Zombie BlackBerrys! QWERTY BlackBerry Android telephones are coming again

Like a nasty zombie film sequel, BlackBerry telephones are getting back from the lifeless, a second time. After TCL tried and didn’t make a enterprise out of licensing the BlackBerry model and promoting Android telephones, a brand new startup referred to as OnwardMobility seems like it’ll decide up primarily the identical playbook in 2021.

There aren’t too many particulars but, however OnwardMobility put out a press launch and web site detailing the brand new BlackBerry telephone plan. The corporate says it’ll make “a brand new 5G BlackBerry Android smartphone with bodily keyboard, within the first half of 2021 in North America and Europe.” The press launch additionally mentions that “BlackBerry smartphones are recognized for shielding communications, privateness, and information,” so count on a number of encryption. There are additionally a number of nods to enterprise prospects—actually, all of it seems like the identical previous BlackBerry.

BlackBerry-branded telephones from BlackBerry died in 2016 when the corporate give up the handset manufacturing enterprise. BlackBerry caught with its personal in-house OSes for too lengthy whereas the Android and iOS duopoly took over the world, and the corporate’s gross sales tanked. It wasn’t till 2015 that BlackBerry made its first Android gadget, the BlackBerry Priv, however by then it was a “wager the corporate” state of affairs and the Priv flopped. BlackBerry ended up licensing the model to Chinese language firm TCL Communication, which went on to supply some shamelessly rebranded slab telephones and some faithful-but-expensive QWERTY bar telephones just like the BlackBerry KeyOne and the Key2. TCL wasn’t any extra profitable than BlackBerry promoting Android telephones, and in February 2020, BlackBerry introduced that TCL was strolling away. The TCL licensing deal truly expires on the finish of this month, and BlackBerry already has a brand new suitor lined up.

OnwardMobility’s press launch says BlackBerry and FIH Cellular shall be concerned within the design and manufacturing of the brand new gadgets, which is an effective signal. FIH Cellular is a Foxconn subsidiary. Whereas “Foxconn” is a contract producer that can simply construct your design, the FIH Cellular wing of Foxconn is a turn-key smartphone operation that does product growth and design, manufacturing, and after-sales providers and repairs. FIH Cellular at present handles the manufacturing and design for HMD’s Nokia telephones, which we’re enormous followers of.

When TCL signed its BlackBerry deal, it did not simply license the model, it additionally bought a license for BlackBerry’s keyboard patents, letting it make authentic-feeling QWERTY pads. The press launch does not outright point out patents, nevertheless it does say BlackBerry is concerned within the design, suggesting it signed the same deal.

The BlackBerry Android traces from BlackBerry correct and TCL each had the benefit of being mainly the one {hardware} QWERTY Android telephones in the marketplace, however twice now customers haven’t proven an enormous quantity of curiosity in that concept. It isn’t clear why OnwardMobility thinks it could actually succeed the place TCL failed, however we’ll see what the corporate’s gross sales pitch is like when the telephone launches subsequent 12 months.