BlackBerry Z10 Release Date: Sprint Won't Offer Z10, Plans to Release QWERTY Q10 in Second Quarter

Sprint customers in the U.S. anxiously awaiting the new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone will be disappointed: the mobile carrier won't be offering the all-touch Z10 in America, though the QWERTY keyboard-sporting BlackBerry Q10 will be available later this year.

"Sprint Nextel Corp. will be the only major U.S. carrier not to offer BlackBerry's new flagship Z10 touch-screen model when it debuts this month, opting instead to wait for the keyboard-equipped Q10," writes Bloomberg News.

"We aren't saying there's anything different about our customers," said Mark Elliott, a spokesperson for Sprint. "We think our customers will be happy with the qwerty keyboard and touch screen on the Q10."

This could be a severe blow to BlackBerry, which is counting on its new line of BlackBerry 10 OS smartphones to break back into the mobile market, currently dominated by Apple and Samsung.

Recent reports of the Z10's popularity are conflicted, with some analysts cutting sales projections by as much as 80 percent. Other reports, however, say the Z10 sells out at some retailers. BlackBerry has thus far refused to release hard numbers, but its fourth quarter earnings are due later this month.

Sprint hinted at its decision not to carry the Z10 in a press release back in January, when it announced the Q10 but didn't mention the Z10.

It is an interesting strategy for Sprint. All of the other major carriers have said they will carry the Z10, and every carrier but T-Mobile has committed to the Q10. BlackBerry itself expects the touchscreen Z10 to outsell the QWERTY Q10 three to one.

Sprint's decision will certainly cut into Z10 sales, but it's also possible that customers looking for a Z10 may switch carriers. American mobile carriers use phone upgrades to lure customers into renewing their long-term contracts. A Sprint customer eligible to upgrade to a subsidized phone but unable to get the Z10 they want will likely be able to terminate their Sprint contract without penalty and sign on with another carrier.

Customers who hold out for the Q10 have a while to wait, according to Bloomberg. "The Q10, meanwhile, won't be available until April at the earliest, BlackBerry has said. Verizon, the largest U.S. carrier, said last week that it wouldn't offer the Q10 until mid-summer."

Check back for the latest information on the Z10's American release date as it becomes available.