The first ever IP67 rated water and dust-resistant BlackBerry, the BlackBerry Motion, will be available for sale to Canadians on November 10th.
UPDATED (11/10/2017 11 a.m. ET): The BlackBerry Motion is available starting today online at Koodo and in select Bell, TELUS and SaskTel
ORIGINAL STORY:
In addition to the aforementioned IP67 water and dust-resistance rating, the BlackBerry Motion also features new anti-scratch display technology on its 5.5″ FHD IPS LCD display, a 4,000mAh battery for 32+ hours of mixed use, Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, and Android 7.1 Nougat. Additional specifications include 4GB RAM, 32GB internal storage with microSD support, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Octa-Core 2.0 GHz CPU, USB-C, 12MP rear camera with Phase Detect Auto Focus, and an 8MP front camera.
A new feature is the Locker which allows users to store documents and photos to an internal storage area that requires a PIN or fingerprint to access. The Convenience Key has been enhanced as well and includes four customizable profiles for Home, Car, Office, and User, allowing for different shortcut options based on Wi-Fi network or in-car Bluetooth. The front fingerprint scanner also doubles as a physical home button.
Following up on the relative success of the BlackBerry KEYone, TCL is excited to launch the BlackBerry Motion in Canada.
“Working with our partners in Canada to launch our newest BlackBerry smartphone gives us the opportunity to bring our expanded portfolio to this important market, delivering new experiences while remaining steadfast with legendary privacy, reliability and productivity that have made BlackBerry so iconic over the years,” said Steve Cistulli, President and General Manager for TCL Communication, North America. “The BlackBerry Motion is an exciting addition to our growing BlackBerry smartphone portfolio in North America, and it sets a strong foundation for additional portfolio growth in this region in the years to come.”
While the BlackBerry Motion ships with Android 7.1, the device is slated to receive monthly security updates for a minimum of two years and will get the Android 8 (Oreo) upgrade in the new year.
BlackBerry seems to be equally pleased with the partnership with TCL, and for good reason.
“Once again TCL Communication has delivered on their promise, to produce a true BlackBerry device that will meet and exceed expectations,” said Alex Thurber, SVP and GM of Mobility Solutions, BlackBerry. “We’re confident that customers, who are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of security and productivity on their smartphones, are going to enjoy the new BlackBerry Motion.”
While the BlackBerry KEYone seemed targetted more for business users with its physical keyboard, hopefully, the BlackBerry Motion will have a wider appeal with its fullscreen design coupled with key BlackBerry features and security like the BlackBerry Hub and DTEK by BlackBerry.
The BlackBerry Motion will be available starting November 10 online at Koodo and in select Bell, TELUS, and SaskTel stores starting at $99 CAD on a two-year term or starting at $599 CAD outright.
Are you going to be picking up the BlackBerry Motion? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
Last Updated on November 11, 2017.
