Blackberry is still into the Android smartphone business even though the numbers are seeing a dip. The latest phone from the brand can still be called a sensation, because it not just looks good but it also packed with a lot of good features. The Blackberry KEYone was just announced at the MWC 2017 event in Barcelona where the company held a press conference and there is a lot of talk about the device.
We surely haven’t got our hands on the device yet, but here are the interesting and best features of the Blackberry KEYone smartphone based on what the company has showcased.
Android 7.1 Nougat
The Blackberry KEYone is going to run the latest version of Android, i.e. Android 7.1 Nougat. It will be a blend of the Android and Blackberry features and the Blackberry hub with social integration will be a part of the device. Along with that is the DTEK security app, which is going to take care of the security of the information on the phone.
Physical keyboard with touch sensitivity
The Blackberry KEYone has a physical keyboard, which many might still love and that is because having a QWERTY keyboard was always a Blackberry thing but what is special in here is that the same keyboard has touch sensitivity. You don’t have to press the keys and just touching them is enough for the alphabet or character to be entered.
Keyboard with multiple functionality
It is not just the typing that you can do with the QWERTY keyboard of the KEYone. Touch scrolling is one of the first features, where either vertical or horizontal swipe will help you navigate or scroll through the pages while browsing. Shortcut support is the next feature where about 52 customizable shortcuts can be had with the keyboard for opening apps or for certain functions for which you don’t have to keep navigating in the UI.
Fingerprint sensor on the keyboard
Security is important and Blackberry recognizes that very well. That is a reason why not just the DTEK Security app, but a fingerprint sensor is also present on the phone. It is located on the keyboard area itself, occupying the center of the space bar so that the space is efficiently used and the security is taken care of.
A touch display with 3:2 aspect ratio
A touch display with 3:2 aspect ratioUsually, the Blackberry phones were all solid and had only the physical keys and a standard display that was non-touch. Since the entry of Android into the BB smartphones, displays have not got responsive to touch (though this isn’t introduced only after usage of Android in Blackberry phones) and thus, the Blackberry KEYone has a 4.5-inch touchscreen display with the 1620 x 1080 pixels resolution and the 3:2 aspect ratio.
Battery, good capacity and charges fast
The Blackberry KEYone has a 3505 mAh battery that is said to work well and stay good for a day but thanks to the Snapdragon 625 processor, the battery supports fast charging with the Quick Charge 3.0 technology, giving it about 50% of the charge in just about 36 minutes.
12-megapixel Sony sensor camera
The sensor used on the Blackberry KEYone phone is the IMX378 sensor from Sony, which is said to be one of the best ever and is used by the latest Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones that had got rave reviews and big ratings from critics. It comes with the F/2.0 aperture and the camera is well capable of recording videos at 4K resolution.
Tough yet sleek design with Aluminum frame
Blackberry phones have always been good to look at. The KEYone aka Mercury is no exception when it comes down to the design but TCL has made sure that the phone has enough power as well, with the frame being made of anodized aluminum and the rigidness will be well noticeable on the sides. The back offers a soft texture, which is pretty Blackberry-ish, again.
There’s a lot more. But, let’s have them below in a small list in case you are interested to find more about the Blackberry Mercury / KEYone.
- 8-megapixel front-facing camera, 84-degree wide angle lens
- USB Type-C connectivity
- Speakers on the bottom
- Two microphones, second for active noise cancellation
- 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage
