Chinese electronic firm TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd. recently announced that it is planning to debut new BlackBerry branded smartphones at the upcoming 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January.

TCL is the Chinese manufacturer that built the BlackBerry DTEK50 and DTEK60. While these two smartphones did not exactly perform well in the market, despite their interesting set of specs, TCL is still keen into reviving one of the most iconic smartphone brands in history.

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In a statement acquired by Financial Post, TCL North America president Steve Cistulli said, "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."

Cistulli's statement came in just days after BlackBerry chief executive officer John Chen hinted that the last BlackBerry-designed smartphone will be unveiled at the 2017 CES show. The upcoming BlackBerry smartphone is codenamed Mercury, and it features the iconic physical QWERTY keyboard that made BlackBerry phones famous for.

According to Digital Trends, aside from the BlackBerry Mercury, a couple of new models will be released as well. These are the DTEK70 and the BBB100.

BlackBerry's decision to tap third-party manufacturers to create its new products is part of its transition from being a hardware manufacturer to becoming a software company.

TagsBlackberry, blackberry smartphone, DTEK, blackberry phone, TCL, CES