BlackBerry DTEK60 review

PROS

• Solid performance outside of gaming
• Good screen
• Nice security and productivity software additions

CONS

• Not running the latest version of Android
• Average camera

KEY FEATURES

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU
• 4GB of RAM
• microSD and USB-C ports
• 5.5-inch QHD, AMOLED display
• 21-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front cameras
• 3,000mAh battery
• Manufacturer: BlackBerry
• Review Price: £400.00

WHAT IS THE BLACKBERRY DTEK60?

It’s no secret BlackBerry’s had a tough time of it in the smartphone market recently. Despite having great security software and having migrated from its less-than-popular BlackBerry 10 OS to Android, the company’s phones have continued to play second fiddle to the likes of Samsung and Apple.

That’s why I didn’t expect much from the charismatically named BlackBerry DTEK60. After all, it is, on paper, yet another pretty dull Android phone aimed at the £400-500 target being peppered by numerous other handsets, such as the HTC 10 Evo and OnePlus 3T.

However, I can confirm that my opening fears were misguided. The DTEK60 is one of the best BlackBerry phones to date and an ideal choice for any security-conscious buyer.

BLACKBERRY DTEK60 – DESIGN

Smartphone connoisseurs may get a sense of déjà vu when looking at the DTEK60 – and for good reason. The phone is based on a reference design from Chinese firm TCL, which has made handsets for numerous other companies this year. As consequence it looks all but identical to the Alcatel Idol 4S and Vodafone Smart Platinum 7, outside of the BlackBerry logo emblazoned upon its back.

The similarities are a blessing and a curse. The glass front and back faces look nice but, like the 4S and Platinum 7, they’re fingerprint and scratch magnets and quickly become slippy to hold in wet weather, which is a problem in the regularly moist British climate.

However, these issues are counterbalanced by the intelligent placement of the DTEK60’s rear fingerprint scanner and useful “Convenience” key. The fingerprint scanner sits just below the DTEK60’s rear camera sensor, which protrudes noticeably from the phone’s back. I’ve always prefered a back-facing placement for fingerprint scanners over front-facing ones, such as those on the Galaxy S7 and HTC 10, which require you to awkwardly rejig the way you naturally hold a handset. The scanner’s also suitably fast and makes it quick and easy to unlock the DTEK60, or approve certain actions such as NFC and in-app payments.

The Convenience key sits in the middle of the phone’s right-hand side – the same position occupied by the Alcatel Idol 4S’s “Boom” button. Unlike the Boom button, which tried and failed to improve the phone’s audio quality, the DTEK60’s Convenience button is customisable and lets you choose what action you’d like it to take. You can set it to do everything from opening applications to switching a setting on or off. This sounds small, but I found it very useful as a quick way to mute the phone.

The 32GB of built-in storage is pretty par for the course and those who wish to can add another 2TB using the DTEK60’s microSD card slot.

BLACKBERRY DTEK60 – DISPLAY

The 5.5-inch AMOLED display isn’t the best I’ve ever seen, but for the money it’s more than good enough and easily beats those on pretty much every other £400-500 phone I’ve tested on quality, outside of the OnePlus 3T’s.

Blacks are nicely inky and, unlike on some some cheaper AMOLED displays, colours aren’t overcooked. The 2,560 x 1,440-pixel Quad HD resolution gives it a super-high 534ppi (pixels per inch) density, making it all but impossible to discern individual pixels. In short, the screen is more than good enough for most regular users.

My only minor quibbles are that whites aren’t quite as clean as I’d like, and the maximum brightness isn’t quite high enough. This means that the phone can become tricky to use in bright light, though being fair to BlackBerry this is an issue on most of the phones I test.

BLACKBERRY DTEK60 – SOFTWARE

I’m a little disappointed the DTEK60 comes running the previous-generation 6.0 Marshmallow version of Android, not the latest Nougat variant. The lack of Nougat is a little sad, as the update added a wealth of nifty new features, including multi-window multitasking, better notifications and back-end improvements for gaming.

However, BlackBerry’s partially made up for this with some of its software additions. Unlike most companies, BlackBerry’s additions to Android are actually helpful. Highlights include a wealth of security upgrades, plus the BlackBerry Hub and keyboard.

Security has always been a key selling point for Blackberry – which in its heyday was one of a select few smartphone brands trusted in big business and government. The company’s done a great job of bringing its expertise to the DTEK60 and has loaded it with more back- and front-end defenses than you can shake a stick at. The best and most obvious of these are the DTEK application and BlackBerry Password Keeper.

The DTEK application is a cool feature that rates how secure your device is, via a sliding arrow icon. Below it you also get a breakdown of possible security vulnerabilities and ways you can improve the device’s defenses, plus a full list of installed apps with icons explaining what data they’re accessing.

