While BlackBerry might have discontinued manufacturing devices running on BlackBerry 10 if rumors are to be believed, the company might be working on three Android handsets. According to a report from from VentureBeat, BlackBerry is partnering with Alcatel to launch a trio of Android smartphones codenamed after three chemical elements, namely Neon, Argon, and Mercury.
Following the lackluster sales of the BlackBerry Priv smartphone powered by Android - which reportedly did not sell very well - BlackBerry is once again looking to venture into similar territory by launching three new Android handsets in the "coming year". According to the report, the company will be launching one device per quarter for the next three quarters.
The first of the trio, Neon, will supposedly be a mid range handset with an Aluminum frame and a soft-coated plastic back. Targeted at both the enterprise and consumer markets, it will be competitively priced and will be available in July or August with the following specifications:
- 5.2-inch touch screen, 1080p resolution, no physical keyboard
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor
- 3GB of RAM
- 16GB of storage
- 13MP rear camera, 8MP front-facing shooter
- 2,610mAh battery with QuickCharge 2.0 technology
The next device in line will be the one with the highest specifications of the bunch, and is codenamed Argon. It will reportedly start selling in October and is targeted at the enterprise sector as well as enthusiast consumers. The handset boasts the following internals:
- 5.5-inch touchscreen, QHD resolution, no physical keyboard
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
- 4GB of RAM
- 32GB of storage
- 21MP rear camera, 8MP front-facing shooter
- 3,000 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0 technology
- USB type-C connector
- Fingerprint reader
Lastly, Mercury will be the only device to sport a touchscreen as well as a physical QWERTY keyboard; which cannot be concealed. This handset will be available for purchase some time in Q1 2017, however, the targeted market has not yet been revealed. The specifications of the device are as follows:
- 4.5-inch touchscreen, Full HD resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio, physical QWERTY keyboard
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor
- 3GB of RAM
- 32GB of storage
- 18MP rear camer, 8MP front-facing shooter
- 3,400mAH battery
Seeing that the BlackBerry Priv didn't sell well, which was largely due to its premium pricing, it will be quite interesting to see how BlackBerry markets its upcoming devices.
Source: VentureBeat
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