When smartphones first came into the picture, the RIM Blackberry product line could be seen everywhere. It was the one-stop source for all business productivity on the move, secure messaging and for top tech. However, all of this changed when Apple introduced the iPhone and this of course further metamorphosed with Google’s Android in the picture.
With new smartphones available in the market, even the most loyal Blackberry users couldn’t prevent themselves from considering the other options available. Even though a certain POTUS (President of the United States of America) was smitten with this device, it could not prevent people from the overwhelming smartphone industry.
With RIM, having changed its name to Blackberry the smartphone has definitely been facing a protracted period of turmoil, very unlike that that which had befallen HTC. However, Blackberry did manage to grab some attention for releasing its Blackberry Messenger (BBM) for Android users.
A little bit after January 2015, there was a very interesting story that began to circulate. While it originated from Reuters, the story alleged that Samsung was in talks to purchase Blackberry for $7.5 billion!
This report had mentioned that top executives from both the companies had met to discuss the deal and had even cited both insiders and confidential documents as sources. This story was widely covered and at one point even Blackberry’s stock had a major upturn!
Ironically, in the end both companies had denied such negotiations and this topic was ended there and then. However, there are yet people at the Android Authority who feel that this idea deserves further consideration.
So, what would happen if there was more to these rumours about these two companies joining together, that anyone had ever realised? What if Samsung and Blackberry had actually entered into a partnership that would see the production of a long rumored BlackBerry Android phone? This phone, which is assumed to be known as Blackberry Venice has already been predicted to be released in the near future by AT&T.
So, this so-called rumour may not actually be that outlandish! It is widely believed that Samsung will play a part in Blackberry’s first-Android phone. Besides that, there are also many other supporting reasons as mentioned below.
The Conspiracy Theory: According to this theory, the currently in-famous press render of Blackberry’s alleged Venice shares more than a striking similarity with the galaxy S6 Edge. This can also be compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge.
So, some of the probable reasons why the partnership between Samsung and Blackberry are:
- Samsung’s Fortunes are Fading!
While it cant be overlooked that Galaxy S6 sales have been fantastic, they have actually fallen way below the lofty goals that analysts had previously speculated. With competition in China getting fiercer by the day, new devices being prepped from different companies such as Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and ZTE are actually preferred by the people.
If Samsung had a long-term contract with an established company as Blackberry it would be great in terms of finance, especially in the cut-throat component market where OEMs are constantly shopping between suppliers to get the best guarantee and cost-performance. While BlackBerry certainly hasn’t been selling tens of millions of devices now, it potentially could refocus on an Android pay off.
- Blackberry Needs to Cut Costs: Blackberry’s current manufacturing contract with Foxconn might not be the most desirable one at the moment and if Samsung is already manufacturing the display it would only make sense to give the entire contract to them. Blackberry has already more-or-less starved off the total spin-off that it was facing, before current CEO John S. Chen took over. The lower manufacturing cost structure (than its current partners) might be extremely in favour for the company.
- Samsung is eager to sell more AMOLED: An AMOLED display is a display technology that has been marketed as Super AMOLED for Samsung phones. The Korean OEM has never neglected the benefits of its functions such as power savings, color saturation, thinness, or even the ability to curve them. If Blackberry includes such a display, especially a curved one it also is beneficial as it is also the latest (and most expensive) technology.
- Blackberry needs to TURN heads, shoulders, knees and toes!
It can be said that Blackberry has lost the importance that it once had and faces competition on all fronts. It definitely needs something outstanding and impressive to make heads turn. By teaming up with Samsung (an Android device), the S6 Edge display is the best way to get people interested in the Venice.
- The Enterprise market is BlackBerry’s specialty: In the business world, security is one of the most important aspects, especially in the enterprise sector.
In fact, Blackberry was highly valued for its BES12 enterprise mobility management software (a cross-platform EMM solution by BlackBerry® that securely manages devices from all of the major enterprise mobile platforms.), which features a range of tools and security options to help businesses keep on top of employee hardware.
Samsung had developed its KNOX platform, a suite of mobile enterprise security solutions that provides device protection, management and development options.
Towards the end of 2014, the two companies had joined forces to promote their services. This would be extremely beneficial for Blackberry users as it could get a larger market for its services. In turn, Samsung could get a fantastic package to impress potential enterprise-level clients.
Margin of Error: At the same time, LG has already shown a display protocol that has curved sides on either end. This means that it is also possible that LG could be the supplier of this alleged product’s panel. However, there has been no product so far that has made use of LG’s technology.
There is also a possibility that the Venice may not even have a curved display AT ALL! It may have curved glass, which gives an illusion.
Sharp had made use of this trick when it had announced the Aquos Crystal Android smartphone last year. It had also made use of this trick in the recent Oppo as well. So, it can be said that anything is possible.
V for Venice
BlackBerry fan-site N4BB has listed the following specs for the Venice, along with a release date of around November:
- 4-inch Quad-HD display
- 18 MP rear-camera
- 5 MP front-camera
- 8 GHz Hexa-core (Snapdragon 808 chipset) 64-bit
- 3 GB RAM
So, it is not a non-issue (of little importance) that the Blackberry Venice itself exists. The company had, after all showed it off during this years Mobile World Congress in Barcelona; although it was shown as a slider and running on Blackberry’s OS. However, the presence of a curved display was visible even then.
There were also rumours of Nokia working closely with Android in March, this year. While it was yet limited to a single tablet there is also talk of much more.
So, if Blackberry accepts the reality of its situation it might be best if it seeks Androids partnership. This emergence of a vested and established player in the mobile industry (into Google’s market) would in fact be a major boon to customers who are looking for a secure platform. It would also help to reinvigorate a company that has a lot to offer.
Besides that, there is also another potential benefit for Samsung. This is the possibility to make use of a certain, mysterious patent that it had filed earlier this year. This design already looks oddly reminiscent of the Venice, and it’s possible the pop out part could be shifted to the bottom, the internals get re-arranged, and a Samsung Slider (or BlackBerry Galaxy) is produced.
Wrap Up
This article should purely be taken as that of pure speculation. So, there are many reasons why Samsung (or LG) might be interested in assisting with a BlackBerry product (be it Android, or otherwise). The question then comes down to just how many Android fans would be willing to purchase a BlackBerry, and similarly how many BlackBerry customers would be willing to jump ship along with their sailor and swim to a more storied shore. Any thoughts?
