With the surge in popularity of Apple and Android devices, BlackBerry’s future looks rather uncertain. Despite this though, the company’s CEO John Chen has stated that they will continue to release new devices, with the Kopi smartphone giving a strong indication of their new direction.
A number of images of the Kopi have been released on the Vietnamese site Techrum. The device garnered a lot of attention, with the Kopi’s QWERTY keyboard appealing to fans and loyalists that prefer BlackBerry’s flagship designs over their recent touchscreen handsets. Although this may be a major plus for more professional users, the keyboard could limit app usage, especially interaction with games apps and sites such as Royal Vegas online.
Details on the specs were also released. The entry-level device features a 3.2-inch, which is significantly smaller than those on other recent models. Apple’s iPhone 6 screen designs are rumoured to be 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches, with a trend in increased screen sizes remaining prominent in the market. However, this smaller screen does well to accommodate the size of the unique QWERTY keyboard.
In addition to this, the Kopi also includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 processor, along with a 2100 mAh removable battery and HDMI port for connection to an external display. Sources state that the Kopi will not support LTE. The device will also include a plastic casing.
The Kopi is being marketed as a budget phone and was recently shown alongside BlackBerry’s previous entry-level device, the Q5. In the images leaked by genk.vn, both models are strikingly similar in appearance, with the Kopi reportedly offering a faster processor and a lower price tag than the Q5. However, it will lack 4G connectivity.
The Kopi was previously cancelled by Blackberry, ahead of the release of the BlackBerry Z3 and Q20. Although the reasons behind the cancellation were unclear, the news of its release seems to be attracting a lot of interest. The Kopi headset is expected to be geared towards emerging mobile market, but there has been little information on when or in fact if it will be available to Western consumers at all.