BlackBerry is readying a new touchscreen flagship smartphone, providing an incremental upgrade to the existing BlackBerry Z10 (pictured), according to reports.

The new unit, called A10, has a 1.7GHz dual-core processor and 5-inch screen, compared with a 1.5GHz dual-core chip and 4.2-inch screen for the Z10. As with the earlier device, it features an 8 megapixel camera and LTE support, CrackBerry said.

The A10 would also see the introduction of a new version of the BlackBerry 10 operating system, BlackBerry 10.2.

With rivals launching new devices at an impressive pace since the introduction of the Z10 in January 2013, there is little about the new unit to make it stand out from the pack. And so far, sales of BlackBerry 10 devices have failed to impress.

According to a Wall Street Journal report this week, US operators are heavily discounting the Z10, with price cuts of as much as 75 per cent – although to a certain degree this is to be expected, as the device is no longer fresh.

But CNet also said that production of the existing BlackBerry 10 devices had been halved due to disappointing sales, citing Jefferies & Co analyst Peter Misek.

And the BlackBerry 10 app ecosystem also has holes: according to Canalys, just 34 per cent of the top apps in Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play catalogue are available in either the Windows Phone store or BlackBerry World.

While the BlackBerry 10 portfolio has grown to include 120,000 titles, there are a number of high-profile omissions.