[CES 2017] BlackBerry Mercury, powered by Android official; more details at MWC 2017

Earlier today we saw the first press renders of upcoming BlackBerry smartphone running Android 7.0 Nougat. TCL, the company managing hardware elements of BlackBerry handsets has now made the smartphone official, not exactly.

At an event held at CES 2017, TCL showcased a prototype of its upcoming Android powered smartphone with physical QWERTY keyboard, without actually revealing any details of the device, including its name. The device in question is still referred as Mercury, even by TCL.

According to TCL, the so-called Mercury runs on slightly forked version of Android Nougat with security and business focused software provided by Blackberry, similar to ones found on the DTEK50 and the DTEK60.

BlackBerry Mercury - Download

BlackBerry DTEK70 with physical QWERTY keyboard, Android 7.0 Nougat press renders leaked

Last year was a big year for BlackBerry, as the company finally jumped into the world of Android by announcing two Android smartphones, the DTEK50 and the DTEK60.

BlackBerry had announced that it will stop designing and building smartphones and would rely on hardware partners for releasing new devices under BlackBerry brand. In December, it was official that TCL Communication will be handling all of the hardware elements of upcoming BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry will remain focused on software.

The company also announced that it will unveil new BlackBerry smartphone at CES 2017. Steve Cistulli, President and General Manager for TCL Communication, North America has shared couple of teaser videos of the upcoming BlackBerry smartphone.

BlackBerry DTEK50 running Android 6.0 Marshmallow officially announced

BlackBerry in a very surprising move has officially took the wraps off its second Android smartphone earlier today. Dubbed as BlackBerry DTEK50 (Yes, that's what it's called), the smartphone is a mid-range one and is actually a rebranded Alcatel Idol 4. BlackBerry DTEK50 is codenamed BlackBerry Neon, and is one of the three smartphones that BlackBerry will be releasing in the near future. 

According to BlackBerry, DTEK50 is the world's most secure Android smartphone. Unlike BlackBerry PRIV, DTEK50 comes sans keyboard.

BlackBerry has priced the DTEK50 for $299.99 and is available for pre-order starting today in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and The Netherlands. In the U.S., DTEK50 will initially be available in Best Buy, B&H and Amazon. Availability of DTEK50 in additional global channels and countries will be announced in the coming weeks.

As an introductory offer, customers who pre-order a DTEK50 on ShopBlackBerry.com will receive a complimentary BlackBerry Mobile Power Pack worth $59.99 USD. The offer expires on August 8th at 11:59 pm PST, notes BlackBerry.

Specifications of Blackberry Neon, Argon and Mercury running on Android leaked

When Blackberry came into the market, it showed the success rate that can be compared to Apple to an extent, as it actually became a hefty status symbol in its own way. We can all agree that the Blackberry Curve series was the most successful line-up. But Blackberry lost its shine pretty quickly after the sudden jump of Android smartphones all over the world.

However, Blackberry is still considered by people working in the business sector even today. But then again, it's not really like it used to be a couple of years ago. So, Blackberry released their own Android smartphone named "Blackberry Priv" - an attempt by the company to get back in the game. But the consumers found it to be way too expensive for its own good.

Now, it seems that Blackberry is going to try again by releasing three (3) new Android smartphones codenamed Neon (Blackberry Hamburg), Argon and Mercury.

Blackberry Priv

Argon is going to be the high-end model of the three, sporting a full touch screen along with a fingerprint sensor. Neon is also going to have a full touch screen but made of a aluminium frame and a smooth plastic back. Now, Mercury is going to be cheaper than Argon but will be priced higher than Neon, sporting a 4.5-inch 1080p screen and a physical QWERTY keyboard (Remember Blackberry Passport?).

BlackBerry Venice could be based on Android, to feature QWERTY keyboard and curved display

Almost all the companies including Nokia had adopted Android OS once in their smartphones. The exclusions are BlackBerry and Apple (which would never adopt Android). Now, according to recent reports from Reuters, BlackBerry that was once a dominant smartphone player in the global arena is in plans to make use of Android as its primary operating system on an upcoming device. The reason is BB10 is yet to receive a great response from the customers.