Neon, Argon, and Mercury are Blackberry’s next three Android smarthpones
The BlackBerry Priv may not have been as successful as the company had hoped, but a new report claims that BlackBerry is not giving up on Android. Code named Neon, Argon, and Mercury, Blackberry is working on three Android-powered devices which are set to launch between Q3 of 2016 and Q1 of 2017. While the BlackBerry Priv was priced higher than most Android smartphones when it was released in 2015, the three new device should be a bit more wallet-friendly.
Blackberry Argon
Scheduled to launch in October, the BlackBerry Argon is said to feature a 5.5-inch QHD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 21MP rear camera, 8MP front-facing camera, 3,000 mAh battery, USB Type-C, Quick Charge 3.0 and a fingerprint scanner.
Blackberry Neon
Those looking for something cheaper will be able to pick up the BlackBerry Neon in July or August. The phone is rumored to features a 5.2-inch 1080p display and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 617 processor. It will also have 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 13MP camera on the back, 8MP selfie-cam and a 2610mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0. The phone will feature a metal frame with soft-touch plastic on its back.
Blackberry Mercury
Set to launch in Q1 of 2017, the BlackBerry Mercury will sport a 4.5-inch full HD display with a 3:2 aspect ratio to make room for a QWERTY keyboard on the front of the device. On the inside, the BlackBerry Mercury will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a generous 3400 mAh battery. It will also have an 8MP front-facing camera and an 18MP rear camera.
Like HTC, BlackBerry is determined to make a comeback. While the rumored specs of the BlackBerry Argon are on par with the LG G5, HTC 10 and Samsung Galaxy S7, BlackBerry’s flagship-tier device will likely not have a huge impact since it will be coming to market 6 months too late. To us, the BlackBerry Mercury sounds like it may be the most appealing of the three. The mid-range specs imply that the phone could be quite affordable when compared to last year’s Priv. With the large battery and the QWERTY keyboard, the Mercury could easily become the must-have smartphone for corporate productivity junkies.
Do you think the Neon, Argon, and Mercury will fare better than the BlackBerry Priv?