Render of the lower priced BlackBerry KEY2 LE surfaces along with leaked specs

The KEY2, at best, is a $400-$450 phone spec's-wise; however, BlackBerry is undoubtedly relying on the brand power and the BB security apps and customizations to the OS and UI to bring in the extra value. The KEYOne wasn't a huge hit, but it was enough to help BlackBerry turn a profit and survive to its next iteration. I think a lot of people would argue that TCL came up with a more refined handset for their second effort in the KEY2, and the specs got bumped a little, too; however, the price also went up quite a bit. I can see a niche for the KEY2 LE if the price is appreciably below that of the KEY2, but it wouldn't be a very big one, and honestly the specs are not significantly different enough from the KEY2 for them to bring the price into the range where I would like it to be, below $300. They needed to put less RAM (like, 2 or 3GB), less display (720x1080), and a lesser processor (like a SD 435 or 450) in it in order to be in the right price class. A 3000mAh battery would be more than enough to keep the lights on all day with those specs.

But more Americans are starting to see the actual costs of smartphones, and some are starting to see markets like eBay and Swappa. People are aware of One+, which is why they are still selling their products. I don't think they carry as much clout as you think. Just look at the KeyONE and how AT&T had do a firesale to get some unsold units out. I wouldn't call it a deal when you can get some flagships from last year for the same price, sometimes less than a that if you go the used or refurbished route. I actually have been saying that as well. Nokia does not have that much presence in the US and it should not be that way. They shouldn't ignore the US market considering how affordable their products are.

Agree that the price of the KEY² has made prospective buyers shy away from it. But if someone is in need of a security-laden smartphone that’s the most secure, they are choosing this or the now lesser expensive KEYᵒⁿᵉ. While there are smartphones out there that can provide security to a point, none are doing it as well and as efficiently as a BlackBerry, as you well know. I’d rather pay $649 for a KEY² than the almost $800 and above for smartphones with “flagship” specs that come with the issues/bugs to match, like the Pixel line has done from generation to generation. The KEY² has specs that other flagships have, like dual cameras and the RAM. The screen aspect and the SoC are what’s “midrange” about it, but the SD660 is more than adequate for what most buyers will be using the KEY² for, and it provides better battery life than what the current crop of flagships provide. People will say it’s becaue of the SoC and screen, but what they should be focusing on is why these guys making flagships that cost $800 can’t provide a bigger battery and better power management. I mean, just look at the battery that’s supposed to be in the Pixel 3XL. That’s deplorable for a smartphone that size. And before someone says anything, I’m not singling out the Pixel line. Apple has had similar issues with bugs after every update like the Pixel, and the Essential phone for all of its flagship specs has had too many issues for its initial asking price as well. Charging these exorbitant prices for smartphones, you’d think that the OEM’s would provide better QC. I respectfully disagree about the HMD/Nokia Mobile. They have been proving that one can grow sales without having the U.S. market in their corner. The Nokia of old was the same way, and they were once the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world for decades. They didn’t fall off because of not being entrenched in the U.S., they fell off because Symbian was aging and they didn’t go with the more viable option of Maemo/MeeGo soon enough. By the time they went for it, that effort was cut short by their new leader (at the time) Elop, who chose Windows Phone. While even I believed that Windows was a good operating system and supported it with my wallet, the majority of buyers disagreed, and that was with the Windows OS laden Nokia smartphones being highly visible in the U.S. HMD/Nokia Mobile won’t be the one that suffers if BlackBerry Mobile begins to grow it’s smartphone share/prescience in the U.S. That will happen at the expense of other vendors in the U.S.

I'm just going to get to the point and not post an overly long conjecture filled comment. I think that the KeyTWO has priced itself out of anyone who may have wanted to buy it. Surprisingly so, there's still some people who are fans of the older blackberry devices. They basically took the Black edition from last year and spruced it up a bit, but not enough to justify the price. I don't think some people should be talking about choice or differentiation. That's the point I kept making before, but they thought I was just trying to stay in the past with old technology when that was never the case at all. Choice is choice and that falls under choosing what carrier you want to use your phone on. I can do that with my S9+, which I do have btw.