BlackBerry Vienna Rumored To Debut At MWC 2016

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BlackBerry’s Vienna is rumored to be making its debut at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 event in Barcelona. The Vienna is expected to be the second Android-based smartphone from the Canadian firm. Leaked renderings a few months ago gave a little idea about its design.

BlackBerry Vienna – different from the Priv

The event commenced today and will continue until Feb. 25. Major smartphone players like Samsung, Sony, LG, Xiaomi and others are expected to make an appearance at the event. BlackBerry may also join the mobile-centric event and unveil its classic bar phone design with a physical QWERTY keypad and Google’s OS.

MWC is an optimal platform for the Canadian mobile company to launch its cheaper Android phone, says TechNewsToday. BlackBerry CEO John Chen had already announced that 2016 will be the year of Android smartphones.

The first look at the BlackBerry Vienna was leaked by Crackberry in November. The handset’s design is considerably different from the company’s first Android phone, the Priv, which has a slider and a touchscreen display. The Vienna is expected to carry a 5-inch Full HD display, an 18MP primary camera with LED flash and microSD card expansion slot.

BlackBerry’s Vienna is also expected to feature a non-removable back cover, and a charging port on the left side of the handset. The leaked pictures display a textured pattern similar to the BlackBerry Leap in the rear. The anticipated smartphone could be powered by a 1.8 GHz dual-core processor and 3GB of RAM.

Vienna: a mid-range phone?

As of now, there is no official information about the handset’s battery, storage, pricing and availability. However, there are reports that the Vienna could be a mid-range phone, suggesting that the Canadian smartphone maker is making a portfolio of Android-powered phones in all price ranges.

Though BlackBerry has not yet confirmed plans of attending MWC, the phone, if it makes a surprise appearance at the mobile-centric event, will have some serious competitors. The Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G5 and Xiaomi Mi 5 are among the top smartphones to join the fleet.

Meanwhile, the Priv got a reduction in its price on a number of carriers in Canada. On a two-year contract, the device is on offer from Bell at $299.99, and without contract, the mobile phone is available for $799.99. SaskTel customers can also acquire the Priv for $299.99 on a two-year contract.

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