BlackBerry's successor to the Android-powered DTEK50, called the DTEK60, recently showed up in a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, suggesting that the smartphone's unveiling is imminent.
A recent leak previously foretold features of BlackBerry's newest Android smartphone, which is said to be powered by the Snapdragon 820 processor, loaded with a fingerprint scanner, among other things.
Now, the device has been certified by both FCC and Wi-Fi Alliance. The device sprang up on the FCC website, registered under the model number "BBA1001," while the Wi-Fi Alliance referred to it as both "BBA1001" and "DTEK60."
The filings reveal little confirmation save for the plethora of tests administered by the commission on the device, but it confirms that the DTEK60 will sport a larger screen than its predecessor.
In-depth details remain obscure for now, but the DTEK60 is expected to be equipped with a 5.5. Quad HD display, a quad-core CPU powered by the Snapdragon 820 chipset as previously stated, an Adreno 530 GPU, 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. Additionally, the device will feature a 21-megapixel rear-facing camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing one.
BlackBerry's convenience key is also expected to return to the device. The convenience key is a customizable physical button on the device that allows users to program their preferred app as a shortcut, for quick access. Similarly with the DTEK50, the device will not feature a physical QWERTY keyboard, a staple feature BlackBerry handsets have been known for in the past. It will instead feature a capacitive multi-touch display.
Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi alliance site shows the device still running on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, likely indicative that it won't come with Android 7.0 Nougat built-in. No word yet if both the DTEK50 and DTEK60 will receive Android 7.0 in future updates.
DTEK50 and DTEK60 are powered by a custom Android UI, which BlackBerry claims to help BlackBerry users "get twice as much done with half of the effort." The custom UI includes the Blackberry Intelligent Touch keyboard, able to predict words and suggestions as users type. It also features customizable gesture controls along with its proprietary consolidated communications app called Hub. Finally, along with the convenience key, it also features Device Search to locate apps, files or contacts and Instant Access to give users a range of quick-access options without opening separate apps for different functions such as messaging, making phone calls, playing music and a host of other things.
Now that BlackBerry has been certified by the FCC and Wi-Fi Alliance, the next logical step would be for the company to go ahead and unveil the next iteration of its Android-powered device, its third overall, after the GTEK50 and the Priv.
