It wasn't that long ago that the BlackBerry brand seemed stagnant, but devices like the KEYone and the more recent Motion seem to have gotten some people feeling the faith once more. Based on a strong response from long-time fans and users who switched from other smartphones, TCL's BlackBerry Mobile has promised to release "at least" two new smartphones in 2018, Engadget said.

These will be entirely new devices, and both of the phones BlackBerry Mobile has in mind will pack physical keyboards.

"We're very confident in our ability to grow the keyboard market," said Gareth Hurn, BlackBerry Mobile's Global Head of Device Portfolio, in a conversation with Engadget.

Representatives for the TCL-controlled brand were otherwise tight-lipped regarding specifics, but BlackBerry Mobile strongly believes there's a place in the market for the kind of productivity and convenience only physical keyboards can offer. It'll be a little while yet before BlackBerry Mobile fully reveals its plans — in the meantime, we've learned a few things that shed some light on BBM's priorities.

When asked whether BlackBerry Mobile would push to grow its presence by releasing a low-cost device, Hurn said one of the phones planned for this year would cost more than the other without specifying the price gap. He characterized the brand's approach as a measured one, and it seems clear BlackBerry Mobile isn't going to rush to build its base of fans.