BlackBerry R10 Images And Specs Leaked?

Images purporting to be the new QWERTY-based smartphone called the BlackBerry R10 have surfaced on the Internet, along with an alleged list of specifications.

The photos show either an all-red or all-black device featuring BlackBerry logos and a slightly different keyboard to that of the Q10, which launched in the UK last month.

It is believed that the BlackBerry R10 will have a 3.1-inch display, a five megapixel camera, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and will run BlackBerry 10.1.

BlackBerry R10 pictures

These specifications are inferior to those of the BlackBerry Q10 and the BlackBerry Z10, the only two BlackBerry 10 devices that have been released to date, suggesting that the R10 will be released at a lower price point as part of efforts to broaden the platform’s appeal.

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins has previously stated that the Canadian manufacturer wants to target the high-end, mid-range and entry level smartphone markets. The company has previously suggested that it could release as many as six BlackBerry 10 devices during 2013.

The presence of QWERTY keys would also appear to be a show of faith in the physical keyboard, which has long been a trademark of the BlackBerry platform. Both BlackBerry 10 devices have been well received by critics, with the Z10’s touchscreen keyboard winning many fans, but the Q10 is believed to be selling well.

BlackBerry 10 smartphones are viewed as critical to the company’s future after its market share was dented by the likes of Apple and Samsung, who have also eroded BlackBerry’s advantage in security and administration features.

It received a boost last week though, when the Pentagon approved BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry Playbook and BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES10) for use within the US Department of Defense.

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