Review: The BlackBerry DTEK50

Is a bit of extra security on top of Android enough to make the BlackBerry DTEK50 stand out?

What's in a name? As it happens, quite a lot.

The code-name for BlackBerry's first Android device was Venice - and then they went and called it 'Priv'. They said it meant 'private', but most of the rest of us just thought 'privvy' and many would have made highly superficial judgements accordingly.

That is a shame, because it is a decent device.

We're not being silly here, as the name underpins a lot of what's wrong with BlackBerry's latest effort. Software lies at the core of the DTEK50 and that's also the handset's undoing.

Crucially the DTEK50 is a BlackBerry in name only, and if the firm's transition to becoming a software-only company wasn't already clear, this latest device confirms it.

Design
We know it's something of a stereotype, but BlackBerry has always been synonymous with business. The company had an image all of its own and, as well as being a hit with enterprises for its hardened stance on security, released a clutch of great devices.

It is still is a trusted brand, but the allure is waning thanks in part to not putting out a handset worthy of its heritage for years. The last truly great BlackBerry was arguably the Bold 9700/9900 series, one of which dates back to 2009 and the most recent to 2011.

By our reckoning the DTEK50 isn't likely to buck that trend. BlackBerry has taken what was already a fairly unremarkable handset, the Alcatel Idol 4, given it a textured rear, and then pumped it full of its own software.

The BlackBerry DTEK50 is impressively thin and light, which is no surprise considering the plastic and glass construction. It measures 147x73x7.4mm and weighs 135g, and is described as the thinnest BlackBerry ever. That might actually hold some weight if this was a bona fide BlackBerry and not a rebadged Alcatel Idol 4. As it stands it makes for a fairly lithe Android device.

The textured rear was a surprise. We were hoping for a rubberised finish similar to the BlackBerry Z30, but it's a hardened, textured plastic instead, so not exactly the premium feel we'd have once expected from its creator, but okay. The dark grey anodised front and sides are broken up by a sliver of silver, which is a nice touch.

We stop and take notice when a phone gets the audio right. That's because it is so often overlooked, and we wouldn't have pegged the DTEK50 as the exception to this rule considering BlackBerry's track record in this area, notwithstanding the aforementioned Z30.

But we were quietly blown away by the quality. It uses JBL's Waves MaxxAudio to great effect, and there's a pleasing thrum from the 3.6W speakers. You won't get the best experience straight out of the box, so turning off the Auto select mode and tweaking the levels is recommended.

There are dual front and rear speakers, and the DTEK50 doesn't blast the sound everywhere thanks to the phone's orientation sensors.

We'll cover BlackBerry's impressively accessible software suite in detail later, but it's a shame that the same effort hasn't been put into the phone's exterior. The DTEK50 manages to reverse just about everything any seasoned Android owner might be used to. For instance the power button is on the left side, while the right has a volume rocker and a programmable 'Convenience Button'.

The Convenience Button is largely superfluous, and we often found ourselves instinctively reaching for it to wake the phone or to put it to sleep. Of course, it can be assigned to a favourite app or shortcut. The DTEK50 lacks a dedicated camera button, so this could serve as a sensible alternative.

The lack of fingerprint scanner on a device so obsessed with security also jars.

Review: The BlackBerry DTEK50

Is a bit of extra security on top of Android enough to make the BlackBerry DTEK50 stand out?

Hardware and performance At this point we know what we're getting. The Alcatel Idol 4 was never going to win prizes for its performance, so unsurprisingly the DTEK50 has middle-of-the-road innards.

The Snapdragon 617 chipset muddles along just fine with its four 1.5GHz cores and four 1.2GHz cores. It is rounded off with 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 405 for graphics.

GeekBench 3 was unable to provide us with test results owing to a server error, but the phone returned a score of 4,558 in PCMark and 41,792 in Antutu. The poor Antutu result was the first indication that the DTEK50 might be in trouble, especially when compared with the Moto G4's 44,968 (a phone that costs half as much).

Moreover, for a little bit extra the Vodafone Smart Platinum 7 scores 82,366 and provides a more powerful engine room overall. We realise that benchmarking isn't an exact science, but you've got to take notice if most signs point to a device that underperforms.

