BlackBerry launched the Android-powered Key2 smartphone a couple of months ago, but it seems like the company isn’t stopping there.
Together with Optiemus, they have announced two new devices that doesn’t have physical QWERTY keyboards, a move away from the iconic design which made BlackBerry a household name.
The BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X are equipped with a fairly large 5.99-inch Full HD+ screens with today’s popular 18:9 aspect ratio. They run on Android 8.1 Oreo and a massive 4,000mAh battery. In addition, both phones have 16-megapixel front-facing cameras as well.
The cheaper Evolve model is powered by a low-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset but with plenty of RAM at 4GB. In terms of storage, there’s 64GB onboard but it can be further expanded by using a microSD card. It also has two 13-megapixel rear cameras on the back.
BlackBerry Evolve Specs
- Android 8.1 Oreo
- 5.99-inch FHD+ LTPS Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Display, 2160×1080 pixel resolution, ~403ppi
- 1.8GH Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor
- Adreno 506 GPU
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB internal storage
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, WiFI hotspot
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, VoLTE
- 13-megapixel RGB + 13-megapixel monochrome rear cameras
- 16-megapixel selfie camera, f/2.0 aperture
- USB Type-C
- Fingerprint scanner
- Bluetooth v4.2
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- 4,000mAh battery, wireless charging Quick Charge 3.0
On the other hand, the BlackBerry Evolve X comes with a bigger 6GB of RAM and a significantly faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 CPU. At the back, there’s a 12-megapixel and 13-megapixel dual camera setup, plus wireless and fast charging support.
BlackBerry Evolve X Specs
- Android 8.1 Oreo
- 5.99-inch FHD+ LTPS Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Display, 2160×1080 pixel resolution, ~403ppi
- 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor
- Adreno 512 GPU
- 6GB RAM
- 64GB internal storage
- 12-megapixel f/1.8 + 13-megapixel f/2.6 rear cameras with PDAF
- 16-megapixel front camera, f/2.0 aperture
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, VoLTE
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, WiFI hotspot
- Bluetooth v5.0
- USB Type-C
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- Fingerprint scanner
- 4,000mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0, wireless charging
The BlackBerry Evolve has a price of Rs. 24,990 or around $365. Meanwhile, the more expensive BlackBerry Evolve X costs Rs. 34,990 (~$510). Both phones will be available in India by the end of the month. It is currently unknown if it will ever reach the Philippines.