Guess who’s back, back again, BlackBerry’s back, tell a friend.
That’s right, iconic smartphone maker BlackBerry has made a shock return to the handset market, with the shiny new BlackBerry KEYone lining up as the company’s best ever phone.
Despite moving firmly into the realms of the modern smartphone with an integrated touchscreen display and Google’s Android OS, the KEYone also plays host to classic BlackBerry touches, including the addition of that iconic physical QWERTY keyboard.
Still the main selling point for the firm’s phones, this isn’t just a collection of physical keys design to make knocking out on the move emails, WhatsApp chats and work reports easier.
The Smart Keyboard also responds to touch gestures, replacing the longstanding trackpad by letting you swipe your finger across the keys to improve navigation on web pages and within emails.
With flick typing also supported, the phone’s keyboard can also let you jump straight into certain tasks, allowing users to programme up to 52 customisable shortcuts.
These include process quickening shortcuts including pressing ‘I’ to open your inbox, or ‘M’ to access maps.
This coveted keyboard sits below a 4.5-inch, 3:2 Full HD display with the unusually shaped panel packing an eye appeasing 1620 x 1080p resolution.
Elsewhere under the hood, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 processor runs the show alongside a sizeable 3505mAh battery that thanks to Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 skills, will take the phone from flat to 50% charge in just 36 minutes.
Finishing off the phone’s impressive specs sheet, the new BlackBerry handset packs a 12-megapixel camera on the rear.
Featuring the high-end Sony IMX378 camera sensor, this is the same snapper found on the brilliant Google Pixel.
Despite bearing the BlackBerry name, the new handset has actually been piece together by third party manufacturer TCL as part of a new partnership between the two firms.
“Impressively designed to be distinctly different, the BlackBerry KEYone reimagines how we communicate by offering unmatched productivity and the world’s most secure Android smartphone experience,” said Nicolas Zibell, CEO for TCL Communication in unveiling the device.
“We’re humbled to play such an important role in the future of BlackBerry smartphones, which have been so iconic in our industry, and we’re eager to prove to the BlackBerry community that their excitement around this new BlackBerry smartphone is something they can be proud of as well.”
Set to go on sale in April with a price tag “at or under £499”, the BlackBerry KEYone isn’t the only blast from the past phone we’re expecting to see this week.
Later today, the iconic Nokia 3310 is expected to be relaunched, with the world’s most beloved phone getting a modern day revival.
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