Last year, BlackBerry entered into a joint venture called BB Merah Putih that would see that group produce and distribute BlackBerry smartphones in Indonesia while licensing BlackBerry software. Now the first device to come from that relationship has been revealed.
The BlackBerry Aurora features a 5.5-inch 1280x720 display with Android 7.0 and BlackBerry’s Hub productivity suite as well as the BlackBerry DTEK privacy app. Unlike the recently revealed (and TCL-manufactured) BlackBerry KeyOne, the BlackBerry Aurora is a full-touch device.
Also included with the Aurora is a 13-megapixel rear camera with phase detection autofocus and dual LED flash, as well as an 8-megapixel front-facing camera that has a flash of its own. Inside the Aurora lives a Snapdragon 425 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a microSD card, and a 3000mAh battery. The Aurora also offers dual SIM slots, making it the first ever dual SIM BlackBerry smartphone.
Another “first” achieved by the BlackBerry Aurora is that it’s the first BlackBerry-branded device to be produced in Indonesia. It’s now available for pre-order in Indonesia at a price of IDR 3,499,000 ($262 USD).