The JavaScript benchmarks tell a similar story (in this case, a lower score is better):

Both of these scores are uncomfortably high and didn't budge despite repeated tests.

Performance was unsurprisingly split. The DTEK50 runs adequately for the most part and handled everyday tasks with ease, but there were moments when things inexplicably froze.

This occurred most often after an intensive bout of gaming, or activities that put a lot of strain on resources (there is a question here about whether the DTEK50's prospective customers are gamers, but we'll leave that for another day). Closing the offending app fixed the problem, but the handset heated up to unwelcome levels at times.

Display One of the early things that stuck out about the DTEK50 was the 5.2in IPS LCD panel. It has a Full HD resolution (1920x1080) equating to a super sharp 424ppi.

There's a good level of clarity and, while it's not eye-poppingly bright, it's not as muted as some 2016 handsets that have passed our desk. Even under the hotchpotch of office lights we found viewing angles to be top notch.

The display is protected with Dragontrail glass, in addition to an oleophobic coating that BlackBerry said makes it harder for thieves to identify your PIN from fingerprint marks.

Cameras Security and privacy are obviously the bigger draws here, but there's a 13MP rear-facing camera should you feel the need to indulge in some surveillance of your own.

The rear snapper has an f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus and dual-LED flash, and there's an 8MP sensor on the front. The camera app benefits from a fresh look and feel, and functionality is right at your fingertips.

There's a manual mode that allows focus adjustments and control over shutter speed, white balance, and brightness (exposure compensation). Instagram fans will enjoy the selection of filters.

In our test shots we were pleased to observe a palette rich in colour, and under bright natural light our scenes weren't left overexposed but instead crammed full of detail.

The only negative is the absence of OIS which makes macro photography a bit of a hit and miss affair.

Review: The BlackBerry DTEK50

Is a bit of extra security on top of Android enough to make the BlackBerry DTEK50 stand out?

Software and security We have few quarrels with BlackBerry's claim that the DTEK50 is the "world's most secure" Android smartphone. Silent Circle's second Blackphone offers fully encrypted phone calls, texts, file transfers and video conferencing, but BlackBerry has gone further by encrypting email communications.

Unlike a niche device like the Blackphone, the BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) framework is widely implemented in organisations across the world, and no-one else even gets near to that level of security and trust.

The beauty of safeguards like BES12, Hardware Root of Trust, a hardened Linux kernel and FIPS 140-2 Compliant Full Disk Encryption lies in their anonymity. It's therefore baffling that BlackBerry has chosen to promote the DTEK Blackberry App when marketing the DTEK50.

As far as we're concerned, the DTEK app is nothing more than a glorified checklist. On launch the app presents a string of information that reliably informs us we're using a BlackBerry device, our OS is Android, that we haven't turned on Developer options - you hopefully get the picture by this point.

As long as a screen lock (a PIN will suffice) has been set up, the app tells us that our device security is excellent. This is all well and good, but it feels like overkill. Wouldn't it be more beneficial to receive a notification if the integrity of the OS is breached or similar vulnerabilities are detected?

To us it all comes across a bit like one of those free tune-up apps with the whirly health indicators and bright colours.

By default Android 6.0 Marshmallow provides greater control over what apps are allowed to access, allowing users to disable permissions as they see fit. BlackBerry's DTEK app goes one step further by keeping track of the number of times the app has accessed the camera, contacts, microphone, location etc.

It will even call up a map view and show exactly where any infiltration took place. If you're already used to denying access to your installed apps then, like the Convenience Button, this functionality could be superfluous. Again, we're unsure whether this is a genuinely useful resource or simply window dressing.

BlackBerry has also put a lot of emphasis on the update cycle, and the DTEK50 and the Priv are treated to the latest security patches every 30 days. Traditionally we'd plump for a Nexus if we wanted our device to get the latest updates first. This is where things could get interesting for the DTEK50 (and BlackBerry), thus providing the competitive edge it so sorely needs.

It will also be interesting to see how long BlackBerry upholds this update cycle. How many years does the DTEK50 have in it? We put this to the company, and we'll update when we get an answer.

