The rumors that there is a BlackBerry smartphone with a slider have been known for a while, but a few days back, the device, dubbed Venice, was finally seen in the flesh, as images of it leaked on the Internet.

Though this is just the latest leak about the device, it is by far, the best one to date, as it finally confirmed its existence. Reporting on the leak, Engadget stated that the photos emerged from a person from Vietnam, but it was unclear how he managed to get a hold of the three photos which show the device with its sliding keyboard extended from its body.

Going by the design of the device as shown in the photos, it is clear that the BlackBerry Venice will be similar to the phone which has been seen repeatedly in renders and videos over the past few months. However, when compared carefully to the renders, the device featured in the leaked photos appears to be thicker. In addition, some changes have been made including repositioning the power button.

This could indicate that the BlackBerry Venice is still in the development stages and changes are still being made to its design. The locations of the SIM card and microSD slot have also been transferred and shifted to the top.

Though there are still conflicting reports on the device's design, what was clear is that the device is running Android and rumors and leaks seem to point toward the device having the 5.0 Lollipop OS. 

SlashGear stated that based on the first few photos of the device, many feel that it could immediately become a favorite of those who prefer using physical keyboards.

As for the rest of the features of the device, they include a 5.4-inch QHD display and an 18 megapixel camera, which according to rumors, comes with optical image stabilization.