BlackBerry has all but faded into obscurity, but the once-leading-brand is preparing to make a come back. In collaboration with BlackBerry and FIH Mobile, the U.S-based OnwardMobility will be designing and manufacturing new devices under the ‘BlackBerry’ brand.
BlackBerry’s genius was integrating best-in-class hardware with one-of-a-kind designs, and the revived smartphones will build on that principle — 5G connectivity with physical keyboards. But there’s a catch; the products might not be targeting the consumer market. With a focus on security and privacy, the upcoming 5G BlackBerry devices would primarily be designed for governments and legal or financial enterprises.
OnwardMobility’s mission statement reads ‘To provide all businesses, from government to enterprise to those who power the gig economy—the most productive, most user-friendly and most secure mobile devices ever created. So nothing gets in the way of their mission.’
When announcing their partnership, Peter Franklin, the CEO of OnwardMobility, notes that the BlackBerry 5G devices will be powered by Android (which makes sense since the BlackBerryOS is obsolete) and would make their debut in 2021 as an ecosystem designed around productivity and security from the ground up.
TCL and BlackBerry are parting ways on August 31, after the former announced it had no plans to develop a new BlackBerry device anytime soon. With its newfound partnership with industry leaders in manufacturing, design, and enterprise security, we expect to see a feature-rich unique 5G BlackBerry next year. However, the products will be limited to North America and Europe.