Blackberry launched two new Android-based devices in India yesterday, named DTEK50 and DTEK60. Manufactured by the Taiwanese company TCL, and priced at ₹21,990 and ₹46,990 respectively, the smartphones do not have the classic Blackberry feel to them.
Both devices were launched earlier this year but their India launch is the first announcement made by Blackberry since it decided to shut down its in-house smartphone production.
First up, the DTEK60 is a high-end phone with top-notch specs. It has a 5.5-inch QHD screen powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. It has a RAM of 4 GB, along with a 32 GB internal memory that can be increased to 200 GB through an SD card.
The phone has a 21 MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, an 8 MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture, and a battery capacity of 3,000 mAh that supports fast charging.
It is intriguing to see Blackberry taking a shot at the high-end Android market even after failing to muster enough sales numbers with the Blackberry Priv.
The lower-end cousin, DTEK50, sports a 5.2-inch full HD LCD display. Under the hood, it is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor with a RAM of 3 GB. The internal memory is a disappointing 16 GB for a phone priced above ₹20,000, though it can go up to 256 GB with an SD card.
The phone has a 13 MP rear camera, an 8 MP front camera, and a 2,610 mAh battery capacity with Quick charging 2.0 supported.
Both phones will be running a super secure version of Android Marshmallow 6.0. Blackberry. In addition, Blackberry has included an app called Security Center in the phones which will tell you your level of security and suggest how to make your phone safer.
With good phones that offer great specs being launched everyday, the Indian smartphone market has become quite competitive. While Blackberry is not offering any nostalgia value in its new smartphones, such as a keyboard, they do offer great value for enterprise customers as a cheaper and secure alternative to an iPhone.