MWC 2017: BlackBerry KEYone unveiled

• Phone will be priced at US$549 (RM2,439/ S$771/7,323,660 Rupiah)
• KEYone combines a touch display with a physical keyboard

AFTER much anticipation, TCL Communication, the strategic licensee of BlackBerry, has taken the wraps off its new BlackBerry KEYone and announced that the new smartphone would be available in April and will be priced at US$549 (RM2,439/ S$771/7,323,660 Rupiah).

Tucked into an anodised aluminium frame and soft-touch textured black, this is indeed a BlackBerry phone that pays homage to its predecessors while offering durable build quality.

The phone will feature a 4.5-inch display (1,620 x 1,080 resolution) with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for greater impact and scratch protection.

The KEYone also combines a touch display with a physical keyboard to provide users with that iconic typing experience of a BlackBerry device.

The device’s Smart Keyboard responds to touch gestures and mimics using the trackpad of old while web browsing, reading email and writing messages with flick typing becomes a smooth and intuitive experience.

Interestingly the Smart Keyboard can be customised with up to 52 shortcuts such as setting “I” for your inbox or “M” to access maps.

It will also feature a fingerprint sensor built into the keyboard space bar for added security.

Out of the box, the device runs Android 7.1 - giving users access to the entire Google Play store and apps - and will receive Google security patch updates. It comes loaded with BlackBerry Hub, bringing all your messages into one consolidated place; including emails, texts and messages from any social media account

BlackBerry Hub, is the ability to manage multiple email accounts without switching between apps, with support for Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook, Microsoft Exchange accounts, and many other IMAP and POP3 email providers.

On the inside, the new BlackBerry smartphone will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 mobile platform with an Adreno 506 GPU and a 3,505mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

The KEYone will use a 12MP rear camera with the industry leading Sony IMX378 camera sensor. With a large pixel size (1.55um) and Phase Detect Auto Focus, moments captured on the BlackBerry KEYone will be ultra-crisp and clear. And for when you have to take a video conference on the go, it includes an 8MP front camera with fixed focus and 84-degree wide angle lens.

For more information about the BlackBerry KEYone go to www.BlackBerryMobile.com

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