BlackBerry DTEK50 Unboxing, First Impressions

The DTEK50 is BlackBerry‘s latest attempt to break in the Android market share. Unlike the Priv, the DTEK50 is significantly cheaper since it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of the expensive smartphone. Here’s our unboxing and first impressions of BlackBerry DTEK50.

Upon purchase, BlackBerry has put everything you need to get you going with your new smartphone. You’re getting a microUSB cable, a pretty fast travel charger rated at 5V=2A, an in-ear headset with replaceable buds, and the user manual.

If you’re familiar with the recent Alcatel smartphones, you’ll find the DTEK50 very familiar. It’s basically an Idol 4 blessed with BlackBerry’s expertise in software security.

It’s got a 5.2-inch IPS LCD up front topped with a scratch-resistant glass and oleophobic coating to keep those nasty fingerprint marks away. The screen is flanked by the front-facing stereo speakers. There’s also the 8-megapixel front camera and the soft LED flash that also doubles as the notification light.

The handset sports a chamfered aluminum frame with the volume rocker and a round convenience key for quick shortcuts. We first thought that this key is the power button as it can be easily mistaken for it. Neatly hidden just below the convenience key is the tray for the SIM and microSD cards.

The actual power button is located on its left-hand side. It’s positioned towards near the upper corner. We do find the button hard to reach and somewhat confusing with the convenience key.

Up top is the 3.5mm jack with the secondary noise-cancelling microphone while the bottom end has the microUSB port and the main microphone. Antenna bands are also located both at the top and bottom of the phone.

Despite sharing the same body with the Idol 4, the DTEK50 has a rubberized and textured back panel rather than a shiny glass. It reminds us of the BlackBerry Curve 9300 we had before. There’s the main 13-megapixel shooter with its dual-tone LED flash at the upper-left corner while the BlackBerry logo shines in the middle.

The handset doesn’t feel cheap on hand but it’s light to hold. The lack of heft on the device makes it enjoyable to use for a long period. Also, the overall build is sturdy with no creaks and whatnot.

The internals of the DTEK50 is not shabby either with the Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor and ample 3GB of RAM. There’s 16GB of internal storage with possible expansion via a microSD card up to 256GB. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with BlackBerry’s customization.

The software department of the DTEK50 is where you’ll see BlackBerry’s presence. While the launcher is similar to most Android phones, the additional apps and security layers the company has put in make it different from the rest. The software experience is similar to the Priv but without the heavy tag and if our memory serves us right, the DTEK50 is the “world’s most secure Android smartphone” according to BlackBerry themselves.

BlackBerry DTEK50 specs:
5.2-inch Full HD LTPS IPS display @ 1080 x 1920, 424ppi
1.7GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm MSM8952 Snapdragon 617
Adreno 407
3GB RAM
16GB internal storage
13 MP f/2.0 rear PDAF camera with dual-tone LED flash
8MP front camera with LED Flash
Dual-SIM
4G LTE, 3G HSPA+
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band)
Bluetooth 4.2LE
GPS, A-GPS
FM Radio
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
2,610mAh Li-Ion battery
147 x 72.5 x 7.4 mm
135 g

We’ll take the BlackBerry DTEK50 for a full spin and check out what it can actually offer for consumers on a budget for secured and trusted smartphone. The unit is available for only Php13,500USD 230INR 19,502EUR 219CNY 1,675 through Widget City, not far from its $299.99PHP 17,605INR 25,424EUR 286CNY 2,183 launching price. See listing here.