The BlackBerry name may be synonymous with smartphone security. It was, after all, the device approved for President Barrack Obama. You probably also know that BlackBerry makes Android smartphones. However, I am awesomely surprised with BlackBerry’s latest device, the DTEK60. The DTEK60 easily competes with the best Android smartphones, and reminds us that BlackBerry is still alive and kicking.
Announced in January this year, the DTEK60 is part of BlackBerry’s transition towards a device software licensing strategy. The DTEK60 hardware is manufactured by TCL, and it comes installed with all the trusted security features that BlackBerry has built into its Android OS, including their best-in-class security patching and the DTEK by BlackBerry app that allows users to monitor and control their privacy on the phone.
The DTEK60 is really good looking. From the moment I turned it on, I was awed by the bright, clear, AMOLED screen with really vibrant colours. While it may has a relatively large 5.5-inch display, the phone is very thin, and features a well-designed robust body.
Measuring just 153.9 x 75.4 x 6.99 mm, and weighing 165 g, the DTEK60 is pocketable and easy to carry around. BlackBerry has chosen to go with modern USB Type-C (USB-C) port for charging.
The power button is on the left side of the phone, a bit too high up in my opinion. When the phone is held in my left hand, my thumb won’t be able to reach the power button, especially if my hand had to be positioned such that my index finger could easily reach the fingerprint sensor on the back.
The SIM tray slot is below the power button. The DTEK60 uses nano-SIM, and the tray also holds a microSD card for storage expansion with support of up to 2 TB capacity. There is no dual-SIM support.
The volume rocker is on the right side of the phone. Then, there’s this extra circular button somewhere in the centre. BlackBerry calls this a customisable Convenience Key. You can configure it to provide quick access to most used applications, or shortcuts to control device functions.
All the keys and buttons are well-made, firm, and provide good positive tactile feedback.
A good thing to mention nowadays, the 3.5 mm audio jack is still offered in the DTEK60, and it’s located on the top of the phone.
On the back, you’ll find the main camera which features a very high-resolution 21 MP sensor, f/2.0 aperture, phase detection auto focus and dual-LED flash. The still image quality is better than average, better than I had expected. Video capture is supported up to 4K at 30fps. The camera on the front has 8 MP resolution and a f/2.2 aperture.
The fingerprint sensors is beneath the camera, circular-type like we’ve seen in Google’s Nexus (5X/6P) and Pixel smartphones. Unlike Google’s fingerprint sensors which practically works perfectly all the time, and very quickly each time, the DTEK60’s is a tad slower and occasionally requires re-scanning my fingerprints before unlocking.
The DTEK60’s front is a beautiful slab of glass. No branding, since it’s already on the back. The AMOLED display is 5.5-inch diagonally, and 2560 x 1440 resolution, offering 534 ppi of pixel density. The display colours are really vibrant, thanks to AMOLED, with good contrast and deep blacks. There is a pair of front-facing stereo speakers too.
There are no physical Android keys on the DTEK60, capacitive or otherwise, so you have the pure soft keys as Google intended it to be.
Under the hood, the DTEK60 boasts good specifications, starting with Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and 4 GB of RAM. There’s 32 GB of internal storage, which you can expand up to 2 TB via a microSD card mentioned earlier. Connectivity features are quite comprehensive, with 4G LTE, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS with GLONASS and BDS, and NFC.
The DTEK60’s 3000 mAh battery doesn’t sound massive, but the phone surprisingly has good stamina, going through a moderately busy day without trouble. There is Quick Charge support, allowing you to recharge the battery from empty to full in slightly over an hour.
The software in the DTEK60 is based on Android 6.0.1. There’s no Android Nougat unfortunately, but on the bright side, BlackBerry hasn’t changed the base Android OS too much. If you’re familiar with the stock Google Android OS, the DTEK60’s software looks largely the same. BlackBerry has included a number of stock Android apps, instead of providing their own versions like other manufacturers would do.
BackBerry, however, does attempt a value-add through the BlackBerry Hub, an app that they try to consolidate all your communications, including email, BBM messages, SMS text messages, phone calls, social media and calendar events. You can choose not to use it, of course.
Then, being famous for security, you’ll find a number of BlackBerry security apps, clearly targeted at business and enterprise users. The most visible app is the DTEK security app which checks and monitors your “security posture”, and provides tips on what changes are required to improve your security.
The BlackBerry Workspaces app is basically a document sync and share solution, providing you a secure way to access, share and control critical documents wherever you need them.
There’s also a Password Keeper app that, interestingly, prevents me from taking screenshots. I suppose you don’t want screenshots of passwords getting out of hand, so in principle this is a good feature. Thus, I can’t share a screenshot of the app.
Other security features include full encryption of its storage (FIPS 140-2 compliant), a hardened Android OS, and full enterprise mobility management support.
In the box, the BlackBerry DTEK60 comes with a USB-C charging cable, a UK 3-pin USB charger, wired earphones with different sizes of silicon sleeves, and a SIM-eject tool.
The BlackBerry DTEK60 is available from all local carriers at S$768.
Conclusion
The DTEK60 is BlackBerry’s best Android smartphone, and a strong contender against the best flagships of other competitors.
Pros:
- Sleek design, robustly built
- Excellent display quality
- Camera takes pretty good photos
- Good battery life
Cons:
- Fingerprint sensor a tad slow and sometimes finicky
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