BlackBerry Ltd Working On Three New Android Phones

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BlackBerry is tripling its Android efforts in the coming year despite the reports of lackluster sales of the Priv, its first Android smartphone. The Verge, citing a person briefed on BlackBerry’s plans, claims the Canadian firm will be launching one phone per quarter for the next three quarters.

Trio to target a range of form factors and price points

The three Android smartphones, the Argon, Mercury, and Neon, will target a range of price points and form factors, the website reports.

The Neon, which is a low- to mid-range 5.2-inch full touchscreen handset with no physical keyboard and 1080p resolution, will be the first of the three Android smartphones to come to the market. The Neon will include aluminum frame with a soft-coated plastic back and will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 617 system-on-a-chip.

The Neon will come with 16GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, and a 2610mAh battery that will support QuickCharge 2.0. The phone will have an 8-megapixel front-facing selfie cam and a 13-megapixel rear shooter. The handset will be for both the consumer and enterprise markets. The device will be priced competitively and probably be free on contract when it goes on sale in the July to August timeframe.

The next to hit the market will be the Argon, landing sometime in October. This smartphone, similar to the Priv, will have a full 5.5-inch touchscreen offering a QHD resolution. The Argon will be marketed to enthusiast consumers and enterprises.

The Argon will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 SoC and could come with 32GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM. The smartphone is expected to have a 3000mAh battery supported by QuickCharge 3.0. Other important features include a USB Type C connector and a fingerprint reader. Just like the Priv, the Argon will have an 8-megapixel selfie cam and a 21-megapixel primary camera at the rear.

Big expectations for the BlackBerry trio

BlackBerry’s third phone will reportedly be the Mercury. It is the only handset to support a physical QWERTY keyboard like the Priv. However, its board is not concealable, unlike the Priv. The Mercury will have a 4.5-inch screen with full-HD resolution in a squarish 3:2 aspect ratio, and the entire enclosure is made of aluminum.

The handset will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chip and have 32GB of storage, 3GB of RAM and a 3400mAh battery. The rear-facing camera offers 18-megapixel resolution, while the front-facing camera is 8 megapixels.

BlackBerry will have a lot of expectations for this trio of Android smartphones. Some observers attributed the Priv’s loss to the expensive price, so the upcoming trio will probably be modestly priced.

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