Best Buy cuts price of BlackBerry Z10 smartphones to $49.99 in U.S.

A BlackBerry Z10 is held up during the global launch in Toronto on Jan. 30, 2013. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

TORONTO -- Electronics retailer Best Buy has slashed the price of the BlackBerry Z10 touchscreen smartphone at its U.S. stores.

According to the U.S. website Friday, Best Buy is now selling white- and black-coloured BlackBerry Z10 smartphones for $49.99 under a two-year contract with carriers Verizon or AT&T.

The touchscreen models were priced for $199.99 when they first appeared in the U.S. market in March.

Analysts have generally considered sales of BlackBerry's new touchscreen smartphones underwhelming in the United States, though some have noted that most BlackBerry users seem to prefer keyboard devices like the BlackBerry Q10 model.

The Waterloo, Ont.-based smartphone maker has been trying to regain its footing in the technology industry against Apple's popular iPhone and numerous Android devices.

Deep discounts on the Z10 phones have been rare in Canada. Best Buy stores offered Canadian shoppers a one-day sale in May that gave away a Z10 for free under a contract with wireless carrier Rogers. The deal also gave customers a free $25 gift card.

The BlackBerry Z10 is listed at various Canadian retailers for $99.99 on a three-year contract.

The new Z10 and the Q10 smartphones have widely been seen as the saviour for the struggling technology company, which recently reported disappointing results financial results that fell short of expectations and clobbered its shares.

Earlier this week, BlackBerry chief executive Thorsten Heins asked shareholders at its annual meeting for patience as the company works on becoming profitable again.

BlackBerry (TSX:BB) shares were down nine cents at $9.60 in mid-afternoon trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. On Wednesday, the company's stock closed below $10 for the first time since last year.