After years of absence in the lucrative phone industry, Blackberry is making a statement with the all-new KEYone. The new Android device made headlines during this year's Mobile World Congress and is aiming to redefine the smartphone niche with a new but familiar face.
All new specs combined with BlackBerry's old appeal
BlackBerry's new phone features a 4.5-inch "scratch-resistant" touchscreen panel with its iconic physical QWERTY keyboard placed below its display. Reportedly, the phone has the familiar on-screen keys found on today's Android devices.
The KEYone's in-plane switching LCD panel also promises to deliver a 1,620 x 1,080 screen resolution. Aside from these features, BlackBerry's newest device has a standard 12-megapixel rear camera that can record 4K video at 30 frames per second.
The KEYone will also have an 8-megapixel front camera that has BlackBerry's "selfie panorama" mode. Furthermore, the phone will have Qualcomm's Snapdragon 625 system-on-chip (SoC) coupled with a 2 GHz octa-core processor and 3 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM).
Storage wise, the phone will have 32 GB of internal storage that's expandable up to 2 TB via a microSD card. But one the KEYone's biggest asset is its DTEK Security Software that enables it to become one of the most protected devices available in today's market.
The advanced security software combines built-in encryption into the phone's hardware. According to BlackBerry Mobile’s UK Country Manager, Johnathan Young, "Security and privacy are at the heart of what we do." He added that the KEYone is the "world's most secure Android phone."
Although Blackberry had a lot to do with the phone's programming and design, TCL manufactured the device; the company bought the rights to produce the new phone under the Blackberry brand.
Worldwide availability
Currently, the phone is available in the UK, with London's Selfridges department store having exclusive selling rights until May 5. Other UK-based retailers including Carphone Warehouse will allegedly sell the device after Selfridge's exclusivity deal expires.
Other markets including U.S.A and Canada might start to sell the device as early as the second week of May.
Reportedly, unlocked units of the KEYone will go on sale in the U.S. on May 31 for $549.
Canada's network carriers are reportedly accepting pre-orders for the device starting on May 18. Carriers such as Bell, Bell MTS, Rogers and Telus Business will offer a two-year $199 plan that will bundle Blackberry's newest Android phone.
