CES 2018: TCL promises two more BlackBerrys with a QWERTY keyboard

In 2017, smartphones with a hardware keyboard defended their right to life. According to the Chinese company TCL, which manufactures gadgets BlackBerry, sales of devices of the Canadian brand exceeded forecasts by 50%, so in 2018 we are expected to "at least two" new QWERTY-smartphones.

Why wait?

Representatives of the BlackBerry Mobile unit reported that one of the planned models will cost more, but how big the difference in price will be is unknown. Instead of trying to compete with flagship solutions, the company will focus on the optimal ratio of build quality, power and performance. Curiously, about half of the buyers of the new BlackBerry used to use the iPhone or top Samsung devices before.

Experiment with the BlackBerry KEYone (review) was successful. At the start of sales of the gadget, the manufacturer did not keep up with demand, and judging by TCL's plans to launch a two-prong version in bronze, the model is still very popular. BlackBerry KEYone Bronze Edition will be available in the first quarter of 2018.

On the timing of other new products with QWERTY-keyboard nothing is reported. Fully touchscreen smartphones in the style of BlackBerry Motion company representatives also did not mention.

Sources: CrackBerry , CNET