BlackBerry says the DTEK60 can go head to head with the iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel XL

Available in the US and other markets since earlier this week, the BlackBerry DTEK60 is a high-end smartphone that costs less than your typical high-end handset from major companies. The DTEK60 is priced at $499 unlocked, and offers quite a lot for that kind of money, including an aluminum and glass body, a 5.5-inch Quad HD screen, a Snapdragon 820 CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and so on.

In a video interview, BlackBerry COO Marty Beard said that the company's "very proud" of the DTEK60, and that the handset can go head to head with other 5.5-inch phones like the iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel XL. In fact, Marty Beard argues that the DTEK60 has some advantages. Besides being about $200 cheaper, the BlackBerry DTEK60 is a bit smaller and thinner than the iPhone 7 Plus and Pixel XL, and, thanks to BlackBerry's software (integrated into Android), it's also an "incredibly secure phone." Moreover, Mr. Beard says the DTEK60 has better battery life than the iPhone 7 Plus, being able to offer up to a day and half of use on a single charge.

We haven't tested the BlackBerry DTEK60 yet, so we can't say if it can indeed stand next to the iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel XL. But this does seem to be a worthy alternative to these Apple and Google devices, especially if you want to save a few hundred bucks.

You can check out a detailed specs comparison between the BlackBerry DTEK60, iPhone 7 Plus, and Google Pixel XL below. You could also chime in in the comments section to let us know what you think about this new BlackBerry smartphone - which will certainly not be the last BlackBerry-branded handset.