If you’re holding out for a 5G BlackBerry for your next phone purchase we've got some bad news. BlackBerry Mobile's parent company, TCL, has confirmed there are no plans to make a BlackBerry 5G handset.
"I don't see the point of 5G on a BlackBerry," said TCL's general manager of marketing, Stefan Streit, during a CCS Insight Predictions event in London.
Having seen a huge push in 2018, BlackBerry devices have been largely absent in 2019. And, while the company executive didn't detail when the next phone would be out, he did give further reasoning as to why, when it does arrive, it won't sport 5G.
"It's not an entertainment device and you can already get your email really fast," he added.
Instead, Streit revealed that the company is looking at other areas where 5G technologies could be utilised: "We can have a lot of fun with 5G and where to apply it - maybe in an 8K TV or a fridge."
Just not a BlackBerry.
And, that's not to say TCL isn't investing in 5G for phones at all. It is planning to go big on 5G in 2020 with its own branded devices, maybe even Alcatel too: "We will launch an affordable (below $600-500) phone by the middle of next year," he explained.
According to analyst firm, CCS Insight, oversupply of 5G smartphones in 2020 will sees prices plummet across the board.
The reasoning is that because there are already so many devices available across the globe, that supply will outweigh demand, leading to widespread price cuts. That, in turn, will encourage further uptake so that, by 2022, adoption of 5G will outpace that of 4G during its first three years.
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