Blackberry is planning to unveil its new Android-based phone, the Blackberry Priv, also previously referred to as Venice, before the year ends, iDigitalTimes reported.
The report added that the company plans to sell five million phone units or it will stop making more phones.
The company is rooting for Priv to be its savior ever since it lost recognition upon the arrival of iPhone units and other smartphone brands.
Blackberry boss John Chen even admitted that if Priv won't be a success, Blackberry will step down from the mobile phone industry, according to a report from The Verge.
Will Blackberry Priv or Venice stand a chance against the many competitors in the business?
It appears that Venice may have a chance as it was described to be a "VERY nice device" by someone who had the opportunity to play with it.
Digital Trends reported that a Reddit user, iamsorandom, claimed he was able to use the device with the help of an executive from the smartphone company, whom he met at the CISO Conference in Toronto last Oct. 9.
The redditor, who also uploaded images of the device, described Priv to be thinner than his Note 5, which only means that the device may go along the lines of Samsung Galaxy A8. Furthermore, the user went on to describe the device's performance to be smooth and snappy.
Blackberry may have not confirmed other details but according to the rumored specs, the Priv will run on a Snapdragon 808 processor with 3 GB RAM and have a 5.4-inch 1440p QHD screen.
It was also reported that the device will have an 18-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie shooter.
The upcoming Blackberry Android phone will also have a familiar twist to it — the infamous QWERTY keypad that slides down below the phone's touchscreen.
With its decent specs and the fact that it runs on Android, Blackberry Priv could be the next big thing for those who have always admired the classic BB design — only that it's much better since it can already run various Android apps and features.
