MUMBAI: BlackBerry's much awaited smartphone Z10 has launched in Britain, and will be available in Canada and key US markets from mid-March.

Blackberry chief executive Thorsten Heins said, “The reason for the delay in the US is ‘a rather lengthy’ testing process but noted some carriers are taking pre-orders. Verizon is marketing the phone in the US for $199 with a two-year plan.”

The Z10 features 4.2-inch display, 1.5GHz dual core processor, Blackberry 10 OS, 8MP camera with LED flash, 2MP front camera, 2GB RAM, 16 GB in-built memory, NFC, bluetooth 4.0, GPS, WiFi and 1800 mAh battery.

The device is further equipped with an accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, and ambient light sensor. The Z10 is BlackBerry's first full touch-screen smartphone.

It is also embedded with the BlackBerry Hub, one of the main features of the OS. The Hub is an all-in-one inbox and notification centre for all email accounts and has easy and quick access for users.