BlackBerry Announces Next Flagship Device, the Q20, Which Totes a Trackpad

February 25, 2014

At the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, BlackBerry today announced its next flagship device.

The Q20 “embodies feedback from millions of passionate QWERTY customers around the world” and features, in addition to a full keyboard like the Q20, several classic buttons that herald back to the previous generation of BlackBerry devices: Menu, Back, Send, End, and the once-iconic trackpad.

“In my first 90 days on the job, I consistently heard from our ardent BlackBerry customers that the hard buttons and trackpad are an essential part of the BlackBerry QWERTY experience, that made their BlackBerry smartphone their go-to productivity tool,” explains CEO John Chen. “I want these customers to know that we heard them, and this new smartphone will be for them.”

“Today, we’re delighted to announce the new BlackBerry Q20 smartphone, which is designed to give you the distinct experience that every BlackBerry QWERTY loyalist and high-productivity business customer absolutely loves,” he said in Spain. “With the BlackBerry Q20 smartphone, you’ll get the familiar hard buttons and trackpad that you want, along with the best email service, the best keyboard experience and the best battery life possible.”

The device will boast a 3.5-inch touch screen, slightly larger than that of the Q20, a bigger battery, and “be crafted from premium materials and designed for reliability and durability.”

The Q20 will be available in the second half of 2014, according to BlackBerry.

BlackBerry also announced the Z3, a smartphone built specifically for Indonesia, which will launch there in April.

“We are excited to introduce the new BlackBerry Z3, the first smartphone to emerge from our strategic partnership with Foxconn, which was announced in mid-December, 2013,” said Chen. “The BlackBerry Z3 embodies all that BlackBerry 10 offers, with its exceptional productivity features and reliable communications, in a stylish, all-touch design made affordable for customers in Indonesia.”