BlackBerry Motion Specs, Features: TCL Officially Launches New Mid-Range Phone

Following the release of BlackBerry KEYone early this year, it would seem that TCL could be preparing more handsets that feature both a QWERTY keyboard and a large touchscreen. However, the Chinese company surprisingly jumped on the bandwagon by releasing a new keyboard-free smartphone over the weekend.

On Sunday, TCL finally took the wraps off of the BlackBerry Motion, it’s new mid-range offering that features decent specs and features. TCL opted to make the launch event for the BlackBerry Motion low-profile, so it unveiled the device at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai.

As expected, the handset debuted sans a physical keyboard. Instead, it came with a large 5.5-inch 1080p display and a very conspicuous home button on the front. Other official specs and features announced at the event include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory and a 12-megapixel back camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

Despite being a mid-range device, the BlackBerry Motion has a fingerprint reader. Not only that, the handset also exceeds expectations by being IP67 water-resistant. Furthermore, the phone has a ginormous 4,000mAh battery, so this could mean that it could run on a full day without seeking for rejuvenation through the charger, as pointed out by Engadget.

Though it certainly is different from the BlackBerry KEYone, the new BlackBerry Motion still shares some aspects with the former. For one thing, TCL’s new smartphone is also running on a customized Android 7.1 software. Moreover, it has the same security-focused apps for users who really want to keep their personal activities private.

The modified Nougat OS comes with the Hub, Calendar and other apps belonging to BlackBerry’s famous suite. It also has a new feature called Locker that saves photos and documents on the local storage in a PIN or a biometric-protected area, which is not connected to the cloud.

Appearance-wise, Android Police claims the BlacKBerry Motion could pass as a baby of the new iPone and Sony’s Xperia handsets. The Motion’s home button doubles as the fingerprint scanner, something that’s typical of the new iPhone models save for iPhone X. It is also built with a hardened aluminum frame with a soft textured back. Check out photos of the device below, courtesy of CrackBerryKevin.

The BlackBerry Motion is scheduled to ship first in the Middle East prior to hitting other select markets. The handset is reportedly retailing for AED 1,699 in the UAE and SAR 1,699 in the KSA. There’s no word yet on the device’s release in North America, but it is already expected to launch with a $460 price tag.

The BlackBerry Motion will be facing a lot of competition when it does become available in North America. Its standout feature is its large battery, but even with this around it would still take a lot to convince consumers into purchasing the Motion smartphone and not its rivals.

The launch of the BlackBerry Motion comes after the Canadian-based company’s decision to officially fold its smartphone business last year. Thanks to a licensing deal with TCL however, the brand name of the once very popular smartphone maker will continue to live on, according to 9To5Google.