BlackBerry's Return... "5G Smartphone with Keyboard to Launch Next Year"

Onward Mobility Partners with BlackBerry and FIH Mobile
5G Smartphones to Launch in North America and Europe in Early Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] BlackBerry will launch a 5G smartphone with a physical keyboard next year.

On the 19th (local time), Onward Mobility announced that it has signed a licensing partnership with BlackBerry and FIH Mobile, a subsidiary of Foxconn. FIH Mobile will be responsible for smartphone design and manufacturing, while Onward Mobility will handle product planning and development.

Onward Mobility plans to introduce a 5G smartphone in North America and Europe in the first half of 2021, utilizing the BlackBerry brand. The product will be released with BlackBerry's signature physical keyboard.

Peter Franklin, CEO of Onward Mobility, stated, "Enterprise experts want a secure 5G smartphone that enhances productivity while maintaining user experience. BlackBerry is well known in telecommunications and personal data security, and with the support of BlackBerry and FIH Mobile, we will launch a 5G device."

John Chen, CEO of BlackBerry, said, "Through Onward Mobility, BlackBerry will release a 5G smartphone with a physical keyboard that meets high standards of trust and security. The new BlackBerry 5G smartphone will provide customers with the level of security and mobile productivity required by enterprises and governments."

Meanwhile, BlackBerry ended its partnership contract with TCL, which had been manufacturing and producing on its behalf since 2016, in August. TCL released devices such as the KeyOne, Motion, Key2, and Key2 LE, which ran Android instead of BlackBerry OS. After the Key2 LE in August 2018, no new smartphones have been released.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.