14 DAY TRIAL // BlackBerry appears to go down the same path as the rest of the industry, with the company confirming that it’s working on a new Android smartphone with an IP67 rating and without a keyboard.
Expected to go live in October, this would be BlackBerry’s first-ever water-resistant smartphone, as neither the DTEK60, released in October 2016, nor the KEYone, launched in April this year, featured such capabilities.
What BlackBerry is trying to achieve with the new model is release a smartphone that you can use at absolutely any moment, no matter the weather conditions, François Mahieu, Global General Manager at TCL, explained for Engadget. TCL is the company that manufactures BlackBerry’s phones.
So by offering an IP67 rating, which makes it dust- and water-resistant, the phone should pass the typical liquid tests with flying colors, though just like it’s the case with the majority of gadgets there days, you won’t be recommended to take a bath with it.
No keyboard, big battery
The new BlackBerry phone won’t have a keyboard, but instead will focus on durability and longevity, two features which the company believes could make many Android and iPhone buyers change sides. Just like the other BlackBerry models, it’ll be particularly focused on security.
“We are there to play, we're just playing with different cards,” Mahieu explained, discussing the rivalry with other companies like Apple and Samsung.
The new BlackBerry model is supposed to cost less than the other high-end devices on the market, but Mahieu hasn’t clearly stated whether this device would be marketed as a flagship or not. Rumor has it could be just a mid-range device, which means that convincing iPhone and Samsung to give up on their phones and buy a BlackBerry could be a lot more difficult.
Instead, BlackBerry appears to be betting big on battery life, as the device will offer approximately 26 hours of mixed use. This means the phone should be able to get users through the day quite easily, and last for up to 2 full days with average use.
More hints of what we could expect from the new BlackBerry model could be provided this week at IFA, while the public launch is expected in October.