BlackBerry Leap launches in Canada; first touchscreen release since 2013

First Official Hands-On Look at the BlackBerry Leap screenshot video. (Photo from YouTube, LLC)

TORONTO -- BlackBerry is foregoing its famous physical keyboard in its newest smartphone.

The Waterloo, Ont.,-based company launches BlackBerry Leap in Canada on Thursday, a cheaper phone for consumers who want a touch screen but don't want to pay the higher price of an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy device.

It's the first touch screen phone from the company since it launched the Z30 more than a year and a half ago.

Since then, BlackBerry has focused on releasing models with a keyboard, like the Passport and Classic, as they've proven to be more popular with the company's business-centric customers.

Features on the Leap include a 25-hour battery life and an eight-megapixel camera.

The company says wireless carriers will offer BlackBerry Leap for free when users sign a two-year contract, or it can be purchased without a contract for $349.

Higher-end smartphones, including some alternative BlackBerry devices, tend to cost $400 to $900 with a contract, depending on the model.

BlackBerry Leap will be available from an array of wireless carriers in Canada, including Rogers, Telus and Bell, as well as Wind Mobile, Sasktel and BlackBerry's own web store.

BlackBerry also announced Thursday that T-Mobile, one of the big U.S. wireless carriers, will begin stocking its BlackBerry Classic model starting next week.