QWERTY smartphone keyboard could make a comeback with Oppo accessory

The Chinese brand has designed what looks like a keyboard attachment that doubles as a screen cover. It carries most of the common keys, with the addition of a voice recording key and a button for switching between Chinese and English. The patent, first spotted by Let’s Go Digital, was filed in November 2018 and recently published by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Last year, LG experimented with a similar accessory that attaches to the G8X ThinQ phone as a second screen. And other companies are trying to bring the physical QWERTY back. A UK-based startup released the Fxtec Pro1 last year, to underwhelming reviews.