Ah, Vienna! BlackBerry’s second Android phone leaks out early
BlackBerry Vienna, the Canadian company’s second Android-powered smartphone, has been revealed in leaked renders ahead of its official debut. Unlike the new BlackBerry Priv, Vienna has a more traditional BlackBerry form factor, with a keyboard built into the front of a candybar design.
Vienna has been rumored for a while now, but this is the first time we’ve seen the device. It is only a render — bear that in mind — but it does strengthen those reports, and strongly suggests BlackBerry will expand its lineup of Android-powered devices relatively soon.
Some have suggested Priv could be the company’s last smartphone; recent reports claimed that BlackBerry would give up on hardware if Priv wasn’t a success. But in a recent interview with Fox Business, CEO John Chen confirmed there are “a range of products” on the way.
Vienna is a more traditional BlackBerry device, doing away with the slide-out keyboard for a fixed alternative that sits beneath its display. It kind of looks like a BlackBerry Classic or Q10, but its display is quite clearly taller, which means it’s better suited to Android apps.
The only thing that suggests this is an Android device — not another BlackBerry 10 handset — are the three keys beneath the display, which are clearly Android home, back, and recent apps buttons.
There’s no word on when Vienna might make its official debut, but CrackBerry notes that “this might not be the final form,” so it sounds like we’ll be waiting a little while yet.
- SourceCrackBerry