Upon realizing that it cannot keep on competing against Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, BlackBerry opted to join the former and in late 2015, the first Android-powered BlackBerry phone, the Priv, was unveiled. Buoyed by the success of the trademark physical QWERTY keyboard, BlackBerry was in no way going to leave this feature behind and indeed, as it turned out, this was the Priv’s selling point.
Fast-forward two years later and BlackBerry isn’t anywhere near its glory days, but nothing has been stopping the Canadian company from giving it yet another try every now and then. In fact, it’s rumored that there’s a new BlackBerry Ghost smartphone in the works to follow up on the BlackBerry Motion released in December 2017. But does any of these two – or at least the latter – make it to our list of the best BlackBerry phones to buy in 2018? Let’s find out.
Best BlackBerry phones [July 2018]
| Device | USA | UK | India |
| BlackBerry KEY2 | $650 | £579 | INR 42,990 |
| BlackBerry DTEK60 | $350 | £320 | INR 21,580 |
| BlackBerry Motion | $400 | £399 | NA |
| BlackBerry DTEK50 | $299 | £219 | INR 18,250 |
| BlackBerry Aurora | NA | NA | INR 15,200 |
| BlackBerry Evolve | NA (rumored) | NA (rumored) | NA (rumored) |
Despite the fact that BlackBerry is a company in decline, there are still some solid phones that diehard BB fans will relish owning. Unfortunately, the company hasn’t been doing a lot in the flagship market, but for those looking for unique devices in a sea of Android phones, BlackBerry has a handful of them that we can recommend.
Note that BlackBerry no longer builds phones, rather, it has partnerships with several OEMs across the globe that take care of the manufacturing phase. BB only handles the software, which is why some of these devices might not be available for purchase in all global markets.
BlackBerry KEY2
Being a direct successor to the KEYone, the BlackBerry KEY2 comes with superior specs and features compared to its counterpart, but since the two are a year apart, there wasn’t going to be much difference in terms of the general design.
If you are a BlackBerry fan who doesn’t want to compromise just so as to jump to Android, the KEY2 is the perfect device for you right now. The physical QWERTY keyboard of the KEYone is still there, but the KEY2 is slightly taller and thinner than its predecessor. Despite this, the screen size remains unaffected and so does the display resolution. Like the KEYone, you’ll also use the spacebar for fingerprint-related functions.
Specs
- 4.5-inch IPS LCD display, 1620 x 1080 pixels
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor
- 6GB RAM
- 64GB/128GB expandable storage
- Dual 12MP + 12MP main camera
- 8MP front camera
- 3500mAh battery
- Android 8.1 Oreo
- Extras: Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, front-mounted scanner (in keyboard), Quick Charge 3.0, NFC, 4G LTE, etc.
Europe will pay €649 to get their hands on one of these and in Canada, the home of BlackBerry, the KEY2 will set you back $829 CDN. In India, the KEY2 starts selling on July 31st exclusively via Amazon India at a price of INR 42,990.
Related: BlackBerry KEY2: 5 things you need to know
BlackBerry DTEK60
The BlackBerry DTEK60, another weird name for a phone, is the last attempt by the company to destabilize the premium smartphone segment with an affordable handset packed with high-end specs and features. Unveiled in 2016, the DTEK60 matches most of the specs found on the likes of Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge and you’ll also like the robust security features and sleek design it comes with.
Unlike the KEYone, the DTEK60 isn’t a niche phone, rather, it’s a device that we can freely recommend to any person out there, be it an individual Android enthusiast or even a business person. Beware that this is a full-screen smartphone and doesn’t have a physical keyboard like the other two discussed above.
Specs:
- 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display
- Snapdragon 820 processor
- 4GB RAM and 32GB storage (expandable up to 256GB)
- 21MP main camera and 8MP front camera
- 3000mAh non-removable battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Extras: Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, rear-mounted scanner, stereo speakers, Quick Charge 3.0, NFC, etc.
