For the time being, we know there are three upcoming BlackBerry smartphones in 2018. But before we dive straight into them, let’s walk down memory lane a bit.
From almost clearing off the surface of the smartphone world in 2016 (due to extinction scare) to a very successful run and comeback in 2017, we take a look at the devices the Research In Motion company has in store for the year 2018.
Sometime in 2013 when the Android OS became more popular by the day, it posed a very serious threat to the existence of the BlackBerry OS. BlackBerry phones started vanishing, disappearing into the dark – the “BB” was nowhere to be found!
However, quite surprising though, the Research In Motion management decided to give the dying brand hope by entering into licensing partnership with TCL Communication and adopting the trending Android OS. And hope was brought back to life with devices like the BlackBerry DTEK50, BlackBerry DTEK60, BlackBerry Priv, BlackBerry Motion and more.
Enough with the history, let’s talk about the now.
At the moment, Techyne can confirm that TCL Communications has three upcoming BlackBerry smartphones in 2018 lined up for releases. One of the three devices is something we have seen before, while the other two, going by available information, will be on a whole new level of innovation and creativity.
BlackBerry is coming back, y’all! And they want to hit hard this time!
Going by information provided by DigitalTrends in an interview with a BlackBerry representative, we confirmed that there will be a new edition of an old BlackBerry phone and two other new devices.
Let’s take the first one.
Upcoming BlackBerry Smartphones in 2018
1. BlackBerry KeyOne Bronze Edition
You know when you get something right for the first time in a really long time, and it turns out to be a really huge success; bigger than you had thought it’d be, you would wanna capitalize on that success to even move higher. That’s what TCL is experimenting with the BlackBerry KeyOne.
The BlackBerry KeyOne was released in February 2017 and to BlackBerry’s utmost surprise, it sold more than the company projected. To be more precise, 50% more than the company projected. The device sold in 50 markets globally when BlackBerry projected it to sell in 12.
That is, however, the rationale behind the release of the BlackBerry KeyOne Bronze Edition, even though the device launched in a Silver coloured version and a special Black Edition followed months later.
Oh! By the way, the BlackBerry KeyOne Bronze Edition would be BlackBerry’s first phone for the year 2018.
The device is expected to come with the same specs as its predecessor.
BlackBerry KeyOne Bronze Edition Specifications (expected)
- 5.5-inch TFT display.
- 1080 x 1620 pixel resolution.
- ∼433ppi pixel density.
- Weight – 180g.
- Dimensions – 149.1 x 72.4 x 9.4 mm.
- Octa-core 2.0GHz Cortex-A53 Snapdragon 625 CPU.
- Adreno 506 GPU.
- 4GB RAM.
- 64GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB (dedicated).
- 12-megapixels rear camera with Autofocus, f/2.0 aperture and dual LED dual-tone flash.
- 8-megapixels front camera with LED flash.
- 3,505 mAh battery.
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n dual-band, Bluetooth 4.1.
- Android 7.1 Nougat OS.
That’s all on the first device, you can check HERE for more information about the upcoming BlackBerry KeyOne Bronze Edition.
2. BlackBerry Uni
The BlackBerry Uni is another smartphone lined up for a 2018 release by BlackBerry. In terms of appearance, the device will look very much like the BlackBerry Priv — have a retractable keyboard.
Don’t know the BlackBerry Priv? See the image below
The BlackBerry Uni is still in its early —speculative— stages and details about the device are still very much obscure. However, we were able to gather that the BlackBerry Uni will have a design very different from what we have seen on previous BlackBerry devices.
The device is expected to be the first BlackBerry smartphone to come with the Android Oreo OS out-of-the-box, and also the first BlackBerry device to sport dual cameras on the rear.
From the above schematics of the device we obtained, it can be seen that the upcoming BlackBerry Uni will have only one lens when the retractable keyboard is tucked in. But when you slide out the keyboard, there is another lens neatly embedded behind the screen.
It isn’t clear yet if the two lenses can be used simultaneously when the keyboard is slid out or both lenses can only be used interchangeably.
BlackBerry Uni Specifications (expected)
- 5.4-inch 2.5D curved display
- Octa-core Cortex-A53 Snapdragon 660 CPU.
- 6GB RAM.
- 32GB or 64GB internal storage
- Dual rear camera (megapixels unknown)
- Android 8.0/8.1 Oreo OS
The BlackBerry Uni is expected to be launched before the end of Q2 2018. News hovering around also speculate that a March 2018 release (at the MWC 2018 event) for the BlackBerry Uni is very much possible.
Sadly, we do not have solid specifics as regards the third upcoming BlackBerry smartphone in 2018. The BlackBerry representative that made the reveal, Gareth Hurn was careful enough not to give out details about it.
However, he made mention that the third upcoming BlackBerry smartphones in 2018 will be based on feedback they got from the successful BlackBerry KeyOne. Also, it will have a physical keyboard, like the Blackberry Uni.
He also made it known that BlackBerry has been working hard behind closed doors to improve on the keyboard of the BlackBerry and innovate it further because according to him, the keyboard helped bring people back to BlackBerry.
3. BlackBerry Ghost
The BlackBerry Ghost is another expected BlackBerry smartphone for the year 2018. The “Ghost” is said to be currently under construction and development by Optiemus Infracom, a licensed manufacturer of BlackBerry-branded smartphones.
The BlackBerry Ghost will be Android-powered and interstingly, will jump on the bezel-less bandwagon. No specifications of the BlackBerry Ghost is presently available, save for a vague image that surfaced on the internet.
The BlackBerry Ghost will share huge semblance with many modern-day bezel-less Androdi smartphones. Little is known about the device but as soon as more mystery about this “Ghost” is unlocked, be sure, we will keep you posted.
There you have it – all Techyne knows about the upcoming BlackBerry smartphones in 2018. Be sure to stick your eyes and ears around this space as we would report info about the other two devices as they unravel.
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