BlackBerry's A10 to Compete with Samsung's Galaxy Note III (BBRY, SSNLF)

Sales of the BlackBerry BBRY handsets may be lower than anticipated, but the company hopes to change that with another new handset. According to BGR, BlackBerry is developing a new smartphone that will contain a five-inch AMOLED display. This would make it the largest handset that the company has ever produced. If BGR's spec sheet is accurate, the device will also contain a dual-core processor (with a separate processor for graphics) and a display with a resolution of 1280x720. The "A" in "A10" reportedly stands for "Aristo." Related: BlackBerry Could Ship 40 Million Handsets in 2013 Little else is known about the unconfirmed handset, but BGR is convinced that this is the real deal. Some may have expected BlackBerry to add a quad-core processor, but the company does not seem to have much interest in building the most powerful smartphone available. Instead, BlackBerry is approaching smartphone development with the same attitude that Nintendo NTDOY approaches game development. Neither company wants to be a technology leader, and they don't need to be -- so long as they can persuade consumers to buy their products. If the fall release date is correct, the A10 will end up going head-to-head with Samsung's SSNLF next major smartphone, the Galaxy Note III. The Note is part of Samsung's large format series, which now includes the Galaxy Mega. BlackBerry famously photo bombed the Mega with a USA Today ad that appeared right over the promotional headline for Samsung's new phone. While BlackBerry did not confirm that the advertisement was intentional, the timing was too coincidental for investors to assume otherwise.

This is a spy shot of what the A10 will reportedly look like. Image Credit: BGR

If size is what consumers value, they may not be very interested in the A10. It may be larger than the iPhone 5 (and the iPhone 5S if Apple maintains the form factor), but it is smaller than the Galaxy Note II and both versions of the Galaxy Mega. Apple has been rumored to follow in the footsteps of Samsung, HTC, LG and other smartphone manufacturers by releasing a five- or six-inch device. But it could take several years for Apple to make that transition. The first five iterations of the iPhone (iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S) contained a 3.5-inch display. Apple improved the resolution, but the size remained the same. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