Last week, BlackBerry unveiled the KEYone which is the last smartphone that has been designed by BlackBerry. Now, another BlackBerry branded smartphone has been announced which is dubbed Aurora. Even though Aurora carries the BlackBerry branding, it has been manufactured by Indonesian company BB Merah Putih.
The BlackBerry Aurora is the first smartphone that has been manufactured by BB Merah Putih under the license from BlackBerry. It is powered by Snapdragon 425 SoC and is laced with 4 GB RAM along with Adreno 308 GPU in tow. The device runs Android 7.0 Nougat and packs a 3000 mAh battery.
The BlackBerry Aurora is the first BlackBerry smartphone that comes with dual-SIM functionality. While the specs may not be much impressive, what it gets is BlackBerry’s software. With Aurora, users get access to BlackBerry Hub which is a productivity suite, and BlackBerry DTEK, which a security suite for added security and privacy.
“We are very excited and enthusiastic about the opportunity to launch the BlackBerry Aurora in Indonesia. The BlackBerry Aurora is not only the first BlackBerry-branded device to ever be produced in Indonesia, but it is the first BlackBerry device in the world to be equipped with dual-SIM functionality. This new device is designed specifically to fulfill the needs of Indonesian customers with full entertainment features packaged in a premium device that also delivers the productivity, privacy and security that the BlackBerry brand delivers.” said Stanly Widjaja, Vice President, BB Merah Putih.
The BlackBerry Aurora is meant for Indonesian market, hence, chances of it being available in other markets is very less. However, now that BlackBerry has stopped developing its own hardware and has licensed the manufacturing to its partners, we might see more Android powered devices with BlackBerry branding later this year.
BlackBerry Aurora specifications:
- CPU: 1.4 GHz Snapdragon 425 quad-core processor
- RAM: 4 GB
- GPU: Adreno 308
- Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat
- Display: 5.5-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) display
- Rear Camera: 13 MP with LED flash
- Front Camera: 8 MP
- Internal Storage: 32 GB
- External Storage: Expandable up to 2 Terabytes via microSD card
- SIM: Dual SIM
- Connectivity: 4G LTE, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
- Colors: Black, Gold, Silver
- Battery: 3000 mAh
BlackBerry Aurora Price and Availability:
- Price: IDR 3,499,000 (around $260/₹17,500)
- Availability: Available for pre-order till March 12 in Indonesia through various online e-commerce portals
