We are not dead, says BlackBerry, as it announces planned launch of 5G keyboard smartphone

OnwardMobility, owner of the BlackBerry brand, has now reiterated its commitment to delivering a 5G BlackBerry smartphone with a physical keyboard. “Contrary to popular belief, we are not dead,” the company stated.

OnwardMobility, early last year after acquiring the BlackBerry brand, announced that it was working on a new BlackBerry phone that would offer both 5G and a physical keyboard. While no such phone was launched in 2021, the company is back with a reiteration of that promise.

The US-based company has proclaimed that it’s not dead and still has plans to release a 5G BlackBerry device this year. The company blames the lack of a 2021 launch on “various delays” it encountered, but promises to provide more updates on the phone moving forward.

As it stands, there’s next to nothing known about the upcoming 5G BlackBerry phone. Considering previous releases, however, a mid-range Qualcomm chipset can be expected. While concept renders of the phone already exist, there’s little in the way of substantiating information on how exactly it’ll look. We expect it to mostly keep the form factor of the KEY2, albeit with a modernized outlook.