Do you plan to buy the BlackBerry KEYone?

Earlier today at MWC 2017, BlackBerry resurrected the QWERTY keyboard with the KEYone - an unusual Android smartphone built by TCL, BlackBerry's new hardware partner.

Initially known as BlackBerry Mercury, the KEYone runs Android 7.1 Nougat reinforced with BlackBerry-specific security. The phone's front is dominated by its 4.5-inch display with 1080 x 1620 pixels and a 3:2 aspect ratio, and its QWERTY keyboard (which, in addition to having physical keys to type on, is also touch-sensitive, letting you use gestures and swiping). Other highlight features include a Snapdragon 625 processor, a 12 MP rear camera, 3 GB of RAM, and a 3,505 mAh battery. 

In our BlackBerry KEYone hands-on preview, we're arguing that this is a good looking, well made device, yet it's a niche product - since almost everyone now wants a large display on their smartphone, not a hardware keyboard. Still, in this official blog post, the folks at BlackBerry say the following:


So we're curious to find out how many of our readers are planning to buy the BlackBerry KEYone. In case you're wondering, the smartphone will be sold unlocked for $549, being compatible with AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and even Verizon's LTE network. Unfortunately, the KEYone won't be released before April, although registration pages have already gone live in the US and Canada.