BlackBerry Z50 ‘Manitoba’ Release Date, Specs, Rumors: Will a BB10.3 Touch Screen Phone be Launched?

Sunil Lalvani, BlackBerry Managing Director for India, displays the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone during a product launch in New Delhi on October 24, (RAVEENDRAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Will there be a BlackBerry “Z50,” and when will it launch?

In November 2013, there was a rumor that there will be a BlackBerry “Z50.” The phone is said to have a 5.2-inch screen with a 1080 x 1920 display, and a quad-core processor.

There has not been much rumors since then, until recently.

German website bb10qnx noted that BlackBerry would be releasing a new BlackBerry OS, the BlackBerry 10.3, for the speculated “Windermere” and “Manitoba” phones.

The “Windermere” has since been identified as a QWERTY device, the BlackBerry Passport, and will run the BlackBerry 10.3.

So far, the “Manitoba” has not linked with any existing or official “in the works” BlackBerry model, so it could be the rumored “Z50.”

The “Manitoba/Z50” is said to pack a 64-bit chip, a quad-core, a whooping 8GM of RAM, a 5-inch full touch screen, and a big 3300 mAh battery.

If the phone is really being put together, it is unlikely that it will debut in 2014.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen had said earlier in the year that BlackBerry will only launch two phones this year, the lower end BlackBerry “Jakarta” model and a high-end QWERTY keyboard BlackBerry, which has since been identified as the BlackBerry Passport.

As with all rumors, news of the BlackBerry Z50 “Manitoba” should be taken with a pinch of salt.