing information for these handsets SIM free is collected in the table below:
| SIM FREE: | Torch 9810 Price | Torch 9860 Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
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£390.00 | £349.98 | “Blackberry Torch 9860 Due Sept 2011 Blackberry Torch 9810 Due Oct 2011” |
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£459.99 | £399.99 | “are due for release on 4th October 2011, we have not yet had a date confirmed by the supplier of this product.” |
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£459.99 | £429.99 | “October 15, 2011″ |
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£474.95 | £434.95 | “These items are due to be released on 03/10/11.” |
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£499.99 | “4th October” | |
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£549.99 | “All we have been told is late September.” | |
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£478.80 | “There is no exact date form BlackBerry just yet although there is an indication that the 9810 will be available by the end of this month or early September. As soon as we have more concrete information we will make this available on the website” | |
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Price Not Announced | Price Not Announced |
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