While I’ve been focussing more on making video reviews on YouTube (which you should totally subscribe to here), I’ve been kind of neglecting this space over here. Those of you who have known me for a long time, might know that this writing and reviewing mobile tech stuff, really started with my love for BlackBerry devices.
So call it nostalgia, trying to keep this space alive, or just me getting some thoughts out of my head, I’ll like to talk about the BlackBerry KEYone, a.k.a. BlackBerry Mercury.
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We were given a sneak peek at the device a while back at CES 2017, and now we finally have a complete picture of what this device is packing.
Basically, this is a mid-high range smartphone, in the traditional BlackBerry physical QWERTY form factor. Before we talk about the specs, let’s talk about the price. It’s US$549, and I want you to keep that price in mind while I talk about the specs of the phone.
It uses the less powerful, but more power efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, with 3GB of RAM, and 32GB internal memory (w/microSD slot). It also has a gigantic 3,505mAh battery on it. It’s a combination that has been well-received on the Moto Z Play, known for its frugalness with battery consumption, and decent performance.
With that QWERTY keyboard taking up about a quarter of the phone’s front, if you’re interested in this phone, your main usage of the phone is not going to be playing games, or consuming media. So as long as that processor, and BlackBerry Mobile’s software can keep up, I think it’s a good trade-off to get better battery life, as well as keep the price a bit lower.
I know what you’re thinking, these specs at US$549 is still a bit steep isn’t it? Even if it does pack one of the best camera sensor in the market now (Sony IMX378, 12MP, f/2.0, 1.55um, PDAF), which is same sensor the Google Pixel is using.
Yeah. Totally. Considering the OnePlus 3T is packing flagship level specs, and going for just US$439. But the KEYone does have something going for it that you can’t get on other Android devices (aside from the BlackBerry Priv). The BlackBerry experience.
Hear me out.
When you look at phones like the Google Pixel, HTC U Ultra, Huawei Mate 9, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG V20, Moto Z, etc. They’re all decent high end Android devices. One device might be better at doing some things compared to others. If you’re a regular consumer, the way you use these devices are probably going to be largely similar. If you’re a power/business user, you might be able to tweak the software a little to make things work a bit faster for you, but you’re largely tied down to the same user paradigm.
This is where the BlackBerry experience comes in with their expertise in being productive on a mobile OS. I’ve used everything from from BlackBerryOS 5.0 to BlackBerry 10.3, and of course the BlackBerry Priv too. And, I think the KEYone could offer that unique experience in the Android ecosystem.
The main components of this experience are the physical keyboard and the software. So other than the obvious being that physical keyboards provides a more tactile typing experience, the important thing is that it augments the experience of how you use the phone.
You can program up to 52 different shortcuts (normal button press, or long press) on the keyboard. It’s a feature already found on the Priv, but this time, there’s no need to slide open the keyboard first. You can make it launch an app, call someone, create a message to someone, etc.
On a traditional touch screen device, you’ll have to open an app, or tap on things to make this happen. With a physical keyboard, muscle memory will help you get to where you want to be a little bit quicker.
The second component would be software. You have the typical BlackBerry suite of enhancements like BlackBerry Hub, a few tweaks to a largely stock Android interface (like the shortcuts mentioned above), and the security-focused enhancements. Which again, makes it a great device for the productivity focused or for business needs. Of course that is provided the software is well optimised and smooth to use.
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So yeah, like with the BlackBerry Priv which I was pretty excited for, I think it’s going to be an interesting device. I’m not sure if it’ll be any good, or whether it’ll be worth the price that TCL and BlackBerry is asking for, but at least it offers something different in the Android ecosystem.
While the specs of the phone isn’t exactly cutting edge, it looks like a phone with a clear focus on what it wants to be. Hell, the phone is called KEYone, and they probably know that the keyboard, is the one thing that will set this phone apart.
It’s probably going to be a niche product that won’t appeal to the masses, but I’m glad the phone exists, and I can’t wait to try it out myself.
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