Blackberry’s New Midrange Smartphones Come With Dual Cameras & Huge Batteries

A short while after announcing the keyboard-clad Key 2, BlackBerry is back, this time clutching more humble offerings. The new phones, Evolve and Evolve X, are built by the company’s Indian partner Optiemus, and it isn’t known whether they’ll be available overseas or not.

The two phones differ very little on the surface and look exactly the same, with the major changes being the internals and the cameras.

Design and Display

The phones are available in black only and the design is largely the same across both devices. The display is a 6-inch 1080p 18:9 aspect ratio panel on both phones, with Gorilla Glass 5, oleophobic coating and boasting of an impressive 500 nits of brightness.

Fingerprint and face unlock are both available, getting the job done in 0.3s and 0.4s, respectively.

Internals and Storage

The Evolve X comes with a Snapdragon 660 processor with 6 GB RAM, 64 GB storage (expandable) and Adreno 512. The Evolve makes do with a Snapdragon 450 with 4 GB RAM, Adreno 506 and similar storage.

The OS running on the phones is Android 8.1 Oreo, with BlackBerry’s trademark features such as the Hub, Suite, and DTEK security features.

Camera(s)

The Evolve X comes with a 12 MP RGB and a 13 MP monochrome setup on the back, assisted with an LED flash and having 1080p video recording.

The Evolve apparently comes with a slightly better 13 MP RGB + 13 MP monochrome sensor, with LED flash, 1080p and HDR, which the premium model apparently misses out on.

Both phones share the similar 16 MP sensor on the front with f/2.2 and a 78-degree wide-angle lens.

Battery

The battery capacity is similar at 4000 mAh on both phones with support for Quick Charge 3.0

Pricing is set at around $510 for the Evolve X or $360 for the Evolve. Of course, availability will likely be the bigger issue for most people. Both go on sale next month.

BlackBerry Evolve Specifications

• CPU: 2.2 GHz octa-core Kryo 260
• GPU: Adreno 512
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
• OS: Android 8.1 Oreo
• Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE
• Display:
  • 5.99″ 18:9 IPS LCD with FHD+ (2160 x 1080) resolution
• Memory:
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Internal: 64 GB
  • Card slot: yes, by 256 GB.
• Camera:
  • Primary: 12 MP f/1.8 + 13 MP f/2.6, dual-tone LED
  • Secondary: 16 MP, f/2.0, 78-degree lens
• Connectivity: USB-C (with OTG support), VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, headphone jack
• Fingerprint scanner + Face Unlock
• Battery: 4000 mAh, Quick Charge 3.0 supported
• Price: $510

BlackBerry Evolve X Specifications

• CPU: 1.8 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53
• GPU: Adreno 506
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 450
• OS: Android 8.1 Oreo
• Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE
• Display:
  • 5.99″ 18:9 IPS LCD with FHD+ (2160 x 1080) resolution
• Memory:
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Internal: 64 GB
  • Card slot: yes, by 256 GB.
• Camera:
  • Primary: 13 MP f/2.0 + 13 MP, dual-tone LED
  • Secondary: 16 MP, f/2.0, 78-degree lens
• Connectivity: USB-C (with OTG support), VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, headphone jack
• Fingerprint scanner + Face Unlock
• Battery: 4000 mAh, Quick Charge 3.0 supported
• Price: $365