The BlackBerry KEYone, formally known as the BlackBerry Mercury has now been officially launched at MWC.
The Key Specs / Features
– OS – Android 7.1.1 Nougat
– Display 4.5-inch, 1620×1080, IPS LCD,434ppi
– Processor Snapdragon 625, Adreno 506 GPU,RAM 3GB
– Storage 32GB
– Expandable microSD up to 2TB
– Rear Camera 12MP (1.55 micron) f/2.0, PDAF, dual-tone LED flash, HDR, 4K, 30fps
– Front Camera 8MP f/2.2, 1.12-micron pixels,Selfie flash,1080p/30 video
– Battery 3505 mAh
– Charging Quick Charge 3.0
– USB-C
– BlackBerry Software DTEK security suite, Launcher, Hub & Other Apps
– FIPS 140-2 Full Disk Encryption
– Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC, GPS, GLONASS
– Dimensions – 149.1 mm x 72.39 mm x 9.4 mm
– Weight 180 grams
Video Overview
My Thoughts
The BlackBerry KEYone will go on sale at the beginning of April for £499 in the UK.It is going to be up against the Huawei P10, LG G6, Samsung Galaxy S8 and maybe a few other phones. However, I don’t think this will be an issue as this phone is not trying to compete in the same way.
For starters the keyboard, its the only keyboard on an android phone. Having reviewed many previous BlackBerry’s including the recent DTEK50 and DTEK60, the reliability of regular security updates was re-assuring. The KEYone is going to follow in the same manner. The additional BlackBerry software apps and tweaks will make a difference to the overall experience. The keyboard can have a shortcut assigned to every key. The keyboard also includes a fingerprint sensor and acts as a trackpad. The grippy back is the same that came with the DTEK50, meaning you won’t drop it.
The BlackBerry KEYone looks like a phone that could be used one handedly with ease. It has the same camera sensor as the Google Pixel too.
So whilst the specs may not scream out at you as pure high end flagships ones, I reckon this phone will be great to use, for those that want a keyboard on an android phone, regular security updates and decent battery life.
At £499 it will face a lot of competition so it will be interesting to see how well it sells. For me this is the most exciting BlackBerry in ages!
More information is available at – http://www.blackberryworld.com .
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 
I’ll buy it for keyboard security and battery life.
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It does look interesting and more exciting than some of the phones announced today.
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