TCL to Launch 2 More BlackBerry Smartphones This Year; New BlackBerry Phone Leaked in Images

TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited (TCT) brand TCL at the side-lines of the MWC trade show is said to have revealed that two more BlackBerry-branded smartphones will be unveiled this year. Separately, a new BlackBerry handset has been leaked in images.

According to a CNET report, Nicolas Zibell of TCL Communication has said that the company plans to launch three BlackBerry phones this year. With the BlackBerry KEYone - the "last phone designed and engineered in-house by BlackBerry" - already unveiled at MWC 2017 in Barcelona, the company is expected to launch the two devices later this year.

The report adds that the TCL may unveil the successors to the DTEK 50 and DTEK 60 phones. The report cites sources familiar with the rollout plans, and claims that TCL may ditch the DTEK branding for next two phones. To recall, BlackBerry worked with TCL Communication for its DTEK50 and DTEK60 handsets which are already available in several markets including India.

Photo Credit: Crackberry

In separate news, BlackBerry's Indonesia partner BB Merah Putih is claimed to be working on a budget handset which has been spotted in images. Crackberry was the first to spot the images, and claims that the new handset codenamed BBC100-1 built by BB Merah Putih will hit the Indonesian market. The leaked images purportedly show a touch screen phone with textured back, and BlackBerry branding present on both the sides.

Based on previous leaks, the new BBC100-1 is said to come with Snapdragon 425 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. Further, it is said to feature a 5.5-inch HD display, and 32GB inbuilt storage. The handset is likely to come with dual-SIM support, and pack a 3000mAh battery.