New BlackBerry smartphones made by TCL to be unveiled at CES 2017

TCL has announced that it will showcase new BlackBerry smartphones at CES 2017 which takes place in January.

BlackBerry, Alcatel, TCL, CES 2017, BlackBerry CES 2017, TCL BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry Mercury smartphone, BlackBerry DTEK70, BlackBerry Android smartphones, technology, technology news

TCL to announce next-generation of BlackBerry-branded smartphones at CES 2017.

BlackBerry has already confirmed that it won’t be making smartphones on its own and will instead be outsourcing manufacturing to China’s TCL. Now TCL has confirmed it will launch launch a slew of BlackBerry-branded smartphones at the CES 2017, which will be held from January 5 to 8.

“We’ll unveil more news at CES around our plans, showcasing the legacy of the BlackBerry smartphone brand, while also giving a glimpse into what new BlackBerry smartphones will offer as part of our bold new brand portfolio within TCT. These are just the building blocks of our new growth strategy, with additional announcements to come in 2017,” the company said in a press statement.

BlackBerry last week inked a “long term” licensing deal with China’s TCL, under which the company will “design, manufacture, sell and, provide customer support for BlackBerry-branded mobile devices”. The Chinese smartphone maker behind Alcatel brand has produced two smartphones for BlackBerry such as the DTEK50 and DTEK60.

Story continues below this ad

For now, TCL hasn’t shared any information about the upcoming “BlackBerry-branded” smartphones. But we’ve heard about a smartphone dubbed “Mercury” time and again over the past few weeks. Unlike the DTEK50 and DTEK60, the phone will have a physical keyboard and is said to sport a candybar design.

Also read: BlackBerry DTEK 50 review: You might want to take a look at this phone

As for the hardware, it’s speculated to feature a 4.5-inch display, a Snapdragon 625 processor, 3GB RAM and will run Android 7.0 Nougat. Other expected features include an 18-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front shooter, 32GB internal storage and a fingerprint scanner.

BlackBerry might have lost out on the smartphone race, but it is hoping that the licensing and distribution deal with TCL will help its brand regain some of the presence.

Tags:
BlackBerry