BlackBerry is expected to launch a new smartphone codenamed Krypton which may have just shown up in several leaked images, hinting at a carbon fiber design for its rear panel. Considering that the new Samsung Galaxy S8 and many other contemporary flagships out there now come with glass backs, a carbon fiber rear panel might help the BlackBerry Krypton stand out from the crowd while also adding to its durability. The BlackBerry Krypton has already received certification from the FCC, Wi-Fi Alliance, and Bluetooth SIG, indicating that it might make a debut shortly, but its design has been mostly been wrapped in mystery until now.
A couple of images that turned up on BlackBerry’s BBM Channels now claim to show the rear of the upcoming BlackBerry Krypton, albeit there’s no guarantee that the photos are legitimate. If they are, in addition to the carbon fiber design, the BlackBerry Krypton will also feature a dual-LED flash next to its main camera. The leaked images don’t show the front panel at all, but the BlackBerry Krypton is rumored to be an all-touch handset, scrapping the brand’s iconic QWERTY keyboard. The leak also makes no mention of specifications, but previous reports suggested that it will come as a mid-range offering. The BlackBerry Krypton is rumored to feature a full HD display (1,920 x 1,080), Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, 4GB of RAM, and a fairly large 4,000mAh battery.
The handset is expected to run Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and come with BlackBerry’s advanced mobile security software. The BlackBerry Krypton could also sport a fingerprint scanner embedded into its home button, as well as IP67 certification for dust and water resistance. BlackBerry was once near the top of the smartphone industry but has fallen behind rivals such as Apple, Samsung, and others, and it’s been trying to catch up in recent years even after closing its internal hardware division. The company has yet to make any official comment on its upcoming smartphone, but the BlackBerry Krypton is expected to make its formal debut by the end of the year, possibly in October considering that the device has already received the necessary certifications from competent standards bodies and regulators in the West.
