The BlackBerry Passport is coming to Australia, local pricing revealed

BlackBerry has confirmed its recently announced Passport device will receive an Australian release, with the Android app compatible device set to carry a local price tag of $899 outright.

While the new device has been available for pre-order for selected corporate and enterprise customers since October 1, it is now available to be ordered through any Optus store nationally.

Officially launched in late September, the device has garnered attention due to its 4.5-inch square screen and a full physical keyboard underneath. The device is powered by BlackBerry 10.3, and runs Android apps from the Amazon app store.

News of the local release comes as Canada’s Globe and Mail reports BlackBerry chief executive John Chen told an MIT Enterprise Forum event Friday in Hong Kong demand for the phone has exceeded the company’s expectations.

“I’m glad to have inventory issues. It shows that people want the phone. We took a very conservative approach and didn’t order too many,” Chen said.