BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X go official with trendy screens and reasonable prices
Some of you may not know this, but the BlackBerry brand legacy is actually carried on today by not one, not two, but three official hardware licensing partners. While China’s TCL is in charge of designing, manufacturing, and advertising BlackBerry smartphones like the hot new KEY2 or the lower-profile Motion in most global markets, including the US, a little company called BB Merah Putih makes even humbler handsets like the Aurora, sold exclusively in Indonesia.
Finally, there’s Optiemus Infracom, a respected veteran of India’s thriving mobile technology landscape, which got in business with Canada’s BlackBerry Limited way back in February 2017, only now launching its first two original designs.
The BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X are a couple of modern all-touch affairs, sharing a relatively large and sharp 2:1 5.99-inch display with 2,160 x 1,080 (aka FHD+) resolution, as well as respectably thin screen bezels. Sadly, like the Indonesia-exclusive Aurora, odds are these two will never be (officially) released in Europe or North America.
Running Android 8.1 Oreo out the box, the Evolve duo also makes use of the BlackBerry DTEK security and privacy-controlling software package, although it remains to be seen how fast and often major updates will be delivered. After all, TCL hasn’t exactly done a stellar job of supporting its devices either.
Sticking to what we know, it’s interesting to note the dual camera arrangements on the backs of the BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X are similar, but not identical. The former model comes with a 13MP RGB and 13MP monochrome sensor, while the higher-end version sports a 12MP standard shooter and 13MP telephoto lens.
Both phones have a single 16MP front-facing cam in tow, as well as a hefty 4,000 mAh battery, rear-mounted fingerprint scanners, and even (basic) facial recognition technology. The BlackBerry Evolve X packs a significantly speedier Snapdragon 660 processor than its sibling’s 450 silicon, also bumping up the memory count from 4 to 6GB RAM, while accommodating the same 64 gigs of data internally.
The “standard” BlackBerry Evolve is set to regionally go on sale later this month for the rough equivalent of $365 (24,990 rupees), while Evolve X availability will only kick off around mid-September at a steeper Rs. 34,990, or $510. Global rollouts seem highly unlikely, which is unfortunate given what looks like pretty great value for money, at least on paper.
Finally, there’s Optiemus Infracom, a respected veteran of India’s thriving mobile technology landscape, which got in business with Canada’s BlackBerry Limited way back in February 2017, only now launching its first two original designs.
Running Android 8.1 Oreo out the box, the Evolve duo also makes use of the BlackBerry DTEK security and privacy-controlling software package, although it remains to be seen how fast and often major updates will be delivered. After all, TCL hasn’t exactly done a stellar job of supporting its devices either.
Sticking to what we know, it’s interesting to note the dual camera arrangements on the backs of the BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X are similar, but not identical. The former model comes with a 13MP RGB and 13MP monochrome sensor, while the higher-end version sports a 12MP standard shooter and 13MP telephoto lens.
The “standard” BlackBerry Evolve is set to regionally go on sale later this month for the rough equivalent of $365 (24,990 rupees), while Evolve X availability will only kick off around mid-September at a steeper Rs. 34,990, or $510. Global rollouts seem highly unlikely, which is unfortunate given what looks like pretty great value for money, at least on paper.
source: BlackBerry Mobile India (Facebook) via Gadgets360
Popular stories
Latest News
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: