Barely breathing but still alive. The once prestigious smartphone company, Blackberry, is still struggling to be as competitive as it was before, but it has not wave the white flag yet. In fact, the Canadian tech firm will reportedly release three new Android devices next year.
Shrugging off BlackBerry Priv's, the company's first Android phone, reported flop, BlackBerry will be unveiling three new BB smartphones on 2017. These handsets go by the name Neon, Argon and Mercury, as reported by Venture Beat.
Citing a reliable source knowledgeable of the Canadian tech company's future plans, the report said BlackBerry will be launching one phone per quarter, which will start on the third chunk of 2017.
The anonymous source also explained Neon, Argon and Mercury will have different target markets, thus, will have a variety of specifications and forms.
BlackBerry's first phone set to be unveiled on 2017 is Neon. Targeting the low to mid-range market, the upcoming handset will reportedly sport a 5.2 inches 1080 resolution touchscreen minus the BB's physical keyboard trademark. The device will boost a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chip and will also have an aluminum frame with soft-coated plastic back.
Neon will also feature a 3GB RAM and a 16GB internal storage. In terms of battery, it will reportedly have a 2610 mAh QuickCharge 2.0-supported battery. The first BlackBerry phone for 2017, which is set to be release by July or August, will have a 13MP main camera and an 8MP front shooter.
After Neon's release, tech enthusiasts will be welcoming Argon, the most high-end among the three handsets. Slated for an October 2017, this handset will reportedly have a bigger and better touchscreen compared to Neon - a 5.5 inches Quad HR resolution screen. It can be remembered that this is also the screen specs of Priv.
Made specifically for the high-end market, business and tech enthusiasts, Argon will be powered by Snapdragon 820 SoC from Qualcomm. It will feature a 4GB RAM and 32GB built-in storage. In terms of its juicer, Argon will have a 3000mAh battery, which is also supported by QuickCharge 3.0.
The second BB smartphone for 2017 will feature an impressive 21MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie shooter. It will also have a fingerprint reader and a USB type C connector.
Last but not the least is the Mercury. It is unique among the three, as like Priv, it will be sporting a physical QWERTY keyboard. However, this phone's keyboard is not concealable, just like BlackBerry Passport. So it's like a mix of these two previous BlackBerry phones.
Among the three 2017 phones from the Canadian mobile giant, Mercury will have the smallest full HD screen at 4.5 inches. The upcoming handset will be enclosed with aluminum and will be sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 clip.
Its inner specs will also have a 3GB RAM, a 32GB storage and a 3400mAh battery capacity. When it comes to its shooter, it will have a better 18MP main shooter compared to Neon's 13MP. However, Mercury will also have an 8MP front-facing camera.