BlackBerry 10 L-series new photos reveal iPhone influence

The best photos yet have emerged showing off the first BlackBerry 10 L-series phone -- and it looks a lot like the iPhone 5.

The snaps come from Vietnam, where leakmeisters Tinh te have got their hands on the new phone.

The pics, including the shot above, reveal more than a passing resemblance to the latest iPhone, with its tall shape and especially the flat metallic band wrapping round the edges.

But unlike the iPhone, the new BlackBerry phone has no home button on the front. That's because the software is designed to let you skip between apps without having to go to a home screen in between.

Another feature notable by its absence is the keyboard. This phone only has a touchscreen, but a second phone will have the traditional clicky keys so beloved of BlackBerry devotees.

More shots come from within BlackBerry builder Research in Motion, hidden away in the code of a software update for app developers, and winkled out by CrackBerry. They show the back of the phone is textured for grip, with a removable cover that lets you get to the SIM card and battery.

BlackBerry 10 will be officially unveiled in the new year, with the new phones arriving in February. RIM's market share has nosedived in the past year or two, so the new phones and software had better be something impressive if they're to revitalise RIM's fortunes. 

Will BlackBerry 10 save RIM? Will the L series survive without a keyboard? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Image credits: Tinh te, CrackBerry