Is the BlackBerry Kopi the budget device that's been sorely missing?

Is the BlackBerry Kopi the budget device that's been sorely missing?
Don't be a Kopi cat

It's no secret that BlackBerry isn't having the best of times at the moment, but news of the potentially budget BlackBerry Kopi could ease the pain slightly - although like everything from the Canadian firm recently it's rather late.

Details and photos of the Kopi were passed to BGR from a "close source", and it will apparently slide in beneath the BlackBerry Q5 handset the firm launched back in May.

According to the report, the Kopi will actually have a faster processor than the Q5, but misses out on 4G connectivity. There's a win for battery fanatics however, as the Kopi will have a removable power pack - like the higher end Q10 and Z10.

A screengrab supposedly taken from the Kopi reveals it's running the latest version of the firm's new BlackBerry 10 operating system - v10.2.

BlackBerry Kopi - LEAK

Credit: BGR

Too cheap, too late?

In terms of design it appears from the leaked photos that the BlackBerry Kopi isn't that dissimilar to the Q5, with a chunky plastic case and bezel-heavy front encompassing the firm's famous QWERTY keyboard.

There's no word on a potential Kopi release date or price, and with BlackBerry in such an unstable position at this moment in time it may not see the light of day.

BlackBerry Kopi - LEAK

BlackBerry Q5 and Kopi (credit: BGR)

A cheap BlackBerry 10 handset was really needed at launch to encourage the kids rocking cut-price Curves to upgrade to another BB handset, instead of making the switch to a low price Android or Windows Phone device.

BlackBerry is currently beginning to roll out its larger Z30 handset, but with reports suggesting another handset - dubbed the Americano - is also on the way, the Canadian firm may be biting off more that it can chew in this tricky period of transition.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.