The BlackBerry smartphone that is codenamed “Mercury” has already made an appearance at CES 2017. However, those who had the chance to view the handset personally were not allowed to divulge the specs and features of the device yet. Nevertheless, the alpha prototype is already catching the attention of many due to its remarkable balance between touchscreen technology and physical keys.

The glory days of BlackBerry as the top smartphone maker may be over, but the company is not giving up in making that huge comeback in the competition. After releasing Android touchscreen phones DTEK50 and DTEK60 with its Chinese partner TCL, BlackBerry is back with another handset that is definitely turning heads because of its unique form factor in a sea of chocolate bar mobile phones.

At CES, BlackBerry and TCL teased consumers with the first prototype of its Mercury handset. What’s catching the attention of many is the beautiful combination of a large touchscreen and BlackBerry’s classic QWERTY keyboard. Unlike its previous attempts with the Passport and PRIV however, this one doesn’t appear to be gimmicky though it borrows certain elements from the aforesaid devices.

PhoneArena says the design of the new BlackBerry is a combination of straight lines and graceful curves. The tech site even claims the metal bezel channels the BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition, and it really does. In fact, the BlackBerry Mercury could pass as the slimmer version of the squarish Passport.

Meanwhile, though the handset does have that same rectangular shape as the PRIV, it builds its own name by rocking a permanent keyboard at the bottom and not one that requires a slide-out motion to access. In effect, it’s bottom part will remind users of BlackBerry’s classic QWERTY handsets, while the top part conforms to the touchscreen standard of modern phones.

In its video review, Android Authority points out how the new BlackBerry is made of metal save for the back panel, which is more of a soft touch material that feels just like leather. The tech site lauds this design combo, for it makes the device “grippy” and “easy to hold on to.” Furthermore, despite finding the device a little bit thicker by today’s standards, the tech site still recognized how the build quality of the Mercury felt “extremely nice.”

BlackBerry did not forget to incorporate capacitive touch input into its classic keyboard, so just like its self-made handsets the Mercury can respond to gesture controls on its keys. Users can interact with the touchscreen without laying a finger on it. The swiping gesture on the keyboard would already provide users with a means to control the software. Of course, there is still an on-screen keyboard for those who like to use touchscreen input for texts from time to time.

The official specs and features of the BlackBerry Mercury are still not allowed to circulate as of this time, but previous rumors have claimed the space bar doubles as a fingerprint scanner. There were also speculations of the device having a 1620 x 1080p display. If there’s one thing that is confirmed at this point, it’s the presence of Android 7.0 Nougat on the smartphone. However, there is no telling yet if the company tweaked some aspects of the OS to make it more distinct for its upcoming handset.

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