BlackBerry is dead for all that we know but it refuses to keep buried and keeps coming back from the ashes to show one more smartphone. Last year, BlackBerry announced that it was done with making smartphones themselves and will only focus on the software side of things to make it more secure and powerful. BlackBerry has outsourced the development of its phones to Chinese electronics company TCL who also happens to make Alcatel phones which explain the similarity in design of previous BlackBerry DTEK phones. While most of the smartphone manufacturer are focusing on the features of tomorrow, BlackBerry seems to be clinging to its traditional roots.
Today on CES, BlackBerry showcased their brand-new smartphone, DTEK70 code-named Mercury. A lot of leaks had appeared suggesting a new BlackBerry phone with a keyboard which most of us found stupid but it’s a reality now. Unlike the Blackberry Priv, Mercury doesn’t have a sliding keyboard, so the keys are here to stay. The keyboard also acts as a trackpad which takes swiping gestures to make browsing and typing easier. The cool thing, though, spacebar acts as a home button and fingerprint sensor.
BlackBerry Mercury packs a tiny 4.5inch Full HD display and comes with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Design wise, it looks really robust with industrial rectangular design and curved edges. Despite being showcased at CES, the specs haven’t been made clear as BlackBerry states the phone is still a prototype. But based on few leaks earlier, the Mercury will be powered by Snapdragon 625/821 processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB Internal storage. The phone is running the latest Android version 7.0 Nougat which is almost stock like and will have a lot of BlackBerry services and security features.The phone will feature a 3,400mAh battery and comes with fast charging. Blackberry has managed to keep the 3.5mm headphone jack alive despite the use of USB C. The phone is likely to have an 18MP rear camera and 8MP front-facing camera.
These are all the specs about Mercury that is out there, the phone is still a prototype and BlackBerry stated that the phone will officially launch during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona late February. We can expect the price to be around $500 as BlackBerry’s doesn’t come cheap.
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