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The Korea Herald
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THE INVESTOR
March 29, 2024

Mobile & Internet

BlackBerry seeks to win back Korean consumers

  • PUBLISHED :December 22, 2017 - 15:21
  • UPDATED :December 22, 2017 - 15:21
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[THE INVESTOR] The president of BlackBerry Mobile expressed confidence on Dec. 22 that his company can grab Korean consumers with the BlackBerry KEYOne Black Edition.

President Alain Lejeune said Korea is “a demanding and competitive market,” but he said the BlackBerry KEYOne Black Edition will be a successful product.

“This is an opportunity as we are bringing a product, which is well-accepted by consumers,” Lejeune said in a news conference in central Seoul.

He said he does not consider Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 and Apple’s iPhone X as rivals, noting KEYOne’s strong batteries and tangible keyboards make the device stand out from other products.

The built-in battery capacity stands at 3,505 mAh, which the company says is enough for the device to run up to 26 hours, although actual life may vary depending on conditions.

Lejeune added the KEYOne smartphone will provide answers to what he calls “consumer fatigue” sparked by the market being filled with similar products with less innovation.

The Android-powered KEYOne model marks the first BlackBerry smartphone released in the market after the brand was purchased by China-based TCL Communication Technology last year.

The device is currently provided through CJ Hello, a local budget operator that borrows networks from mobile carriers. The factory price stands at 583,000 won (US$539), while discounts up to 250,000 won are provided depending on monthly plans.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)

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