If this isn't a sign that BlackBerry can still succeed today, I don't know what is
Phones with physical keyboards are making a comeback as evidenced by the strong demand for the Titan 2 Elite.
Titan 2 Elite hits Kickstarter goal in 11 minutes. | Image by PhoneArena
Thanks to Clicks and Unihertz, the physical keyboard has been making a strong comeback on smartphones. And the news today from Unihertz surely indicates that there is a market out there for BlackBerry's return. This morning, Unihertz started accepting pledges for the Titan 2 Elite phone on the Kickstarter platform. Seeking to raise the modest amount of $100,091, Unihertz met the target in only 11 minutes. Right now, with 48 days left to raise funds on Kickstarter, the phone has generated $2.46 million in pledges.
Titan 2 Elite is a refined version of the Titan 2
While the original Unihertz Titan was a dead ringer for 2014's BlackBerry Passport. Twelve years after the Passport was released, it still has a cult following thanks to the unique physical/hybrid QWERTY keyboard that combined real keys with a virtual row on the bottom of the display for numbers and punctuation. Other popular features included the 1440 × 1440 resolution square display, and the passport-sized form factor (hence the phone's name).
The Titan 2 was released in 2024 and kept some resemblance to the BlackBerry Passport. But the Titan 2 Elite is a more refined version, and we were able to have a hands-on experience with the device at MWC earlier this month. The physical keyboard is a classic phone-style QWERTY and each key can be set to hold a long-press and a short-press shortcut. The capacitive touch-sensitive keyboard can be used to move the cursor, the phone offers a Mouse mode (no, it won't leave rodent droppings) and the keyboard features a backlight for nighttime use.
You can choose between the standard edition and the Pro model
The Titan 2 Elite carries a 4.03-inch AMOLED display with a 1080 × 1200 and a 120Hz refresh rate. There are two variants of the phone. The standard model is powered by the MediaTek 7400 application processor (AP) with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The Pro edition sports a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 AP, 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Both models carry a 50MP main camera and a 50MP telephoto camera. The front-facing selfie camera weighs in at 32MP. The 4050mAh silicon‑carbon composite anode battery will fast charge at 33W.
As for 5G support, the Titan 2 Elite supports 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G. This includes a wide range of 5G NR bands. While the phone ships (in July for the standard model and October for the Pro variant) with Android 16, it will offer Android updates up to Android 20 and security updates until 2031. The Titan 2 Elite is priced on Kickstarter for approximately $389 after saving 20%. With the same discount, the Pro variant is $479. The phone includes Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, and an IR blaster. It also features Google Pay, fingerprint and face unlock, and an FM radio. Color options include classic Black and vibrant Orange.
There are consumers still interested in using a phone sporting a physical keyboard
With the growing excitement we've seen over the Clicks Communicator and the Titan line, we can safely say that there is a set number of consumers who are interested in using a phone with a physical keyboard. So this begs the question: should BlackBerry consider a reboot? On one hand, the BlackBerry name still has plenty of brand recognition. On the other hand, what would be the point of bringing BlackBerry back if Clicks and Unihertz seem to have this niche market covered?
The Titan 2 Elite met its Kickstarter goal in only 11 minutes today. | Image by Unihertz
Well, with its name, BlackBerry might be able to expand the market for phones with a physical keyboard in a way that Clicks and Unihertz can't. Some of the issues that doomed BlackBerry in the past were partially solved when BlackBerry switched to Android with the BlackBerry Priv in 2015. Like the Communicator and the Titan 2 Elite, new BlackBerry phones would have full access to the Google Play Store.
Should BlackBerry return to the smartphone market?
One thing that BlackBerry can learn from Clicks and Unihertz is that any new 'Berry wouldn't have to be designed to satisfy both virtual keyboard users and physical keyboard users. I'd love to see BlackBerry design the best Android-powered physical keyboard phone that it is capable of and let the chips fall where they may. Or should I say, let the clicks fall where they may.
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