TCL has launched in the UK its first handset under the BlackBerry brand. First announced at Mobile World Congress in February, the KEYone is the first BlackBerry with a physical qwerty keyboard since 2015 and targets a broad public. It will sell for GBP 499, exclusively at Selfridges until 05 May and then also at Carphone Warehouse.
Orders also will start in Canada and the US later in May, and the device will reach shops in North America from 31 May. Bell, Bell MTS, Rogers, SaskTel and Telus Business will offer the phone starting at CAD 199 on a two-year contract.
The smartphone runs the Qualcomm 625 processor and Android 7.1 and comes with 3 GB memory, 32 GB storage and a microSD card sot. It features a 4.5-inch HD screen with aluminium body and soft-touch back, with a 12 megapixel Sony IMX378 camera on the rear and 8-megapixel, wide-angle camera on the front. It also comes with 3,505 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0.
The KEYone runs BlackBerry software such as the Hub for integrated messaging and DTEK security and includes a fingerprint scanner in the Smart Keyboard's space bar. The device's keyboard responds to touch gestures mimicking the old BlackBerry trackpad. It can also be customised to launch up to 52 shortcuts, such as pressing 'I' for the inbox or 'M' to access maps.
