After the KeyOne, which was officially unveiled over the weekend at MWC, all eyes are on the next BlackBerry-branded smartphone. BlackBerry fans will be pleased to know that some new photos showing off a lower-end handset for the Indonesian market have surfaced on the internet.
For Indonesia only
BlackBerry has a licensing agreement with TCL allowing the latter to make and sell BlackBerry-branded devices globally, except for in a few locations. One such location is Indonesia, where the Canadian firm has an exclusive agreement with PT BB Merah Putih, which is likely to build this new lower-end model.
According to GSMArena, the upcoming device is rumored to run on a 1.4GHz Snapdragon 425 processor and has a 5.5-inch touchscreen with a 720p screen resolution. The device will reportedly have 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The handset will come with dualSIM card support and run on a powerful 3,000 mAh battery.
According to CrackBerry, Indonesian certification was granted to the BBC100-1 last week. That could be the same device on which the photos have found their way onto the Internet. There is no information on if the device will make it to other parts of the world outside Indonesia. However, according to GSMArena, there are slim chances of this, as users there already have the option of a TCL-built DTEK50 and DTEK60 with similar specs.
BlackBerry KEYone review
The BlackBerry KeyOne measures 149.1 x72.4 x 9.4 mm with an anodized aluminum frame offering some weight to it. The phone has curved sides and a curved bottom edge, while its corners are rounded. A flat top edge and a large camera lens at the back with a silver rim give the device a premium look.
The KeyOne is the first BlackBerry phone to come with a fingerprint sensor built into the keyboard space bar. The faux-leather soft touch effect on the back is different from the majority of phones revealed at MWC, which came with glass backs. It doesn’t get scratched easily, and hence, it is durable.
The keyboard‘s feel is similar to that of the BlackBerry Priv. Even for touchscreen users, making the switch to a keyboard will not be tough. The smart keyboard can be programmed to create 52 customizable shortcuts, like pressing “m” for maps or “i” for inbox. It sports a 12-megapixel rear camera with a Sony IMX378 sensor and a front 8-megapixel camera with fixed focus and an 84-degree lens.
