TCL sees "plenty of interest" in the BlackBerry KEYone

Last December, TCL announced that it worked out a licensing deal with BlackBerry. Basically, BlackBerry provides the software and TCL does all the rest. The latest 'Berry handset is the BlackBerry KEYone. While BlackBerry has seen its share of the smartphone market drop to a number so low that it can't be imagined, any rebound could start with the KEYone. This is a gorgeous looking handset featuring a physical keyboard that recalls the fretted QWERTY board on the BlackBerry Bold 9000.

While the physical keyboard is the eye candy here, the one feature that everyone is talking about happens to be the outstanding battery life. Thanks to the use of the Snapdragon 625 chipset, this phone sips energy and doesn't guzzle it. Take the unique style of the KEYone, add the usefulness of the physical keyboard, include the long lasting battery life and you have a handset that is seeing a great deal of interest, according to TCL. The unlocked version of the phone for those in the U.S., will be available from BlackBerry on May 31st priced at $549. Carrier versions will be available later in the summer with Sprint expected to be first in line.

In Canada however (which happens to be where BlackBerry hangs its hat), carrier sales will begin on May 31st, and pre-orders start today at Rogers. Other Canadian operators like Bell, Bell MTS, SaskTel, and Telus will start to take reservations for the phone soon. Depending on the specific two-year plan that is contracted for, the KEYone can cost up to $200 on a subsidized basis in Canada. Rogers has a no-term contract price of $679 CAD ($500 USD). Bell and Bell MTS will be offering the KEYone for a cash price of $699.99 CAD ($515 USD).

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The BlackBerry KEYone features a 4.5-inch LCD display, carrying a 1080 x 1620 resolution. The aforementioned Snapdragon 625 chipset contains an octa-core 2GHz CPU and the Adreno 506 GPU. 3GB of RAM is inside along with 32GB of native storage. A 12MP rear-facing camera comes with an aperture of f/2.0. There is no OIS to be found here. The wide angle 8MP front-facing camera snaps selfies and video chats, and the 3505mAh battery is hard to kill. The device also employs Quick Charge 3.0 to replenish half of the battery's capacity in just 30-minutes. The fingerprint scanner is cleverly embedded in the keyboard's space bar, and Android 7.1.1 is pre-installed.

Check out our review of the BlackBerry KEYone by clicking on this link.

source: BlackBerry