TCL teased earlier this year that it's got two new BlackBerry smartphones planned for 2018, and today we may be getting a good look at one of them.
New images of a BlackBerry device said to be codenamed "Athena" have leaked out. The phone looks like an updated version of the BlackBerry KEYone, and so it should come as now surprise that the name "BlackBerry KEY2" is being tossed around for this unannounced device.
The phone has a KEYone styling, complete with a tall screen up top and a physical QWERTY keyboard resting below it. The keyboard frets found on the KEYone are gone on this new device, and the keys appear to be flatter and matte than those on the KEYone.
Images posted by Chinese regulatory agency TENAA show that the phone has a BlackBerry logo on its backside and a dual rear camera setup.
Spec details for this BlackBerry Athena/KEY2 are mostly up in the air, but the device is said to be packing a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The BlackBerry KEYone is a very BlackBerry device, drawing inspiration from older BlackBerry phones like the Bold with its candybar form factor. This BlackBerry Athena/KEY2 appears to simplify that design and clean things up a bit, like with its matte keys, while also jumping on the dual rear camera trend.
What do you think of this leaked BlackBerry?