BlackBerry has released the details of their latest handset, an Android smartphone that they’ve claimed is the “world’s most secure smartphone”. Meet the DTEK50, a 5.2-inch handset that looks… a lot more Android than BlackBerry, at least on the outside. And from the front. The rear seems to still have BlackBerry’s textured feel to it.
What we’re looking at on the hardware front is the 5.2-inch display (1,920 x 1,080), a Snapdragon 617 octa-core chipset and 3GB of RAM, with 16GB of storage out of the box. MicroSD space is included, so you’re going to be able to upgrade from the bare minimum. A 2,610mAh battery, 13MP rear and 8MP front camera round out the rest of the hardware features but that’s not why BlackBerry thinks you’re going to want to buy this handset.
BlackBerry are emphasising the marriage between Android (and its monster collection of apps) and their own security software, with the security features taking the prime spot for your attention. They really want you to know that your private data will be safe, even if you’re not spending R250,000 on the phone.
Security features like malware protection, a security checklist for improving your security standing and custom BlackBerry secure software make up the bulk of this. We’d like to see all of it in practise instead of in a demo video. BlackBerry also says that a rapid security patching system will be in place for this handset.
The BlackBerry DTEK50 has been priced for a few countries and is up for pre-order in a handful of them, including the States, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Spain and Italy. South Africa… not so much. Not yet, any way. The DTEK50 will be priced, before tax and import costs, at $299 (R4,300) so it may not cost the Earth when it lands here. We’re looking forward to checking this one out.
