BlackBerry KEYone Release Date, Specs, Price News: Smartphone With Physical Keyboard Unveiled at MWC 2017

By Georgia Gana, Christian Post Contributor Monday, February 27, 2017

Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 is off to a good start as TCL Communication, under a new brand licensing strategy from BlackBerry, unveiled the highly anticipated KEYone smartphone. The new BlackBerry device is equipped with all the features consumers have come to expect from premium smartphones. Furthermore, it comes with what is possibly the most iconic feature of previous BlackBerry devices — a physical keyboard.

The BlackBerry KEYone features a 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 1,620 x 1,080 pixels and pixel density of 434 pixels per inch (ppi). It is durable but stylish with an anodized aluminum frame and a soft-touch texturized back panel. Furthermore, the screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on top to protect it from scratches.

The smartphone's Smart Keyboard has been optimized to recognize touch gestures and users will be able to browse the web, read emails and write messages via flick typing. The overall experience is smooth and intuitive. The physical keyboard can also be programmed to have 52 shortcuts like "I" for accessing one's inbox or "M" for viewing maps.

The KEYone also comes with BlackBerry Hub, a place where users will be able to view all their messages and alerts from various accounts.

The newly introduced smartphone is also very secure with a fingerprint sensor integrated into the keyboard spacebar. It runs the Android Nougat 7.1 operating system (OS), which is said to be the most secure Android platform. The device is preinstalled with DTEK by BlackBerry and it constantly monitors the OS and installed apps. Users are alerted when there are risks.

Meanwhile, in terms of technical specifications, the BlackBerry KEYone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with the Adreno 506 graphics processing unit (GPU), 3 GB of random-access memory (RAM) and 32 GB of built-in storage.

The device is equipped with a 12-megapixel (MP) rear camera with a Sony IMX378 sensor, phase detection autofocus and dual-LED flash. On the front, there is an 8-MP shooter with fixed focus and 84-degree wide-angle lens.

Furthermore, the smartphone's 3,505 mAh battery can be charged up to 50 percent in just 36 minutes thanks to Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

The BlackBerry KEYone is priced at $549 and will go on sale in April.