The controls are much more transparent than Android Marshmallow’s native privacy settings, which are hidden behind several sub-menus and make it even easier for you to control what personal information you’re giving away. BlackBerry Password Keeper is a user-friendly password manager – not revolutionary, but it makes it easy to store and use complex passwords without having to remember them.

The BlackBerry Hub and productivity tab are also nice touches. BlackBerry Hub works the same way it does on BlackBerry OS and acts as a central alert and newsfeed for all of your apps, including Gmail, Outlook, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Calendar. The feature is a nice timesaver that makes it quick and easy to stay on top of all your messages without needing to have multiple apps open.

The productivity tab is accessed by swiping left from the phone’s long right-hand edge. It offers quick access to BlackBerry Hub, Calendar, Tasks and Contacts apps, though you change the UI to include info from other apps. The feature may not sound like much, but it saved me precious time each day by letting me manage my alerts and check my schedule without having to open multiple apps.

BLACKBERRY DTEK60 – PERFORMANCE

The DTEK60 runs using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 CPU, not the newer 821 seen in the OnePlus 3T. But the CPU, paired with 4GB of RAM and an Adreno 530 GPU, performed very well with real-world use. Apps opened in milliseconds and the phone navigated between menus chug- and stutter-free.

The only time I noticed any performance issues was when running intensive 3D games, such as Riptide GP2 and Banner Saga. Here the phone would occasionally stutter and heat up. It never went Note 7 explosive, but it was warm enough to leave me concerned and definitely led to some CPU throttling.

My experience was mirrored in the DTEK60’s benchmark scores. On the general AnTuTu benchmark, which gauges a phone’s overall performance, the DTEK60 scored 134,274, which is one of the best performances I’ve seen. The Galaxy S7 scored 129,468 on the same test, by comparison.

On the GPU-focused 3DMark Slingshot benchmark the DTEK60 ran in with a 2,551 score, which puts it below most competing phones at its price point, like the OnePlus 3T which scored 2,646 on the same test.

BLACKBERRY DTEK60 – AUDIO AND CALL QUALITY

The DTEK60’s speakers are pretty bog-standard. They’re good enough for watching videos and taking video calls, but I really wouldn’t want to listen to music through them. Like all phone speakers they’re underpowered and distort when playing tracks at high volumes.

Call quality is good, though, and I have no issues with the microphone, which was more than powerful enough for taking and making calls.

BLACKBERRY DTEK60 – CAMERA

Camera tech has never been BlackBerry’s strong point, and this remains true on the DTEK60. The 21-megapixel rear camera isn’t terrible; it’s just distinctly average, especially when compared to the OnePlus 3T’s, which itself isn’t perfect.

The f/2.0 is pretty standard in today’s market, but means the phone doesn’t perform well in low light. Shots taken at night universally come out unbalanced and suffer from noise. Being fair to BlackBerry, this is an issue on all handsets in the DTEK60’s price point.

Photos taken in regular light are generally ok and more than good enough for sharing on social media, but the camera’s autofocus can be a bit hit-and-miss. On a few occasions the camera would require several manual tap-to-focus attempts before it would centre on my intended subject matter, which was a real annoyance when trying to capture time-sensitive moments.

Video recording is slightly better, thanks to the inclusion of video image stabilisation, which does a reasonable job of keeping footage judder-free – though you’ll still need a steady hand. However, be warned the phone does begin to heat up when you record at the maximum 4K resolution for more than a minute or two.

The 8-megapixel front camera is more than good enough for selfies and video calling in regular light, but again falls apart in dim conditions.

The camera struggles in mixed light

And is pretty dire in the dark

But it’s OK in regular light

BLACKBERRY DTEK60 – BATTERY LIFE

The DTEK60’s 3,000mAh battery isn’t the largest around, but it offers surprisingly good stamina. With regular use I easily managed to get at least a day’s use out of the DTEK60. Regular use entailed listening to music on the commute to and from work, regularly checking my social media and email feeds, making a few calls and watching a couple of episodes of Naruto on CrunchyRoll before bed.

The phone also dealt with intensive tasks better than I expected. Streaming video on Netflix with the screen brightness at 75% the DTEK60 lost 8-12% of its battery per hour, which is an impressive result. Most phones I test lose 10-16% running the same test. Playing games the DTEK60 lost 14-18% of its battery, which is pretty average for a phone in this size bracket.

SHOULD I BUY THE BLACKBERRY DTEK60?

The DTEK60 is probably the best all-round BlackBerry phone in quite some time, building on the progress made by the quirky BlackBerry Priv. For £475 you get a solidly built smartphone, with speedy performance, great security and a decent battery life.

Were it not for the existence of the Oneplus 3T, which is cheaper, has a better CPU and camera, and is confirmed to get an update to Android Nougat, I’d say the BlackBerry DTEK60 was the best mid-range phone around right now.

VERDICT

The DTEK60 is another leap back to form for BlackBerry, and a great mid-range phone.

Sourse: trustedreviews.com

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