The iconic BlackBerry keyboard will continue to live on, as BlackBerry are assuring everyone they will keep the tactile keyboard in their future devices.
BlackBerry just announced the end of its Classic line earlier this week, putting an end to one of their most iconic smartphone range. From the announcement many speculated on BlackBerry killing the QWERTY keyboard. But rest assured email fans, BlackBerry are retaining that amazing keyboard.
“In response to some recent press reports, I want to be clear that BlackBerry users have nothing to fear – the keyboard is here to stay” tweeted Alex Thurber, Senior Vice President for BlackBerry Global Device Sales.
Thurber continued stating the reason is “to keep innovating and advancing [its] portfolio.”
The big rumour at the moment is BlackBerry are planning three new devices that will run Google’s Android operating system. The new devices are allegedly codenamed Neon, Argon and Mercury. Mercury will be the one with the physical keyboard but it won’t be spec orientated like the BlackBerry Priv. It will have an upper mid-range Snapdragon 625 processor, 3GB of RAM, 3,400mAh battery and a 4.5-inch screen. The Mercury is expected to be much more affordable, making it a decent choice as a company phone.
BlackBerry released their first Android smartphone, the BlackBerry Priv, last year. The Priv was lacklustre in sales, selling only 600,000 units to date, a horrible debut for the Android device.
The Priv comes with a QWERTY keyboard, showing that a BlackBerry keyboard device, running Android is possible. It is the only notable flagship device with a physical keyboard. Samsung’s Note 6 and Galaxy S6+ had an accessory keyboard that could be purchased separately.
Another BlackBerry device that still has the keyboard is the mammoth BlackBerry Passport.
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