\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n BlackBerry used to dominate the \u201csmartphone\u201d market back when those devices were not really very smart. The Canadian company never adapted to a post-iPhone world, and even switching to Android didn\u2019t help. Earlier this year, TCL announced it was ending its agreement to build BlackBerry Android phones. It\u2019s not over for keyboarded phones \u2014 BlackBerry has forged a deal with a company called OnwardMobility to build a new generation of devices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n BlackBerry (previously known as RIM) became a force in mobile on the strength of its messaging platform and other mobile services. However, the BlackBerry OS couldn\u2019t compete with iOS and Android as smartphones shifted to a touch-based interface. Oh, it tried to keep pace with devices like the BlackBerry Storm, but it eventually admitted defeat and started making Android phones, most of which had keyboards. Even that didn\u2019t work to boost the company and it resorted to licensing the name and technology instead of building phones itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Currently, no one is making BlackBerry smartphones. The last major release was the BlackBerry Key2, which TCL launched in 2018. TCL only made a handful of phones for BlackBerry before backing away, confirming once again that most people don\u2019t want physical keyboards on phones. Still, \u201cmost\u201d isn\u2019t everyone. OnwardMobility apparently feels that there is a market for a new generation of BlackBerry devices with keyboards <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> 5G.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Priv was BlackBerry\u2019s attempt to make a sliding Android phone \u2014 it was also the last phone it made internally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n OnwardMobility tells PCMag that the new BlackBerry phone will be a \u201cglobal flagship\u201d with a competitive price and a \u201ctop-end camera.\u201d However, the device will have sub-6GHz and millimeter-wave 5G, and the latter is rarely compatible with a competitive price. Millimeter-wave 5G is also a big plus for US carriers, and the company says it\u2019s working to get the planned device in US carriers stores. That\u2019s easier said than done, though. TCL had years of experience working with carriers, and retail availability of its BlackBerry phones was spotty at best. OnwardMobility is a new company coming into a crowded mobile ecosystem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This new BlackBerry phone should launch in early 2021, and that means OnwardMobility must be well into the development process. It will use FIH, a Foxconn subsidiary, for manufacturing. With BlackBerry\u2019s technology and patents, it should be able to make a phone with a keyboard that harkens back to the early era of smartphones, but is there still enough interest in that? We\u2019ll find out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now read:<\/p>\n <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n![\"BlackBerryKeyOne\"](\"https:\/\/www.extremetech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/BlackBerryKeyOne-640x354.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"blackberry-priv\"](\"https:\/\/www.extremetech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/render-blackberry-priv-640x335.jpg\")
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