This year’s BlackBerry smartphones won’t have 5G

TCL will not equip the upcoming BlackBerry smartphones, which are yet to be released this year, with 5G. That’s what a CEO of the manufacturer said. The Chinese manufacturer does stick to the physical keyboard.

In an interview with MobileNewsCWP, the CEO excludes 5g for this year, although a BlackBerry may have the new network technology on board in 2020. TCL is the best-known licensee of the Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry, which until a few years ago produced smartphones itself. The KeyOne and Key2 were released under TCL.

The strategy fits the BlackBerry brand. The Canadian smartphone maker itself was careful about building in new generations of mobile networks. The Bold 9000 was the first BlackBerry with 3G at the end of 2008, while 4G did not last until the Z10 in 2013. In negotiations with providers, BlackBerry executives have argued that BlackBerrys were so sparing with data that faster mobile internet would not add anything, the report showed. Losing The Signal from 2015, which was about BlackBerry.

TCL does stick to the physical keyboard. “The keyboard is still viable for our customers. Many people miss their keyboard and love the sense of nostalgia.”