BlackBerry decided in 2016 that because it couldn't quite keep up with Apple, Samsung, and other heavyweights in the smartphone landscape, it would stop trying to, focusing instead on its security software division.
So BlackBerry phones are now technically dead, yet the brand is still very much alive thanks to a partnership with Chinese company TCL, which released the KEYone earlier this year, a keyboard-bearing smartphone with otherwise modern-age Android features.
But with the newly announced BlackBerry Motion, TCL's latest phone, it decided to drop the keyboard altogether. So, like nearly every Android phone, it's now all-screen, shedding nostalgia for practicality.
BlackBerry Motion Specs Revealed
The Motion was announced at the GITEX Technology Week in Dubai Sunday, Oct. 8, boasting the usual suspects: a 5.5-inch display, 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of internal storage. It packs a 4,000 mAh battery, which is quite rare to find in flagships these days, in addition to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chip instead of the more powerful 835.
That spec sheet is good — not crazy good, but decent enough for the Motion to function as a daily driver. It doesn't have fancy features like a Quad DAC, dual cameras, and wireless charging, but it'll cost only $460, which is insanely cheap for more-than-decent specs.
BlackBerry Motion goes from rumor to real... makes appearance at #GITEX in Dubai! Full touch, HUGE battery. Learn more @BBMobile! pic.twitter.com/taZuwPFxke
— CrackBerry Kevin (@crackberrykevin) October 8, 2017
Per the photos, the Motion looks to have very minimal bezels, which is fortunately a trend TCL cared to follow, so that's a plus. There's also a traditional home button flanked by two touch keys on the bottom bezel, and the back sports a single camera above a weird-looking back panel. The Motion looks more boxy than curvy, which sets it apart from most Android phones with curved corners.
BlackBerry Motion Release Date
Don't get excited yet. The BlackBerry Motion isn't due for a U.S. release until later. Android Central says it'll hit "select markets" initially, beginning with "Middle Eastern markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia."
The Motion is a good sign that TCL is committed to keeping the BlackBerry brand alive. Its mere presence proves the KEYone was not a one-off thing, and also perhaps that TCL is done with putting keyboards on BlackBerry phones, fully assimilating to the bezel-less, svelte-looking, and modern phones in the Android pantheon.
Do you like the BlackBerry Motion? Do you think TCL stands a chance in the severely crowded smartphone market? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
