It may have technically exited the mobile hardware market, but BlackBerry Ltd. appears to have high hopes for its first externally-developed mobile device.
The Waterloo, Ont.-based automotive and security software developer – and reluctant smartphone icon – announced today on Twitter that the next BlackBerry mobile device, the KeyOne, will officially go on sale next month through “select carrier partners” for $199.
BlackBerry #KEYone will be on sale in #Canada next month through select carrier partners starting at $199 CAD. https://t.co/N7xOBpmyWA pic.twitter.com/uOBAviGeGJ
— BlackBerry Mobile (@BBMobile) April 27, 2017
Other than the tweet and an update to the official BlackBerry Mobile website, no additional information was released.
BlackBerry had previously revealed the KeyOne in February, during this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It is the first company-branded device to be externally developed by the company’s hardware partner, China-based TCL Corp.
Courtesy BlackBerry
Like its predecessors, the BlackBerry Priv and DTEK50, the KeyOne runs on the Android operating system. Unlike the DTEK50, it incorporates its namesake’s iconic keyboard, which sits underneath a 4.5-inch display.
Other known features include an 8 MP front-facing camera, a 12 MP auto-focus rear camera, a fingerprint sensor, and BlackBerry’s signature mobile security software.
Check out a video below.
