BlackBerry has announced a new touch-screen smartphone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Called the BlackBerry Leap, it doesn’t have BlackBerry’s familiar QWERTY keyboard but instead relies on a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixel) HD screen.
The company is emphasising the Leap’s battery life, claiming the non-removable 2800mAH battery can last for more than a day of heavy use.
Other features on the 4G-ready phone include 16GB of storage and an 8 megapixel camera. It’ll run version 10.3.1 of the BlackBerry operating system, which offers the BlackBerry Blend productivity service, the voice-controlled BlackBerry Assistant and compatibility with Android applications via the Amazon Appstore.
Ron Louks, BlackBerry’s President of Devices and Emerging Solutions, said “In today's mobile world - influenced by trends like BYOD - where personal and corporate data are frequently under attack from hackers, companies and everyday consumers are finding out the hard way that mobile security is paramount. BlackBerry Leap was built specifically for mobile professionals who see their smartphone device as a powerful and durable productivity tool that also safeguards sensitive communications at all times. With BlackBerry Leap complementing the latest BlackBerry portfolio, including BlackBerry Passport and BlackBerry Classic, we continue to provide products and services that meet the needs of our consumer and enterprise customers.”