BlackBerry KEYone brings back lovable physical keyboard

It also comes with the usual selection of BlackBerry software preinstalled, including BBM and BlackBerry’s DTEK software, which is created to keep the phone running quickly and smoothly. Despite being drastically different smartphones, we thought it’d be fun to compare the two. That phone is now the BlackBerry KeyOne, a mid-range QWERTY-bar phone.

In terms of design, LG has chose to go down a more traditional route, with the G6 featuring a unibody metal and glass construction. At least the KeyOne has an aluminum frame, which gets exposed on the sides of the device, while the back is a plastic soft touch material.

Combined with the fairly narrow screen, the keyboard makes the KeyOne feel really good to use one-handed. The $549 KEYone will feature a physical keyboard that is strikingly reminiscent of the BlackBerry Curve. The screen has a 1620×1080 resolution, the IPS LCD screen delivering 433 PPI and 24-bit colour.

The first thing you will notice is the return of the QWERTY keyboard, but it does more than type.

Inside, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, with the device powered by a huge 3505mAh battery enhanced by Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 abilities that will allow the phone to go from flat to 50 per cent charge in just 36 minutes.

Internal storage: 32GB. Option to add a microSD card of up to 2TB has been provided.

Indeed, the KeyOne remains an enterprise play, but one BlackBerry hopes will eventually appeal to consumers.

Hang on. didn’t Blackberry say it was ditching making smartphones altogether?

Using the brand, TCL is all geared up to launch three phones this year, according to CEO Nicolas Zibell, who talked about them during an interview on Saturday. In the camera department, there is a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and an 8MP front camera for selfies.

Enter China’s TCL and the KeyOne, an Android-based smartphone combining what was once Blackberry’s USP and a 5.5 inch touchscreen.

The BlackBerry KEYone runs Android 7.1 Nougat OS coupled with the Canadian company’s enterprised and producitivity apps such as such as the BlackBerry Hub and DETK security monitoring app. Around the same time, it is also expected to come to India. We’ve already seen the beginnings of this with the DTEK line, but the KeyOne looks like the last “BlackBerry” BlackBerry phone. That said, the BlackBerry KeyOne could turn out to be a hit if it comes at an attractive price point, but if it’s too expensive it may not attract many fans.