Blackberry ‘Mercury’ a.k.a. DTEK70 in a nutshell: Here’s everything we’ve heard so far about possibly the last ever Blackberry-branded smartphone, leaked as the Blackberry Mercury but likely to be released worldwide as the DTEK70. From rumoured specs to a possible UK price and launch date, here’s all the gossip on Blackberry’s big 2017 mobile.
In 2016 we saw two new Blackberry phones, the DTEK50 and the DTEK60, hit the UK. Both mobiles boasted Blackberry’s blend of Android OS and its own BB10 interface, but the DTEK60 was the most enticing of the pair thanks to its flagship specs and excellent camera tech. It was also the first BB phone to pack a fingerprint sensor, for even tighter security.
However, despite rumblings that the Canadian company will stop producing its own mobile hardware in 2017, several leaks have revealed another Blackberry phone that’s still in development. This handset has been dubbed the ‘Blackberry Mercury’, but that’s almost certainly just a development moniker. We’re expecting this phone to be released in the UK and the rest of the world as the Blackberry DTEK70, to follow BB’s recent naming conventions.
So what do we think we know so far about the Blackberry DTEK70, a.k.a. Mercury? Here’s the full leaked specs and all of the other rumours you need to know about.
Blackberry ‘Mercury’ DTEK70 in a nutshell: Leaked and rumoured specs
| Phone | Blackberry Mercury |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 4.5-inch |
| Screen resolution | 1920×1080 |
| Physical keyboard? | Yes |
| Water resistant? | No |
| Processor | Snapdragon 625 |
| OS | Android 7.0 |
| Memory | 3GB |
| Storage | 32GB + microSD |
| Battery | 3400mAh |
| Rear Camera | 18MP |
Blackberry ‘Mercury’ DTEK70 in a nutshell: Design and screen
The Blackberry Mercury, or DTEK70, will likely sport a similar design to the excellent Blackberry Priv, which emerged back in 2015. This was the first Blackberry handset to come packing Google’s Android OS, but also the last BB phone to sport a physical keyboard.
In the Priv’s case, this keyboard was revealed by sliding the screen upwards. However, the Mercury is likely to be a candy bar-style phone, with the keyboard on permanent display beneath the screen. Despite this, it won’t be an unwieldy square beast like the Blackberry Passport. Instead, you can expect a more typical rectangular design.
Of course, this does mean the Blackberry Mercury’s screen is likely to be quite compact. Rumours suggest a 4.5-inch panel, with a Full HD resolution for pleasingly crisp visuals. As for the aspect ratio, you can expect something somewhere between the square Passport display (which was crap for apps and watching video) and your typical widescreen smartphone display.
Blackberry ‘Mercury’ DTEK70 in a nutshell: Performance, battery life and features
From all of the rumours and leaks so far, it appears the Blackberry Mercury is going to be a mid-range mobile. In fact, we’re expecting this phone to be a blend of the Priv and the DTEK50, offering the Priv’s physical keyboard and solid camera tech, but the DTEK50’s more humble specs to keep the price down. In this way, BB fans can enjoy a modern handset with a physical keyboard, without breaking the bank.
A modest Snapdragon 625 processor is rumoured to be packed inside the Mercury or DTEK70, which provides respectable everyday performance – although the Huawei Nova, which used the same chipset, is occasionally stuttery.
The main benefit of the 625 is its power efficiency. In combination with the Blackberry Mercury’s rumoured 3400mAh battery, we’re expecting to get at least a day and a half of life per charge. And with Quick Charge 3.0 support likely on board, you should be able to charge the Mercury back to full in an hour and a half.
We’re also expecting the DTEK70 to come with the same dependable 18-megapixel rear camera as the Priv, which is good news for snapping your everyday existence. Qualcomm’s chipset supports 4K video capture, so expect the ability to record Ultra HD footage too.
Blackberry ‘Mercury’ DTEK70 in a nutshell: UK price and release date
The Blackberry Mercury will be launched in early 2017 if rumours are on the money, but we don’t have any clear indication of a UK price or release date just yet.
Personally we’re expecting the phone to be revealed as the DTEK70 in early 2017, likely around February or March time. As for pricing, you can expect it to come somewhere between the DTEK50 and DTEK60. We reckon around £349 to £399 here in the UK, going off those specs.
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