TCL unveiled the BlackBerry KEYone yesterday and like most BlackBerry smartphones, carrier information was lacking. While the device will be able to buy unlocked, there was very little information about carrier support.
What we do know is that here in the UK, Carphone Warehouse will be stocking the device and we are officially allowed to say that the device will be available to purchase in mid-April.
Meanwhile, in Canada, Telus have tweeted that they will be carrying the BlackBerry KEYone, and they state that it will be “coming soon”
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.
Another benefit of 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.
It includes Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology, making it possible for the 3505 mAh battery on the KEYone – the largest ever in a BlackBerry device, to receive up to 50 percent charge in roughly 36 minutes. And for when you only have a few moments to grab a fast charge, BlackBerry’s Boost can turbo charge your battery to get you the most charge with the limited time you have.
Introducing BlackBerry KEYone. Distinctly different. Coming soon to TELUS. pic.twitter.com/RNilVXv4on
— TELUS (@TELUS) February 26, 2017
Coming to the camera, there is a 12MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, and dual tone LED flash. For selfies, there is an 8MP front camera with 1.12 µm pixel size. Both the cameras can record videos at a maximum of Full HD resolution. The power button, volume rocker, and the SIM card are placed on the right edge of the device.
On the left edge is the BlackBerry Convenience Key that can be customized for different operations. In between the display and QWERTY keyboard are the three capacitive navigation buttons for back, home, and multi-tasking (from left to right).
The BlackBerry KEYone will be priced at launch at or under €599 EUR/£499 GBP/$549 USD.
BlackBerry KEYone Specs
| Operating system | Android 7.1 Nougat |
| Display | 4.5-inch, 1620×1080 IPS LCD 434ppi 3:2 Aspect Ratio |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Quad-core 2.00GHz Adreno 506 GPU |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Storage | 32GB |
| Expandable | microSD up to 2TB |
| Rear Camera | 12MP (1.55 micron) f/2.0, PDAF dual-tone LED flash HDR, 4K, 30fps |
| Front Camera | 8MP f/2.2 1.12-micron pixels Selfie flash 1080p/30 video |
| Battery | 3505 mAh non-removable |
| Charging | Quick Charge 3.0 USB-C |
| Water resistance | No |
| Security | DTEK security suite FIPS 140-2 Full Disk Encryption Android For Work, Google Play for Work |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC GPS, GLONASS NFC FM Radio |
| Network (NA GSM) | LTE Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/19/20/28/29/30 TD-LTE Band 38/39/40/41 |
| Network (NA CDMA) | LTE Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/13/20/25/26/28/29/30 TD-LTE Band 41 CDMA BC 0/1/10 |
| Network (EMEA) | LTE Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/13/17/20/28 TD-LTE Band 38,40 |
| Dimensions | 149.1 mm x 72.39 mm x 9.4 mm |
| Weight | 180 grams |
