BlackBerry KEYone

I've never owned a phone without a hardware keyboard or numpad, but those are hard to come by now, and the smart flip phones available in Asia haven't made it to the US. After looking over the specs and features, I pulled the trigger on an AT&T-spec Blackberry KEYone about 5 weeks ago. The keyboard not only has traditional typing function, but also reacts to swipe for various functions. You can also invoke a number of virtual keyboards depending on the app you're using. The space bar of the keyboard also acts as the fingerprint reader for better security. The screen has excellent pixel density and is very clear, even for small print. It's arranged in a 3:2 ratio rather than 16:9, but unless you plan on watching HD videos all day, that won't be a problem. There is a generous supply of Blackberry productivity apps, the usual supply of Android/Google apps, and surprisingly very few AT&T apps, although things like DriveMode are easy to add. At a generous 3505 mAh, the battery has good life for heavy daily use, and will easily go 10 days with light use. (If you don't need Location on all the time for navigation and such, keeping it off will double your typical battery life.) If you have large hands, the KEYone is very comfortable to hold... not too wide or thin. Running Android 7.1.1 as the OS means access to a large complement of Google Play Store and Blackberry apps.

While the phone is not MIL-810G or IP rated like a rugged phone, it is well constructed and a simple soft-shell case will help it take a small drop. The screen is Gorilla Glass 4 and should remain scratch-free for a long time. The KEYone uses the newer (and smaller) nano SIM card, so if your current phone has a micro SIM, you'll need to transfer information rather than popping the card into the slot. I have a high-speed 128 GB microSD card for extra room, but doubt I'll come near filling it. The internal storage is a 32 GB unit, with about 70% of that available at the start. The processor and 3 GB of RAM provide smooth and swift response.

I definitely like this phone over traditional smartphones, since I have that preference for hard keys, but those of you coming from an all-screen phone won't find the keyboard intrusive at all. Looking forward to years of service!

The Blackberry KeyONE has been my daily driver for just under three months and I have to say I am impressed. Blackberrys venture into the 2017 smartphone game was not in vain. The impressive build quality makes the KeyONE feel like a truly dependable device. You can honestly drop this phone and worry about your floor breaking first. From it's exceptional build, its phenomenal battery, it's amazing privacy and security features, unique keyboard, ease of use,and excellent RAM management, it's very easy to overlook the less powerful SOC and lack of OIS.

All in all the Blackberry KeyONE is not a phone to pass up. If you're looking for something out of the ordinary, or something with excellent productivity value, the KeyONE is the phone for you.