BlackBerry KeyOne Android Phone Launched

BARCELONA — TCL launched the smartphone that it is counting on to revitalize the diminished BlackBerry brand. It’s called the BlackBerry KeyOne, and is being marketed as the most secure Android phone in the world.

KeyOne goes on sale in the U.S. in April for $549.

Speaking at a Mobile World Congress press event  here, TCL Communication CEO Nicolas Zibell said the phone represents the “beginning of a new story” for BlackBerry.

The old story is well known of course. How the once-powerhouse Canadian based-smartphone maker fell on hard times after the iPhone came along.  BlackBerry’s market share dwindled down to practically nothing.

Under a recent licensing agreement, Hong Kong-based TCL is now responsible for the hardware branded under BlackBerry Mobile. BlackBerry in Canada still supplies the security and software smarts.

The KeyOne is the first BlackBerry handset to come out under TCL’s watch.

The new phone certainly looks like a traditional BlackBerry, what with a Qwerty keyboard that reminds you of the popular BlackBerry keyboards of yesteryear. But this is a modernized version, with programmable keys that can provide up to 52 shortcuts. For example, you can press the “I” key for quick access to your inbox, or the “m” key for a maps shortcut.

The gesture-responsive keyboard also doubles as a trackpad.

Staple BlackBerry features on the device include the BlackBerry Hub repository for all your various communications, and DTEK security software.
Indeed, the KeyOne remains an enterprise play, but one BlackBerry hopes it will eventually appeal to consumers.

The KeyOne is supposed to have an all-day battery with fast charging. It runs off a Qualcomm 625 processor and has a modern USB-C connector. It runs the Nougat 7.1 version of Android.

Other specs: the phone has a 4.5-inch display (resolution 1620 x 1080), with a 12-megapixel rear camera and 8mp front camera. It comes with 32GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD.

It also has a fingerprint sensor but is not water resistant like other premium devices.

Ken Haier, the director of emerging device strategies at Strategy Analytics’ global wireless practice, believes that TCL’s ambition this year to stabilize the brand’s share is doable, especially given BlackBerry’s tiny volumes. The more difficult challenge for TCL, he says, will be to return BlackBerry to growth.

“They intend to do that as part of an integrated portfolio strategy in which they go to operators with a range of devices for all customers," Haier says. "There’s some merit to the strategy, but ultimately it will come down to features and price, as the BlackBerry brand doesn’t retain a strong following anymore, even in the enterprise.”

Consumer tech analyst Carolina Milanese of Creative Strategies thinks the price is a bit high, though she added in a tweet that TCL “should not go so low and devalue (the) BlackBerry brand.”

On Sunday at MWC, we hear from another fallen phone brand Nokia, itself pitting hopes on the comeback trail.