Smartphones like never before
what you need to know
- OnwardMobility has officially confirmed that it will be shutting down.
- That means the 5G BlackBerry is dead after some delays.
- OnwardMobility’s BlackBerry-branded smartphone was due to debut in 2021.
US startup OnwardMobility, which has promised to launch a BlackBerry 5G phone sometime in 2021, has confirmed that the project has been put on hold as it announced the company is shutting down.
OnwardMobility said in a farewell notice posted on its website that its plans to develop a BlackBerry-branded smartphone had been scrapped. The statement said:
We’d like to thank everyone for their tremendous support since we first launched OnwardMobility. However, we are very sorry to announce that OnwardMobility will be closed and we will no longer continue to develop ultra-secure smartphones with physical keyboards.
Please note that this was not a decision we made lightly or hastily. We share your disappointment with this news and assure you that this is not the result of our efforts and hopes.
This post is on the wall after the phone’s launch was delayed last year. OnwardMobility initially planned to launch its first product in 2021 at a competitive price to challenge the best Android phones. However, 2021 has passed without the company making any updates on its smartphone project.
Earlier this month, CrackBerry reported that OnwardMobility had discontinued its BlackBerry 5G phones. According to Android Police, the Texas-based startup’s license to use the BlackBerry brand on its products was revoked, allegedly because BlackBerry wanted to “step further away from its days as a smartphone vendor.”
Previously, OnwardMobility denied rumors of the phone’s demise. It even promised more updates to the device before releasing the farewell message, which now supersedes everything on its website.
Leave a Reply