BlackBerry CEO John Chen Says Company Will Build Android Smartphones If Security Requirements Are Met

BlackBerry sold 1.1 million smartphones in the last quarter of 2015. This is reportedly 500,000 less than the previous quarter. Despite the deficit, the Canadian tech giant is doing alright -- primarily because of the services and software licensing business. Now, however, there’s confirmation that BlackBerry could be making Android smartphones in future.

During a CNBC interview picked up by CrackBerry, BlackBerry's CEO John Chen was asked about rumors surrounding the possible Android-based BlackBerry smartphones. Chen reportedly said the following: "We only build secure phones, and BlackBerry is the most secure phone. So, if I can find a way to secure the Android phone, I will also build that."

On the other hand, according to an earlier report from N4BB, BlackBerry will be unveiling the first Android smartphone in August, dubbed the BlackBerry Prague. This handset is believed to be entry-level and inexpensive, sharing design elements with the BlackBerry Z3. In the meantime, it is not clear as to how the tech giant will be making use of the Android operating system. N4BB says the company may introduce a BlackBerry 10 for the Android OS, guaranteeing seamless integration.

In addition to the low-end model, a high-end, Android-based BlackBerry handset with a Quad HD curved display and slider-based QWERTY keyboard is reportedly in the making. This device is codenamed BlackBerry Venice.

GSM Arena says the phone will come with a 5.4-inch display. The device will be powered by a 64-bit, hexa-core (Snapdragon 808) SoC, clocking in at 1.8 GHz. This BlackBerry smartphone will reportedly be backed by a solid 3 GB of RAM unit. The Venice will sport an 18-megapixel rear-facing camera unit, in addition to a 5-megapixel forward-facing camera for selfies. Readers should, however, note that the Canadian tech titan has not confirmed the specifications of the BlackBerry Venice or BlackBerry Prague yet.