BlackBerry will not rest on its laurels now that the first BlackBerry 10 decides are in the market it seems, with the latest scuttlebutt pointing to new low-end devices as well as an updated flagship.
The BlackBerry A10
The BlackBerry A10 is set to be the next flagship device for BlackBerry, replacing the Z10 in the top-tier. Currently no specs or pricing are available for the A10, all we know is that it “will launch during the holidays”, with a launch on Sprint tipped for sometime in November. Of course, BlackBerry only launched its flagship, the Z10, a short while ago, but releasing the A10 now could be what BB needs to compete with the HTC One, GS4 and impending iPhone 5S. The A10 is sure to run on at least BB OS 10.1, possibly even 10.2. Normally we could safely make predictions about a higher resolution screen, but things aren’t that simple for BlackBerry at the moment. Right now the biggest issue facing BB10 devices isn’t to do with their specs; it’s to do with the lack of apps. Upping the resolution to 1080p, or any res other than the Z10’s 768x1280 would make more work for app developers., and BlackBerry certainly don’t want that. A severe lack of apps turns away more potential customers than would a lower-res screen. It’s probable that BlackBerry will want to address this issue before it starts competing in terms of hardware.
The BlackBerry Q5
The Q5 is a toned-down version of the BlackBerry Q10, officially announced during BlackBerry Live in May and set to enter the lower end of the market sometime soon. Running on BB OS 10.1, this full QWERTY smartphone will sport a 5MP camera, LCD display (rather than OLED), a slower processor than the Q10 and probably be available in a range of colors. It still rocks the same 3.1 inch sized display with 720x720 resolution. Like we said with the A10, keeping that resolution static is very important for BlackBerry in these early stages if it’s going to get more devs on board. No word on where the Q5 will make its debut, but it’s a good bet that parts of Asia and South America will be strong targets at first, with the UK, US and Australia following a bit later.
The BlackBerry Z5
The Z5, predictably, is a budget version of the Z10. Little-to-nothing is known about the Z5 just yet, but we’ll go out on a limb and bet on the same 768x1280 4.2 inch display, but of the LCD variety. Slower processor, 5MP camera and possibly a more colorful and inventive design than the Z10. Other than a few leaked images, that’s all we really know at this juncture. With these new releases the touchscreen section of BB’s lineup would read: A10, Z10, Z5 in descending order of price and quality. Three phones; a high, mid and low-range device would round BlackBerry’s BB10 selection out nicely.
Sources: CNET, TechKiddy Image Credit: BerryFlowFind a better phone plan
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