BlackBerry to launch two mid-range Android smartphones in the future

After the launch of their premium smartphone earlier, the Priv, earlier in January, BlackBerry is now stating it's planning to launch two mid-range Android smartphones in the future.

In an interview with The National, company CEO John Chen said BlackBerry plans to launch two more followups to their first Android offering, but didn't offer a window for those release dates. However, Chen does go on to say that one of the phones will sport just a touchscreen, while the other will resemble the Priv more, in that it will also have a QWERTY keyboard. And while specs were kept off the table, he did add that both phones would be priced anywhere between US $300 to $400, that is Rs 20,000 to Rs 26,000 give or take a few hundred.

Also Read: First Impressions: The ‘Privilege Privacy’ BlackBerry Priv

Of course, while the Priv's US price launch price was $699 (Rs 46,000), the price tag in India was a significantly higher Rs 62,990, so we can expect the India prices for the new phones to be closer to Rs 36,000 - Rs 42,000. BlackBerry has always prided itself on it's phone design, marketing the device to enterprises and businessmen with a steep price tag. However, Chen seems to think that price tag is now something they can no longer push so hard, as evidenced by the price tag on the Priv being lowered from $699 to $649. This fact, combined with BlackBerry's steadily dwindling sales numbers, is likely why the company is now trying to market to a mid-range customer.