14 DAY TRIAL // Great news for BlackBerry and Android fans alike, as the Canadian company is rumored to work on two smartphones that will be launched later this year.
Although analysts believe BlackBerry is done with the smartphone business, it looks like fans will be able to purchase yet another Android handset wearing the company’s brand in the coming months.
BlackBerry Vienna is the name of the next Android smartphone that should be released in 2016, at least according to previous rumors. The Vienna is a candybar type of phone with a full QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen, unlike the PRIV, BlackBerry’s first Android smartphone, which features a slide form factor.
However, new exclusive information coming from a Czech blog suggests that BlackBerry has either dropped the Vienna codename or replaced the device altogether with another one with different name and specs.
A full-touchscreen smartphone might replace the Vienna
The said smartphone is called BlackBerry Hamburg and it should be released on the market in autumn 2016. The Hamburg will be a mid-range type of handset and should cost around $400 outright. It will be a full-touch smartphone, which means it will lack the traditional BlackBerry keyboard.
But Hamburg is not the only Android smartphone that BlackBerry plans to launch by the end of 2016. The same source claims the Canadian company has another device in the pipeline, which is internally known as BlackBerry Rome.
The Rome is much more expensive smartphone that combines features like touchscreen display and physical QWERTY keyboard. BlackBerry Rome will be launched in late 2016, probably a few months after Hamburg made its debut on the market.
Unfortunately, there are no details on any of the two smartphones’ specs. We’re also not sure whether or not BlackBerry Hamburg and Rome are real or just some random speculations, so file this under rumors.