Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
X
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

BlackBerry is reportedly building three new Android phones

Neon, Argon and Mercury: we'll see one new BlackBerry each quarter, according to this report.

seanhollister.jpg
seanhollister.jpg
Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
Sean Hollister
2 min read
blackberry-priv-swipe-shortcuts-2.jpg
Jason Cipriani/CNET
Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
This advertising widget is powered by Navi and contains advertisements that Navi may be paid for in different ways. You will not be charged for engaging with this advertisement. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, this advertising widget does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We make reasonable efforts to ensure that information in the featured advertisements is up to date, each advertiser featured in this widget is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its offer details. It is possible that your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms in this advertising widget and the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser which will be presented to you prior to making a purchase. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

BlackBerry is going all-in on Android, and perhaps with more devices than we thought. BlackBerry is currently working on three new Android phones, according to Evan Blass, a journalist with an excellent track record for phone leaks.

The three new phones are codenamed Neon, Argon and Mercury, according to Blass' source, and we will reportedly see one of the phones each quarter.

The Neon will reportedly be a low to mid-range, aluminum-housed phone with a 5.2-inch 1080p-resolution screen, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and no physical keyboard, and arrive by the end of August for free on contract.

This October, the Argon will allegedly be a high-end phone with a 5.5-inch QHD-resolution screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a fingerprint reader, a 21-megapixel camera, a USB-C charging port -- and also no physical keyboard.

In the first quarter of 2017, the Mercury will allegedly be the only new BlackBerry device with a physical keyboard, one that lives at the bottom of a more squared-off screen like many previous BlackBerrys. It also sounds like a mid-range phone, with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, though it also may house a relatively large 3400mAh battery.

In January, BlackBerry's CEO confirmed plans to produce up to two Android phones. Now, it appears there are three -- and at least two of them sound like they'll target lower price points than the company's first Android phone, the BlackBerry Priv, which had disappointingly low sales.

The US Senate also recently stopped issuing BlackBerry phones to its staffers.

BlackBerry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.