A new lineup of Blackberry 5G smartphones with a new design and advanced security technology is reportedly arriving next year. Blackberry used to be the top mobile phone of every tech enthusiast, but it gradually disappeared from the industry. The brand is now resurrecting and would reportedly arrive in the first half of 2021.
Last week, the Texas-based startup Onward Mobility announced that together with Foxconn's subsidiary FIH Mobile and Blackberry plan to launch a new Blackberry 5G smartphone. The upcoming device would run on Android and obviously with 5G wireless network connectivity support and might leave out its iconic physical QWERTY keyboard.
While nothing much is known about the Blackberry 5G smartphone, Onward Mobility CEO Peter Franklin shared that the device would use a clean sheet keyboard, which would be developed with the current trends in mind. BlackBerry VP of Advanced Technology Labs Sarah Tatsis said that the upcoming handset's form factor is not yet final. Still, she assured me that it would reflect the unique keyboard typing experience of the brand.
BlackBerry 5G phone coming in 2021 with security and design at the forefront. New player is coming to the market. A reborn? pic.twitter.com/6j3f7xklGB — Sergio Escobar (@sergioes11) August 30, 2020
Will the team bring back the fan-favorite capacitive coating for swipe gesture typing? Are the consumers up for the sublime candy bar design or a slider mechanism? It is important that the team behind the upcoming Blackberry 5G smartphone must develop the device with a totally different design language from the majority of Android-powered devices available in the market today.
During last week's announcement, the team promised that the Blackberry 5G would be more than just another Android device. The upcoming handset's unique selling proposition is to safeguard communications and ensure personal and private data. Blackberry phones have a reputation for being focused on getting things done.
It's interesting that the new team behind the upcoming Blackberry 5G is planning to balance productivity, security, as well as entertainment because it is what most consumers need. Blackberry was once a dominant player in the industry; it experimented on an Android-based smartphone in 2015 called the Priv.
The smartphone featured a 5.4-inch display with a physical QWERTY keyboard. Unfortunately, Blackberry exited in 2016. The brand suffered from years of plummeting sales. Blackberry fell victim to the soaring popularity of Android smartphones and iPhones.
In 2016 it reached an agreement with the Chinese company TCL to produce Blackberry-branded devices. That partnership is set to expire by August 31, which would make the company open for another partnership, this time with Onward Mobility.
