A 5G-capable BlackBerry phone with a physical keyboard is coming sometime in 2021 as a new company licenses the venerable name.
A new BlackBerry phone is coming in 2021, it will be 5G-capable, and yes – it will have a physical keyboard. A new company has licensed the BlackBerry name after TCL dropped it in early 2020. This seemingly new player in the phones world, OnwardMobility, announced it’s producing a new handset with the storied BlackBerry name. OnwardMobility is working with Foxconn subsidiary FIH Mobile Limited to get the phones out in the first half of 2021 to North American and European markets. Whether the phone will reach consumer markets, however, is unclear, as the press release announcing the BlackBerry 5G phone posits it as an enterprise solution for companies that need ‘a secure, feature-rich 5G-ready phone that enhances productivity.’ “BlackBerry smartphones are known for protecting communications, privacy, and data,” OnwardMobility CEO Peter Franklin said in the press release.
