It comes a month after TCL announced it had acquired the rights to produce BlackBerry branded devices
TCL has taken to social media to tease a new BlackBerry smartphone just a month after it secured the exclusive rights to design, manufacture and sell devices with the BlackBerry branding.
The Chinese manufacturer had acquired the rights from the former phone maker in December last year. BlackBerry announced in September it would outsource all manufacturing to third parties following a disastrous decline in smartphone shipments, down from 52 million in 2011 to seven million in 2015.
TCL North America president Steve Cistulli posted various teasers of upcoming handset on Twitter (see below). Although no name has been revealed, the pictures show it comes with the qwerty keyboard BlackBerry phones are best known for. It is expected to be unveiled at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
imPRESSively designed. distinctly different. #BlackBerryMobile#CES2017 pic.twitter.com/MGvvGXOtvi
€” Steve Cistulli (@SteveCistulli) January 3, 2017
One more look... #BlackBerryMobile #CES2017 pic.twitter.com/dSjVuMWd35
€” Steve Cistulli (@SteveCistulli) January 4, 2017
Just two of the Canadian firm’s latest smartphones have already been produced by TCL; the DTEK50 and the DTEK60. The company also produces handsets under the Alcatel brand.
