Back in February we heard that TCL were no longer going to produce Blackberry devices. Many in the tech world believed this may be the final nail in the Blackberry coffin. According to a post from 9to5Google, there may be (another) last gasp for Blackberry:
a licensing partnership with OnwardMobility and FIH Mobile Limited. BlackBerry has granted the teams the rights to develop, engineer, and produce new a 5G-enabled BlackBerry-branded mobile device.
The interesting note is that the word “device” singular is used. The obvious extension of this comment is, are we only talking about a single device? It would seem so given the Onward mobility announcement also talking about a singular device.
The statement issued by Executive Chairman and CEO of Blackberry, Mr John Chen confirms a 5G device with a physical keyboard is on the way:
BlackBerry is thrilled OnwardMobility will deliver a BlackBerry 5G smartphone device with physical keyboard leveraging our high standards of trust and security synonymous with our brand. We are excited that customers will experience the enterprise and government level security and mobile productivity the new BlackBerry 5G smartphone will offer
Having seen the Key 2 last year, it was another decent offering from the Blackberry name. We can only hope that whatever Onward Mobility has to offer, stays true to the Blackberry core design to bring the hardcore fans to their yard.
What would you like to see from a 5G Blackberry phone that may entice you to purchase one?
