BlackBerry withdrew from the smartphone market in September 2016. However, it’s agreed to license its brand name to manufacturing partner TCL in a similar arrangement to Nokia and HMD Global. The new phone won’t be built by BlackBerry but will retain the company’s strong security software.
In a tweet today, BlackBerry confirmed it will debut the device at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month. The launch event will be held on February 25 at 19:00. The image accompanying the tweet clearly shows the handset’s design though, giving BlackBerry little to announce. The DTEK70’s hardware has already been widely leaked online.
The QWERTY-equipped phone is expected to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 processor paired with 3GB of RAM. There’ll be an 18-megapixel rear camera, a large 3,400mAh battery and a USB Type-C port for connectivity. A traditional headphone jack makes an appearance too, a feature that’s increasingly uncommon on new devices.
The handset’s display will be unusual because of the phone’s QWERTY form factor. The 4.5-inch screen will have a 4:3 aspect ratio, making it unsuitable for watching video or playing many games. It sits above the keyboard and features software navigation keys. The overall look is quite refined, allowing a seamless transition from the touchscreen to typing.
On the software front, the DTEK70 will come with BlackBerry’s hardened Android version designed to appeal to security-conscious customers. As with its previous Android devices, the company will include a robust software suite allowing users to lock down the phone, safeguard apps against malware injection and encrypt areas of storage.
Although not built by BlackBerry, the DTEK70 will continue the company’s transition to a modern mobile strategy. Its previous efforts to sell Android phones haven’t met with much mainstream success. The brand remains an underdog in the smartphone markets, far from its market-leading position of ten years ago.
BlackBerry’s debut Android device, 2015’s Priv, failed to meet internal sales targets and was criticised for poor build quality. With a $700 price tag, it proved to be the wrong phone to launch while trying to attract new customers. More recently, the company has launched the less expensive DTEK50 and DTEK60 handsets, relying more heavily on its security software as it pivots to a service-based business model.
More details on the DTEK70 will be available after the launch on February 25. BlackBerry and TCL will aim to stand out from the waves of smartphone launches during MWC by unveiling the phone just before the main event starts, attempting to capture early media attention.
