There was a time when Blackberry was synonymous with smartphones. Now, this once legendary brand may be dead for good.

TCL Communication, which has been manufacturing and selling phones under the BlackBerry brand since 2016, issued a statement on its @BBMobile Twitter account, stating that the company will The company said it will cease manufacturing BlackBerry-branded handsets as of August 31, 2020.

The company stated that it "will not have the right to design, manufacture, or sell new BlackBerry handsets in the future," but will continue to provide support for existing handsets through August 31, 2022.

Essentially, it appears that the brand license agreement between TCL and BlackBerry has expired and will not be renewed for any reason.

TCL had made some solid BlackBerry phones that combined BlackBerry's security know-how and the brand's famous physical keyboard with the Android OS. in March 2018, we reviewed the Blackberry KeyOne with a 4 star rating, praising its many keyboard shortcuts and outstanding battery life.

However, we were less enthusiastic about the BlackBerry Key2, which offered a sleeker design but disappointed with its dual cameras. It was also not compatible with all carriers.

TCL, on the other hand, continues to make phones under the Alcatel and Palm brands, and just last year began offering handsets with its name on the back.

At CES 2020, the company showed a concept for a TCL foldable phone with a 7.2-inch OLED display, but this is just one of many designs in development. And later this year, the company plans to test the TCL 10 series, its first handset to be sold under the TCL name in North America. That lineup will include a 5G model priced at under $500.

BlackBerry as a larger brand will live on as a software and services company focused primarily on the enterprise market. However, BlackBerry phones may be terminated once and for all.