BlackBerry is expected to launch at least three new phones this year, and the and they are currently code-named as Athena, Luna, and Uni. These smartphones over the past few weeks, have been making their appearance on Geekbench, through configuration files, and in European device registration databases.
BlackBerry already confirmed that it would launch two KeyOne phones this year and now it looks like the brand is taking a turn and launch three instead. Starting off with Uni, letsgodigital have recently discovered with patent and trademark files of the phone owned by BlackBerry and TCL. The findings revealed that the phone is expected to look identical to the BlackBerry Priv.
With TCL already having a Uni named phone; the Alcatel Uni360, it is starting to look suspicious. Complicating further, The BlackBerry Uni shares same registration codes as the Uni360 leading us to believe that it could be a successor to the phone. Since it a BlackBerry device and chances of TCL mixing its brands are less, one needs to closely look at the patents which mostly focus on the camera module instead of the device. Meaning the ‘device’ used in the patent could very well be just a reference point.
Moving along, the Athena is the most heard name in the recent times, and the phone is said to retain the keyboard-based designed and will feature 6or 8GB of RAM, larger keys than the BlackBerry KEYone and have 64GB of onboard storage. There is also a possibility of dual-rear cameras with portrait mode. It could arrive with a Snapdragon 660.
Lastly, Luna aligns with the BBE100-1 model previously rumored. It could be one of the two said KeyOne phones. Since this information is coming in from various sources, there’s no way to confirm the credibility, and we advise you to take it with a pinch of salt until BlackBerry makes them official.
Uni
Let's start with Uni because well, this seems the most off base to me as it has thus far been presented. The folks over at LetsGoDigital have unearthed a few trademarks and patents owned by TCL and BlackBerry and have pieced together that there might be a BlackBerry smartphone in the works called 'Uni' and that it will feature a styling pretty much identical to the BlackBerry Priv. There is, however, a few problems here with the pieces of information.First off, TCL already has a product called the Uni360. It's an Alcatel branded VR headset that was announced alongside the Alcatel Idol 5. The new trademark is for Uni, and its listing shares all the same registration codes as the Uni360, leading me to believe it's just an extension of the Uni360 VR headset branding or possibly just another Alcatel phone. Could it potentially be a BlackBerry device name? Sure, it could, but it seems unlikely they would mix the branding.
But what about the BlackBerry patent? Well, the BlackBerry patent is interesting and yes, it certainly does show off a device that looks identical to the Priv and yes, it was registered and granted AFTER the release of the Priv but when you really start looking into it, the patent is less about the device depicted in the patent documentation and more about the camera module.
As is almost always the case, the 'device' used in the patent is just a reference point, and the only reason why the Priv design was likely used is that it was the only device put out by BlackBerry that depicted the camera module referenced in the patent. They had the artwork already available and used it.
All that is to say, if you think BlackBerry Mobile will be resurrecting the Priv design, I don't think there's much chance that will happen. If anything, we'll see the camera design as outlined in that BlackBerry patent used somewhere else (Athena, Luna) and maybe see the Uni name used elsewhere, but don't have your heart set on seeing another Priv-like design.
Athena
Athena is a more recent name that has popped in the CrackBerry Forums, and everything mentioned about it seems to fall in line with the previously rumored device information that goes along with the BBE100-1 and BBF100-1 model numbers. As posted in the forums, Athena is rumored to be a keyboard-based designed and will feature 6-8GB of RAM, larger keys than the BlackBerry KEYone and have 64GB of onboard storage. So far, everything follows the rumors and confirmed info here.The other highlight of Athena? Dual backside cameras to be 'able to take a clear picture and blur out the rest of the area around it.' Hmm, kind of like noted in the BlackBerry patent as mentioned in the Uni section. Suddenly, that BlackBerry patent being granted for the camera rather than a Priv based design starts to make more sense.
That's all cool, but what about the processor? Well, where everything else seems to be falling in line with the rumors, it would appear as though the Athena, will arrive with a Snapdragon 660. As for a timeframe, I'm hesitant even to bother mentioning that since that's always the most fluid thing when it comes to device releases but the poster of the Athena information says April, but again, out of all the info here, that's probably the biggest thing subject to change.
Luna
When it comes to Luna, this is where the finer details start to fade. Other than aligning it with the BBE100-1 model previously rumored, the information suggests it's a mid-tier device. BlackBerry Mobile confirming two new keyboard devices applies here as well, so it's expected Luna will be one of those two released. Other than that, not many other details to go off of here. Again being hesitant to mention the timeframe, since they can be all over the place, the original poster of the information mentions August.Read more at https://crackberry.com/athena-luna-and-uni-could-be-codenames-next-set-blackberry-smartphones-released#tYrQTkL55ZO78H3d.99
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