BlackBerry Motion
Other than the amazing battery life, huge display screen and IP67 dust and water resistance, there isn’t much that the BlackBerry Motion brings to the table. But for someone looking for an average BlackBerry phone with a 3.5mm audio jack and a decent specs sheet that gets the job done, including gaming for long durations, the BB Motion presents a solid buy.
Having been unveiled in December 2017, the BlackBerry Motion conforms to some of the latest standards, more so the USB-C port, but as noted earlier, this doesn’t come at the expense of the traditional audio jack.
Specs:
- 5.5-inch 1080p LCD display
- Snapdragon 625 processor
- 4GB RAM and 32GB storage (expandable up to 400GB)
- 12MP main camera and 8MP front camera
- 4000mAh non-removable battery
- Android 7.1 Nougat, planned upgrade to Oreo
- Extras: Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, front-mounted scanner, Quick Charge 3.0, NFC, etc.
BlackBerry DTEK50
As you may have guessed, the BlackBerry DTEK50 is an understudy to the DTEK60. Even so, you’ll still be getting a phone that is above average, even if it’s designed to be an average handset. Considering its price, you’ll have to live with a few compromises led by the mere 16GB of internal storage, fortunately, there’s room to expand it.
Also, BlackBerry hasn’t been great with software updates and if this is your concern, you might not like the DTEK50, which comes with Marshmallow out of the box and BB doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to roll out Nougat. Don’t even think about Oreo.
Specs:
- 5.2-inch 1080p LCD display
- Snapdragon 617 processor
- 3GB RAM and 16GB storage (expandable up to 256GB)
- 13MP main camera and 8MP front camera
- 2610mAh non-removable battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Extras: Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB, 3.5mm audio jack, stereo speakers, Quick Charge 2.0, NFC, etc.
Given its price range and battery capacity, it’s a surprise that the BlackBerry DTEK50 has Quick Charge 2.0, but since it’s a 2016 budget phone, the fact that it has a microUSB port shouldn’t surprise you. Also, you don’t get a fingerprint scanner on the DTEK50.
BlackBerry Aurora
Some might have probably never heard of the BlackBerry Aurora mainly because it isn’t available globally. However, if you are in the market for a budget BB device and can access it, the BlackBerry Aurora is a solid device. It has a huge 5.5-inch display screen alongside a decent Snapdragon 425 chipset that combines with 4GB of RAM to deliver the best user experience.
Even better is the 3000mAh battery unit that promises to last more than a day thanks to the less-demanding HD display screen. But being a budget phone, be ready to miss out on features such as fingerprint scanning, NFC, fast battery charging, USB-C, and so on.
Specs:
- 5.5-inch HD LCD display
- Snapdragon 425 processor
- 4GB RAM and 32GB storage (expandable up to 256GB)
- 13MP main camera and 8MP front camera
- 3000mAh non-removable battery
- Android 7.0 Nougat
- Extras: Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB, 3.5mm audio jack, etc.
BlackBerry Evolve X
The newest BlackBerry phone thus far is the KEY2, but there’s nothing about the design of this phone that will wow any modern smartphone buyer. If you are a BB fan that would embrace some changes to the clunky designs on the KEY2, you might want to watch out for the BlackBerry Ghost and Ghost Pro, which, as it turns out, will retail as the BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X.
Related: BlackBerry Evolve: All you need to know
At the moment, there isn’t much about the BlackBerry Evolve in the public domain other than what leaker Evan Blass has put forward – that it will be a bezel-less premium Android phone made by India’s Optiemus, a partner of BlackBerry and that it will rock a massive 4000mAh battery. As noted at the beginning, this is what BlackBerry is doing – partnering with third-party OEMs to build BB phones that are sold in various markets across the globe.
Besides India, Optiemus also operates in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, which is where the BlackBerry Ghost will likely be sold.
Despite making what look like below-par smartphones in terms of specs, BlackBerry isn’t a brand that goes out to wow people, rather, it targets the few loyalists out there who are not just after device performance, but are after what BlackBerry is known for – device management and security.
Do you think BlackBerry has any phone that, well, wows you as a BB fan? Let us know in your comments below.
