Believe or not, there was a time before everyone carried an iPhone or Android around with them.  

Whilst many of us were obsessed with the indestructible Nokia bricks with a battery life that used to last for days, a few of us were lucky enough to invest in a BlackBerry.  

Well known for their teeny-tiny keyboards and the brands iconic BBM pins, the popular phone brand was brushed away following their peak in the 2000’s by the release of Apple’s iPhone and change over to Google’s open-source Android.  

This is partly because the mobile phone industry changed their approach towards apps, with many developers preferring to make their apps compatible for Android and iOS, as well as the development of larger, more sophisticated touchscreen smartphones. 

But who doesn’t love a comeback? Which is why BlackBerry is said to rise from the ashes, thanks to a company called OnwardMobility who has obtained the license to produce new phones using the familiar name, to make a dent in the competitive Android phone market.  

With the finer details being kept under close wraps, it appears BlackBerry phones will be fully 5G complaint and will retain the physical keyboard that made the originals such a hit. 

OnwardMobility is a mobile security company and seems to be making security one of the main selling points of the new phone. Promising the 2021 BlackBerry will be ‘highly secure’.  

Although the rights to BlackBerry are kept by the parent company, OnwardMobility will be working with a subsidiary of Chinese mega-corp Foxconn to manufacture the mobile.  

With the OnwardMobility CEO Peter Franklin saying ‘Top of mind for us is not just making the most secure and productive device, but also being an everyday device. That means things like a top-notch camera, and the other specs you’d expect from your day-to-day phone. Simultaneously, we know that we must be competitive, and so is our pricing.’ 

Call us silly, stupid or just naive, but we’re still very curious to see exactly what OnwardMobility comes up with along with John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO, BlackBerry stating ‘BlackBerry is thrilled OnwardMobility will deliver a BlackBerry 5G smartphone device with physical keyboard leveraging our high standards of trust and security synonymous with our brand,’  

‘We are excited that customers will experience the enterprise and government level security and mobile productivity the new BlackBerry 5G smartphone will offer.’ 

Beyond the simple 2021 date, there is no other information to just when the much-loved phone will be making its return.  

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