The BlackBerry KEYone has gone on sale today at Carphone Warehouse in the UK. It will cost £499 prepaid, though the retailer has yet to offer it on a monthly plan.
Originally unveiled at CES 2017 in January, it was showcased at Mobile World Congress in February in more detail. The KEYone offers a nostalgic take on the classic BlackBerry handset, with a physical keyboard and hidden fingerprint sensor in the space bar. The keyboard takes up roughly a third of the front face, while a 4.5-inch 1080p screen takes up the remaining space. The keyboard can be adapted to provide bespoke shortcuts, for example apps can be mapped to certain keys for instant launching. The QWERTY keyboard is also capable of gesture control, users can swipe to navigate web pages and emails. The handset is wrapped in an aluminium finish for added protection and features a textured rear finish for enhanced grip. We’d definitely call the appearance more corporate than premium, which helps to push the handset as a business-centric device.
Inside is a mid-range Snpadragon 625 processor and 3GB of RAM, which is quite under-powered considering the price-tag. The large 3,505mAh battery is a big selling point in the handset, capable of 50% charge in 50 minutes. The cameras include a 12MP rear sensor and eight megapixel front sensor.
Obviously, the primary USP on BlackBerry handsets is the DTEK software, which aims to enrich business users with a multitude of security features. You’ll be getting the newest version included on the Keyone alongside Android 7.1, which monitors the security of the operating system and all the apps, alongside notifying owners when their privacy is at risk. Notifications will also be sent if any third party accesses the camera or other apps without the owner’s permission. It also offers a security rating and suggests ways in which users can improve this. You’ll also get BlackBerry Hub, a feature which consolidates the users social media, email and messaging apps into one place.
Via Mobile News