BlackBerry has always been serious about top-of-the-line security in smartphone, and they have, yet again, launched a super secure device in India dubbed the BlackBerry KEYone that has been priced at Rs 39,990, and will be available starting 8 August, exclusively on Amazon.in.
The phone has been launched in India in collaboration with Indian tele-communications enterprise Optiemus. Here’s what we think about the latest BlackBerry phone.
Specification
- Display: 4.5-inch full HD, 434ppi Gorilla Glass 4
- Processor: Snapdragon 625
- RAM: 4GB
- Memory: 64GB (Expandable up to 2TB)
- Rear camera: 12-megapixel
- Front camera: 8-megapixel
- Battery: 3505mAh non-removable
- Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G VoLTE
- Price: Rs 39,990
Design & Display
The 4.5-inch KEYone sports a aluminium frame design with a textured finish at the back. It’s feel like a rubberised finish has been given to help you grip the phone more firmly. It’s sports a very blockish design and screams BlackBerry (premium).
It comes with a physical keyboard that supports gestures and comes with customised shortcuts (almost 52!). The space bar acts as a fingerprint sensor which comes with LED light to help you access the sensor better in the dark.
The BB KEYone sports a full HD display that pumps out 434 ppi (pixels per inch). The display struggles a bit under direct sunlight. What’s good about the compact screen size is that it gives your more screen space for texts compared to other 5.5-inch phones. It sports 3D curved glass on the front which and is protected by Gorilla Glass 4.
Performance & Hardware
The new KEYone houses a Snapdragon 625 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. Ample amount of storage in this ‘one’ as it comes with 64GB of on-board storage that is expandable up to 2TB via microSD card.
BlackBerry and Android have been friends for a while now and that friendship continues with the phone running on the latest Android Nougat 7.1.1. For graphics you have a 506 GPU.
The phone supports type-C charging which supports Quick Charge 3.0. The big feature of this phone is the DTEK security that offers features like monthly security updates, Password Keeper, Privacy Shade for your display and many more.
Camera & Battery Life
A 12-megapixel sensor rests at the back of the KEYone. It come with f/2.0 aperture and is capable recording 4K videos. The front sports an 8-megapixel shooter that comes with a wide angle and f/2.2 aperture.
Shots are decent enough in both low and daylight. It also comes with a 3505mAh battery that’s non-removable. BlackBerry claim that the battery can charge up to 50% in juts 36 minutes.
Worth Buying?
The BlackBerry KEYone has been priced for the Indian market at Rs 39,990 which I feel is a compelling price tag. The phone offers a lot in this price segment like high-end smartphone security and a fluid Android interface.
Though, it has stiff competition from the likes of the Moto Z and even the OnePlus 5, it remains to be seen if the KEYone could be the ‘one’ the gets BlackBerry back in the game.
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