Welcome to my review of the BlackBerry DTEK50. My review covers off all aspects of the phone from the camera, the audio, the security and much more.

It is in two parts. The written part below and then complemented and finished with the video review embedded below.

My thanks to Clove Technology for sending the BlackBerry DTEK50. The BlackBerry DTEK50 costs £265.

The Key Specification

– Android 6.0.1 and at time of review 6th September 2016 security patch (the latest)
– Snapdragon 617 processor, adreno 405 GPU
– Micro SD support up to 2TB
– 3gb RAM, 16gb storage
– 5.2 inch IPS 1080p screen, 424 PPI
– Sunlight visible with sunglasses
– Bluetooth 4.2 LE
– 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz, 802.11 a/n 5GHz, 802.11 ac 5GHz
– Micro USB, Nano SIM
– Cameras – Rear 13mp, Front 8mp
– Battery – 2,610 mAH
– Quick Charge 2
– 147 x 72.5 x 7.4 mm
– Weight 135g
– BlackBerry security – latest security patches and OS enhancements without considerable delay.
– BlackBerry Intelligent Keyboard – Learns and provides word suggestions as you type, that include up to 3 languages of your choice.
– Customisable BlackBerry Convenience Key – Provides quick access to your most used applications and more
– BlackBerry launcher and apps, DTEK Security
– Stereo Speakers

Phone Basics

The BlackBerry DTEK50 is built by Alcatel, and based on the Idol 4. However, if I had to choose between the two, I would pick the DTEK50 every time. The DTEK50 has been customised by BlackBerry. It has a super grippy back and has BlackBerry’s commitment to the latest security updates. It also features BlackBerry’s DTEK security suite, keyboard, launcher and productivity apps including the BlackBerry Hub. See video below for more details.

The screen is a lovely 5.2 inch IPS affair at 1080p, offering 424 PPI. Viewing angles are good and the brightness is excellent. In fact the auto brightness is too high, so I often controlled the brightness manually and at the lowest setting. This did mean, it was rather bright at night time. Sunlight visibility is the best I have used in ages. With my polarised sunglasses on, holding the phone in portrait mode, the screen was 100% readable. So crystal clear it was a joy. However, in landscape mode, I couldn’t read the screen with my sunglasses on, unless I removed them.

Call quality was reasonable, reception was excellent. Battery life was stellar too. 4 hours screen on time on average but with hardly any drain when left in standby. I did a 8 hour overnight test. The battery did not lose anything at all! Not even 1%.

The BlackBerry launcher is fantastic too. It allows custom icon packs which 100s available on the Google Play Store. On the home screen, swiping up on an app opens up the app widget. The launcher also allows for a wide selection of shortcuts. More details on the video review.

Audio

The DTEK50 has stereo speakers that sound superb. Lovely clarity and good volume. Brilliant for podcasts, gaming, watching YouTube videos and more. Headphone audio via the 3.5mm headphone jack was better than normal. Bluetooth audio was excellent. The phone has MAXX audio which adds to the whole enjoyment and quality. See video for more details.

The Camera

The rear camera is 13mp, with a dual tone LED flash, phase detect auto focus (PDAF), fast focus lock, HDR, 6-element f2.0 lens, 4x digital zoom, continuous & touch to focus, face detection, image stabilisation, panorama, burst, live filters, multi-frame low light enhancement and 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps.

The front camera is 8mp, 8 f2.2, 1.125um pixel size, 84° wide angle/field of view lens, image & video stabilisation, 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps, selfie flash and a wide selfie mode.

All the shots below are unedited unless I mention otherwise, and on full auto.

First up is sunrise on Dartmoor. This shot made Flickr Explore. Superb photo.

A cropped photo, but otherwise unedited of George. Great detail.

Some local cows grazing on Dartmoor. Good colours.

Foggintor Quarry. The DTEK50 did a fab job of this. Realistic colours.

My three dogs were running, but the DTEK50 did a good job capturing them. There is an option in the settings to focus before each shot before taking the photo.

The DTEK50 has manual controls. I used these to take this shot. Don’t forget to view the video to learn more about all the manual options.

Now the below shot has been edited in snapseed using the HDR scape filter to show you what is possible. I love this version.

If you look at my flickr album, Click HERE, there are 30 photos from the DTEK50 including the ones above. What I have found is the phone has consistently taken decent photos, way better than I expected. The front camera also takes good photos.

The Review Part 2 – Video Review

Conclusion

The BlackBerry DTEK50 is the best budget/mid range phone I have experienced to date. Excellent audio and camera, great form factor and design along with the latest security updates and BlackBerry’s apps and services make this a strong recommendation!

My thanks to Clove Technology .