Pre-orders now accepted in the U.K. for the BlackBerry Leap; handset is heading to the U.S. soon

The latest smartphone from BlackBerry is beginning its global rollout this week, starting with the U.K. where the BlackBerry Leap is now available for pre-orders via the ShopBlackBerry.com website. The handset will then be offered in Germany, France, the U.S., Canada, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and India. The device is packed with the latest and greatest 10.3.1 build of BlackBerry 10.

The BlackBerry Leap is equipped with a 5-inch screen carrying a resolution of 720 x 1280. That works out to a pixel density of 294ppi. Under the hood is a  dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon MSM8960 CPU with the Adreno 225 GPU crunching graphics. 2GB of RAM is inside along with 16GB of native storage. Those requiring additional storage can employ the 128GB capacity microSD slot. An 8MP camera is on back with a 2MP snapper adorning the front of the phone. BlackBerry says that the 2800mAh battery gives users 25 hours of heavy usage.

The BlackBerry Leap supports encryption and comes with built-in malware protection, and will let you wipe your handset remotely. The BlackBerry virtual QWERTY will correct your mistakes while allowing you to continue the flow of your typing. BlackBerry 10.3.1 brings you the virtual, voice activated BlackBerry Assistant. BlackBerry Blend allows you to view on your computer or tablet, messaging and other content that is on your phone. This is a great feature for the businessman in the field who uses his handset to take notes. And of course, BlackBerry World and the Amazon Appstore are stocked with apps for you to download and install on your Leap.

In the U.K., the BlackBerry Leap can be pre-ordered in black for the equivalent of $294 USD. The phone will ship on April 24th.


source: BlackBerry via BerryReview