BlackBerry is planning to launch two more devices this year. One will be running the older BlackBerry 7 OS and is a development of the Bold 9700 while the other is a premium device positioned above the current Z10 with a bigger screen known as the A10.
The A10 is expected to feature a 5-inch screen — the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone — a dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM and an 8MP rear camera. The display is rumoured to be a 720p Super AMOLED panel pushing out a pixel density of about 293ppi, average considering 1080p displays are quickly becoming the norm.
The device can be seen in action in a short video after the jump and in terms of design, the A10 carries the same theme as the Z10. Essentially, it looks like a bigger Z10. In addition, the A10 is said to be slightly bigger than the Galaxy S4 and feature rounded edges similar to what we’ve seen on the HTC One.
5-inch looks to be the defacto standard when it comes to smartphones. The screen size strikes a good balance between appreciable viewing area while still being comfortably usable with one hand even for people with smaller paws.
But will the A10 help BlackBerry improve its lacklustre sale performance? The larger screen size will get buyers curious and as far as new operating systems go, BlackBerry 10 is refreshing and very likable. However like Windows Phone, the platform lacks many of the most used apps seen in Android and iOS. Will that be a something users can forgo? That’s up to you. Also consider that since this device is likely to be positioned above the Z10, expect to see a price that may be higher than comparative 5-inch smartphones.