In the days that followed the announcement of the new handset, BlackBerry made what in our eyes was the DTEK50's crowning glory available to all Android owners.

We're therefore surprised that the BlackBerry Hub is not included on the home screen(s) by default. The Hub app does a good job of combining email accounts, text messages, phone calls, calendars, BBM messages and social media accounts.

Being able to access all of our accounts from a single place was really quite liberating, as the seconds wasted popping in and out of the numerous dedicated clients soon add up. What's more you can personalise the layout and have your mail displayed in a single view, from where it can be ordered by unread messages, flagged, snoozed and more.

It's possible that BlackBerry has gone overboard with gestures. BB10 introduced gesture-based controls for the first time, and gestures are alive and kicking on the DTEK50. Swiping right on an email snoozes the notification and allows you to set an alert for a later time or place, while swiping left removes the message completely.

Swiping plays a role too when it comes to pop-up widgets. A lot of apps come with their own widgets signposted by three little dots underneath the app icon. An upward swipe offers a quick glance at messages, calendar events, emails etc without having to go into the app proper. Such functionality is a boon if you fear people trying to sneak a glance over your shoulder.

We're not done with gestures just yet. In addition to the 'Type by Swiping' functionality (that existing Priv users no doubt recognise), the DTEK50 keyboard allows you to quickly insert suggestions by flicking upwards over suggested words that appear on the keyboard. It's also possible to to delete words with a simple swipe to the left.

The BlackBerry Productivity Tab reminded us of the functionality in the Galaxy Edge's display, an observation quickly denied in our sit-down briefing with BlackBerry earlier. The Tab is located on the right edge (this can be changed in Settings) and accessed by swiping inwards. Here you can flick between events, messages, tasks and contacts.

The multitask view offers a refreshing new layout to the default list of old and makes it easier than ever to move forwards and back through your apps.

We feel compelled to mention the keyboard. We're not going to jump on the bandwagon and bemoan the DTEK50's lack of physical keyboard, but the capacitive version is one of the most responsive, accurate and satisfying typing experiences.

The BlackBerry keyboard is peerless even when compared with popular alternatives like SwiftKey. The ability to use more than one language is a boon, so you can add an English and French dictionary to your keyboard and predictive text will automatically switch between as and when.

Review: The BlackBerry DTEK50

Is a bit of extra security on top of Android enough to make the BlackBerry DTEK50 stand out?

Battery and storage
Seeing as BlackBerry has shifted to Android, the much-loved removable battery is now a thing of the past. The 2,610mAh unit doesn't have the largest of capacities, and this really shows in daily use.

The handset does support Quick Charge 2.0, which is a good thing as you're going to need it. We noted a loss of almost 25 per cent in a 90-minute window, and if that continued we'd be out of juice in just a few hours.

Storage is befitting of the sub-£300 price at a lowly 16GB, but the DTEK50 supports a generous 2TB via microSD expansion.

There's also good news when it comes to adoptable storage, as the DTEK50 allows microSD memory to be integrated fully to become part of the system.

Price The BlackBerry DTEK50 is available SIM-free for £275. Pre-orders began shipping on 8 August from the official BlackBerry online store.

As already mentioned, the £275 price puts the DTEK50 firmly in mid-tier territory. For a shade under £300 you could get a lot more phone for your money in the shape of the Vodafone Smart Platinum 7, while the Moto G4 is similarly specced and half the price.

Overall
In addressing security and privacy needs we can't help feeling that BlackBerry has lost its identity.

If BlackBerry insists on being a software-first company the DTEK50's role is abundantly clear: it's nothing more than a container. And that's upsetting. What you're looking at is a BlackBerry in name only.

If security tops the list of your concerns the £275 price tag might well be money well spent. BlackBerry still rules the roost when it comes to enterprise-ready security, and many organisations have been crying out for a lower-cost device for their road warriors (especially the more careless ones).

But that price is less forgiving when it comes to specifications, which should be better at this price point. There are rumours of a further Android-based handset from BlackBerry later this year, so maybe it would be better to wait if you really must have a smartphone bearing the BlackBerry name.