TCL doesn't see the point of a 5G BlackBerry smartphone

Plenty of manufacturers have launched or plan to launch 5G phones in 2019 and 2020. But one brand that probably won’t offer this feature is BlackBerry.

“I don’t see the point of 5G on a BlackBerry,” said TCL’s general manager of marketing Stefan Streit, according to Pocket Lint.

“It’s not an entertainment device and you can already get your email really fast,” the representative reportedly added.  Streit suggested that they could “maybe” apply 5G to a refrigerator or 8K TV instead.

It’s an interesting justification for not having a 5G BlackBerry phone, as the next-generation connectivity standard has also been touted for productivity. One particular mooted use case for 5G is improved cloud connectivity, with cloud storage and apps behaving more like local storage in terms of access speeds. 5G is also set to deliver improved latency, which could be a big plus for video calls.

This doesn’t mean TCL isn’t jumping on the 5G bandwagon though, as Streit says the company has a device on offer for 2020. “We will launch an affordable (below $600-500) phone by the middle of next year,” the representative noted. It’s unclear whether this will be a TCL-branded device or an Alcatel-branded phone.

Here’s hoping that we see a new BlackBerry device in the coming months anyway, as it’s one of the few brands offering keypad-toting smartphones.