The rumored BlackBerry Hamburg could hit the market as a rebranded TCL Alcatel Idol 4, new Wi-Fi Alliance certification suggests.
BlackBerry launched its first Android handset last year in the form of the BlackBerry Priv, but the high price of the device limited its success. The company later said that it has two other Android smartphones scheduled for this year, and this time they would hit the affordable segment with mid-range specs in tow.
The two mid-rangers are reportedly dubbed the BlackBerry Hamburg and BlackBerry Rome and the former now seems to be made by TCL.
BlackBerry-centric publication CrackBerry reported back in May that it heard rumbles about a BlackBerry partnership with TCL. As a reminder, TCL makes handsets under the Alcatel brand, and that purported partnership with BlackBerry allegedly involved producing handsets under the BlackBerry brand as well.
More documentation has now surfaced to back that claim, along with a couple spec details revealing that the TCL-made BlackBerry Hamburg will feature a 5.2-inch screen with a Full HD resolution (1080p) and a Snapdragon 615 processor firing things up. The smartphone should run Android Marshmallow out of the box.
This falls in line with the specs previously surfaced on GFXBench for the BlackBerry Hamburg. The Wi-Fi Alliance has certified a TCL smartphone dubbed DTEK 50, with model number STH100-2 (RJD211LW), CrackBerry reports.
All signs point to a business collaboration between BlackBerry and TCL/ Alcatel for the upcoming BlackBerry Hamburg, but nothing is confirmed at this point.
If BlackBerry does launch its Hamburg handset as a rebranded Alcatel Idol 4, it should also pack some spec upgrades in addition to the name change. Having TCL handle the manufacturing would allow BlackBerry to focus on software and bolster its position on the market, after losing significant ground to rivals. With no official details from the company, however, it's tough to tell anything for sure.
It remains to be seen whether BlackBerry will eventually manage to regain some of its lost glory, as the company still seems to be sailing murky waters for now. Shifting to Android is a last attempt to turn things around, but the company might exit the smartphone business if the upcoming Hamburg and Rome fail to make a difference.
We're looking forward to seeing how things will unfold, and we'll keep you up to date as soon as we have more information. In the meantime, take all leaks, rumors and reports with a hefty grain of salt.
