At BlackBerry's MWC 2015 press event today, the Canadian company teased an upcoming flagship device that will be released later this year.
BlackBerry Devices Executive Ron Louks was on stage talking about the 2015 device roadmap, which already includes a new device by Porsche Design and the mid-range, all-touch Leap, and he mentioned that it will also be releasing an innovative new "dual-curved" device later in the year. With that, he pulled out black and white versions of the mystery phone from his pocket and flashed them at the audience for only a couple of seconds.
Unfortunately, while it wasn't on display long enough for us to get our own photograph, BlackBerry did share one on social media (above). You can see that this unnamed device has a large screen that curves on both sides like the Galaxy S 6 edge, but it's not clear if Samsung is indeed the panel source. If it is, could this be a 5.7-inch version destined for the Note 5 edge later this year?
It also has a portrait slider keyboard, which means that with such a large screen it is going to be an awfully tall, and potentially top-heavy, device with the keyboard exposed. The last phone BlackBerry released with a slide-out keyboard was the much-maligned Torch, but many users loved the form factor. It was the archaic software and underpowered hardware that held the Torch back more than its design. In fact, this new BlackBerry slider is more reminiscent of the Dell Venue Pro Windows Phone 7 slider from 2010.
The rest of the phone's specs remain a mystery, but seeing as it is a flagship device coming out later in 2015 it should pack some powerful hardware. In the second image above (courtesy of blackberries.ru), it looks like the raised camera module has two smaller openings next to it, which look to be for a dual flash or an IR module for laser autofocus.
With BlackBerry's growing relationship with Samsung on enterprise management and security, and the fact that it is no longer manufacturing its own devices, it is possible that this phone could be made by Samsung for BlackBerry. However, that is only speculation on our behalf.
Along with the recently released Passport, it looks like BlackBerry's high-end device strategy is to release unique products that may not appeal to the masses, but focus on customers with very specific desires. We enjoy seeing a company forge its own path rather than release another 'me too' product, so we are very much looking forward to seeing this phone again.
Hopefully, BlackBerry will let more details slip soon on what looks to be the most exciting device it has made in a long while.
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