[m3mb3rsh1p]

With a nod to the following pre-launch thread...
The Promise of the BlackBerry Leap in Perspective - BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com

Since the Leap was intended to be an affordable device for upstarts to experience BB10, it occurs to me that they had already achieved a ~$200 price point with the Z3 design.*

With a few small modifications to the Z3, the Leap could have been a very attractive offering in the budget segment of the market and avoided the "Why pay more" arguments. Here are the upgrades that presumably increased the price:

Z3 price : ~$200
Leap price: ~$280

Display: 540x960 vs 720x1280
They should have retained the Z3 display because it had already been proven and accepted for the ~$200 price point. I think the upgrade and extra cost was unnecessary.

CPU: 1.2 GHz 8230 vs 1.5 GHz 8960
I suppose the extra 200MHz and LTE capability are welcome, but I would argue that HSPA+ offers excellent and competitive performance with better coverage, battery life and choice of data plan; items of greater consideration for a startup.

RAM: 1.5GB vs 2GB
2GB allows more active frames, browser tabs,etc so the extra cost is worthwhile.

Storage : 8GB vs 16GB
Same as the RAM, it's better with the extra 8GB.

Battery: 2500mAH vs 2800mAH
Another worthwhile upgrade, but the Z3's battery life is still great so it could have stayed the same comfortably.

Camera: 5MP vs 8MP
Both end up being "good enough" which is all that one wants for a budget device so the extra cost is unnecessary.*

I think BlackBerry could have just added the Memory and connectivity for less than the eventual $100 difference. HDMI/Slimport, NFC, FM, USB-OTG would have been appreciated in the Leap's target market.
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