BlackBerry's next flagship smartphone will reportedly have a "huge focus on gaming", Digital Spy said.

The BlackBerry A10, which first came to light last month, will feature a 5-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, according to BGR.

he device will be positioned as a competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, but is said to have only a dual-core processor alongside 2GB of RAM.

Sources explained that quad-core chips were avoided due to either concerns over battery life or difficulties optimising its BlackBerry 10 operating system.

Codenamed Aristo, the device is described as the "most powerful, capable BlackBerry yet" and is expected to launch later in the year. An 8-megapixel camera is also thought to be included.

In terms of design, it apparently has a more refined fit and finish than its predecessors, with the report stating that it is "rounded and less aggressive-looking than the Z10".

The company is also planning to launch the BlackBerry 9720 in 2013, an update of the BlackBerry 9700.