TCL will launch a BlackBerry branded all-touchscreen phone in October (Update: more details)

Original post: TCL, the maker of BlackBerry-branded smartphones for most of the world, plans to launch a new, all-touchscreen phone sometime in October. The launch will come just a few months after TCL released the hardware keyboard-based BlackBerry KEYone, which launched in late May.

François Mahieu, head of global sales for TCL, confirmed their plans for the new all-touchscreen BlackBerry phone at a press briefing ahead of the IFA 2017 trade show in Berlin later this week, according to CNET. He added that this new phone will also target business users, like the KEYone did, and will even have a similar price. The idea is to give business customers more choice, as some may prefer a touchscreen phone. However, Mahieu said “keyboards are definitely a big element” for future BlackBerry branded devices.

No other details about the new touchscreen BlackBerry phone were revealed, although it’s likely that it will be a successor to the earlier DTEK50 and DTEK60 phones. Those devices were also designed and made by TCL for BlackBerry, before the China-based company officially acquired the rights to the BlackBerry brand for smartphones. The company previously said at CES 2017 that it is also working on a consumer-focused BlackBerry smartphone, but that it will not launch until sometime in 2018.