BlackBerry’s partnership with TCL Communication is paying off, with the Chinese manufacturer announcing at the 2018 Consumer Electronic Show that it ‘promises at least two new BlackBerry smartphones’ in 2018.
This is no surprise after the first original BlackBerry-branded TCL devices released in 2017, the BlackBerry KeyOne and BlackBerry Motion, were received well by users craving a return to the BlackBerry smartphone. Due to the KeyOne’s success, TCL announced a new Bronze Edition this week at CES.
“It has been less than one year since we formally introduced the world to our all-new BlackBerry smartphones and we’ve seen very strong renewed interest thanks to devices like the BlackBerry KeyOne and BlackBerry Motion,” said Alain Lejeune, global general manager of BlackBerry Mobile said in a release. “With new BlackBerry smartphones from TCL Communication now available in over 50 countries around the world, we have a solid foundation to continue building upon our portfolio in the new year. This means customers can expect to see at least two new BlackBerry smartphones from us later this year.”
On top of the new Bronze Edition, TCL announced that the BlackBerry Motion will release in the U.S. on Jan. 12 for $449.99 USD. The Motion released in Canada in November, and you can check out what we thought about it in our review.
While TCL has refrained from indicating what devices we may see in 2018, users can expect numerous software updates, including a focus to bring Android 8.0 Oreo to BlackBerry devices.
“In 2018 we will be working closely with TCL Communication to roll out Android 8.0 Oreo, including additional security and other features, to continue to expand the overall BlackBerry smartphone user experience,” added Alex Thurber, senior vice president and general manager of mobility solutions at BlackBerry.
TCL was busy with its BlackBerry devices in 2017. We loved the BlackBerry KeyOne, naming it one of our Top 5 Business Smartphones of 2017. We also reviewed the BlackBerry KeyOne Black Edition.