New BlackBerry 2021: date, price and specifications

A new BlackBerry phone will be launched in 2021. Yes, you read correctly: BlackBerry is back. What can we expect from the new BlackBerry?

The subject of BlackBerry’s rise and fall is something that has become all too common in the tech world over the past three years.

Let’s not forget that BlackBerry was once the queen of phones, back in 2000. However, its characteristic physical keyboard and Software The device failed to compete with newer iPhones and Android phones.

Also, let’s not forget that BlackBerry launched a smartphone Android, the Priv, however quickly stopped making mobiles.

TCL has purchased the launch rights for the BlackBerry branded phones. These phones were the KeyOne of 2017 and the Key2 of 2018, an even better sequel. Another pair of partnership phones was also announced, but on August 31, 2020, TCL stopped supporting these phones.

It was fun as long as it lasted, but it didn’t last long, so this new venture fills us with a wary fear.

With some surprise, we learned in August that US company Onward Mobility had licensed the BlackBerry name and said it would be working to launch a 5G BlackBerry device with a physical keyboard in 2021.

This is what we know about the new BlackBerry.

Release date of the new BlackBerry 2021

The new BlackBerry Android phone will ship “in the first half of 2021,” according to a press release.

The phone will be launched in North America and Europe.

The price of the new BlackBerry 2021

We don’t have a price indication yet, but we believe it will be quite high, probably around $ 800. The phone will not be sold in large numbers and the BlackBerry TCL phones were more expensive than guaranteed specs and compared to other phones with similar specs.

A BlackBerry in 2021 is a niche device to say the least, and the premium price will attempt to reflect the exclusivity of a secure touch-tone phone, but the reality is that it will likely be expensive because few people will buy it.

New BlackBerry 2021 specifications

According to Onward Mobility, the new BlackBerry will have 5G network capabilities and a physical keyboard. These are really the only two spec hints we have outside of the Android phone, as currently the announcement is only for the existence of the pairing and nothing else.

Onward Mobility licensed the BlackBerry name and is also working with FIH Mobile Limitied, a subsidiary of Foxconn, to manufacture the phone.

The only part of the ad that hints at the phone’s specifications says “there is an absolute need for a secure, feature-rich, 5G-ready phone that improves productivity.”

This is still very vague, but suggests that the current BlackBerry company may be involved at the level of Software as was the case with TCL phones. He didn’t design the hardware, but his security software was closely tied to Android, and it might as well be in the new phone.

“Feature rich” could mean that the new BlackBerry will be a high-end device that sings it all, unlike the KeyOne and Key2. 5G phones don’t need to promote the newest and most powerful Snapdragon chipset, but it could help the new BlackBerry last a few years for buyers. The KeyOne in particular is operating quite slowly today and was not well prepared for the future.

What we would like the BlackBerry 2021 to have

With so little concrete information to give, here are some things we hope the new BlackBerry 5G will have to put forward for the famous brand’s return.

A high refresh rate display

The KeyOne and the Key2 were using the exact same screen and it wasn’t a good screen. The colors were a bit dull and the brightness was not very good. A premium BlackBerry should have a much better screen, and we’d expect one with a 120Hz refresh rate. If Onward Mobility is to appeal to professionals, it should offer them a premium screen.

A superlative keyboard

Needless to say, the physical keyboard must be good, but the last great keyboard on a BlackBerry was the BlackBerry Classic 2014. The clickable keys haven’t been recreated since. Key 2 came close, but the keys were too small and too square.

Sliding design

The problem with rolling out larger keys is the expectation of modern smartphone form factors. The KeyOne and Key2 had sharp screens so you could fit a physical keyboard underneath and still have a manageable sized phone. We think the new BlackBerry should recreate the BlackBerry Priv form factor, with a normal smartphone touchscreen and a sliding form factor that hides a physical keyboard.

On the other hand, if the phone adapted to the compact design of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and made Android run smoothly, we’d be in nostalgia heaven.

Good cameras

The cameras on the BlackBerry TCL were all weak. We hope the BlackBerry 5G has cameras that can stand up to modern smartphones. If companies continue to bring back their branding, they need to stop compromising on camera quality, one of the main things people love about their phones, even entrepreneurs.