U.S. company OnwardMobility is working on the revival of the iconic yet deceased BlackBerry smartphone, and we could see it come back as a "global flagship device" in 2021. In this case, do call it a comeback.
While the next-gen BlackBerry will keep its physical keyboard in order to boost productivity, as CEO Peter Franklin puts it (via Nikkei Asia), it will also feature 5G connectivity along with a "top-of-the-line" camera. These features will definitely make BlackBerry's comeback all the more convincing, unlike its failed attempts 8 years ago.
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In the report, it's stated that the new smartphone is expected to be released in North America and Europe in 2021. Further details on the new BlackBerry will come out over the next few months. A better glimpse of its chassis, perhaps?
Currently, Franklin states that OnwardMobility is in talks with several global mobile carriers to develop plans for release. Whether customers will take a liking to physical keyboards again is up to, well, the customers.
BlackBerry will be reviving into a world where every mobile brand is purely screen, a cemented trend that saw the BlackBerry die out in the first place. The original BlackBerry stopped production back in 2016, now focusing on cyber security. Then Chinese corporation TCL handled production, but to no avail.
It's up to OnwardMobility to bring BlackBerry up to the standard of some of the best smartphones on the market today. We'll have to wait and see if the world wants to paint it BlackBerry.
