Is my phone's bootloader unlocked? Is it SIM unlocked? What's the difference, and why is any of this important? · Update: Our BlackBerry KeyOne review has been updated to reflect the fact that some users have reported screen pop up issues. Our review unit didn't exhibit this. Black. Berry Key. One review: part productivity, part nostalgia. It was in about the third hour of using the new Black. Berry Key. One, available this month for $5. I started to question my longtime preference for touchscreen keyboards. Because as I was pushing on the Key. One’s tiny little buttons with the tips of my thumbs, I remembered why some people still have such an affinity for these things. It wasn’t that I was able to type faster with the Black. Berry’s keyboard (I wasn’t), or that I was more accurate with it (I still used autocorrect). It was that I felt like I was more productive when using it. I wasn’t wasting time tweeting nonsense or sending emoji in ephemeral messages. I was sending important emails, working with my colleagues in Slack, creating and completing to- do lists, and adding appointments to my calendar. I was Getting Shit Done. Getting shit done is really the entire ethos of the new Key. One, and arguably, the many Black. Berry devices that preceded it. The Key. One is a phone for a very specific person, one that longs for the days when the Black. Berry Bold was the most important device in the office and the majority of business communications happened over email. BlackBerry KEYone 4G LTE with 32GB Memory Unlocked Cell Phone for Verizon: Android 7.1 Nougat; 4G LTE speed; 4.5" touch screen; 12.0MP rear- and 8.0MP front-facing.It’s not the best choice for watching hours of You. Tube videos, sending thousands of Snaps, or reading novel- length ebooks (though it can technically do all of those things). It is for sending email. Lots of email. The Key. One’s focus on productivity is embodied by its hardware design. Technically, this phone was built by TCL, as Black. Berry itself does not make hardware anymore. And it’s running Google’s Android software instead of Black. Berry’s own operating system. But rest assured, it looks like a Black. Berry through and through, right down to the classic logo embedded in the soft- touch back of the phone. It’s the first model from TCL that truly does look like a Black. Berry and not just another slab- style smartphone. Obviously, the keyboard is the centerpiece of attention here, and the main reason why anyone would consider purchasing this phone. As far as smartphone keyboards go, rare as they are in 2. The clicky keys are backlit and they have a sloped design. They’re easy to press and easy to run your fingers over. The phone is also comfortably narrow to use in one hand (unlike the oddly wide Black. Berry Passport or the tall and unwieldy Priv slider), though most of the time I found myself typing with both thumbs. The keyboard is nostalgic, but capable. The keys support a variety of programmable shortcuts (up to 5. Black. Berry should, and the whole keyboard can act as a touch- sensitive trackpad that can be used instead of the touchscreen for scrolling through web pages or long lists of email. A swipe up on the left, right, or center of the keyboard will select the next predicted word while you’re typing, which blends some of the intelligent features of a virtual keyboard with the tactility of the physical one. Cleverly embedded in the keyboard’s space bar is a fingerprint scanner, which is effortless to use and makes unlocking the Key. One a breeze. The right side of the phone is home to another Black. Berry staple: a customizable shortcut button that can be set to launch an app or perform a custom action. I’ve got it set to launch the camera; in phone calls, it will mute your line. The signature Black. Berry multicolor notification LED is also present and accounted for. The Key. One’s overall aesthetic can best be described as utilitarian — its two- tone silver- and- black look is way more boardroom than nightclub, and it’s not going to stand out in a crowded subway car (unless someone sees that keyboard, of course). But the fit and finish are very good, the volume keys and power button click with satisfaction, and the back’s rubberized finish is comfortable and grippy in ways that all- glass or aluminum phones never are. It is a brick, though, and heavier than you might expect: at 1. Samsung phone or i. Phone. The presence of the physical keyboard dictates the Key. One’s unique display: a 4. The screen here is essentially the opposite of the elongated displays on the Galaxy S8 and LG G6 — it’s more square than most smartphone screens, which makes it a poor fit for watching widescreen video in portrait or landscape. But Black. Berry says it’s great for composing email, because the Key. One’s screen can provide up to a third more usable space when typing compared to a 5. If you spend all day in your inbox, then you’ll probably appreciate the Key. One’s odd screen ratio. But it was constrictive when I was doing other smartphone things, like viewing a webpage, browsing Twitter, or reading my Pocket queue, and it made me scroll a lot more than is necessary with other smartphones. Viewing more than three tweets at a time isn’t possible and using split- screen multitasking is a joke with the Key. One’s small, cramped display — I’m not sure why that option is even present on this device. The Key. One’s internal specs also speak to its productivity focus. It has a midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 6. Ah battery. This is the same potent combination as found in last year’s Moto Z Play that can provide stellar battery life, and the Key. One is a stamina champ as a result. Most people will be able to easily get two days of use between charges; my particularly demanding routine exhausts it in one day. But the only other phone that can last a full day for me is the Z Play, so the Key. One is at the top of the charts here. It also benefits from Qualcomm’s Quick. Charge 3. 0 fast charging and a special "boost" mode that can bring the phone from 0 to 5. The Key. One’s processor is fine for everyday tasks, including multitasking between various apps. It can handle gaming, as well, and I didn’t run into any notable performance issues during my time with the phone. It won’t blow you away with speed or slickness, but it’s a marathon workhorse that will go from dusk til dawn, which, again, is the entire point of the Key. One. The Key. One’s battery life is matched by few other smartphones. Also in the this- is- fine category are the 1. The main camera has large pixels and a bright, f/2. It won’t compete with a Google Pixel or the best from Apple or Samsung, but when you think about the fact that you basically took crap photos the last time you used a keyboard- equipped Black. Berry, this is a definite leap, and it’s fine compared to most smartphones. It’s pretty adept at taking pictures of receipts for my expense reports, which is what I suspect most owners of this phone would use it for. Continuing the theme of productivity! The Key. One’s software has a few extra things to help get work done. It’s running Android 7. Nougat (with the most- recent April 5th security patch, as of publish date) and has a largely untouched interface from what Google provides. All of Black. Berry’s special sauce is concentrated in the Hub, a centralized place for your email, calendar, tasks, and other forms of communication. Black. Berry has been working on and iterating the Hub since the days of Black. Berry 1. 0, and now it supports integration with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Messenger, and Slack, in addition to SMS, BBM, and both corporate and personal email. It’s surprisingly efficient to use and even works well with Google accounts, which never cooperated nicely with Black. Berry software in the past. I particularly like the slide- out panel accessible from within any app that shows me unread messages, upcoming appointments and tasks, and my favorite contacts. Black. Berry doesn’t have a great track record for delivering major updates to its Android phones (2. Priv is still stuck on Android 6. Marshmallow), but it does update the security patches on a regular basis. Other security features on the Key. One include the DTEK app, which alerts you whenever another app tries to do something malicious, and the Privacy Shade, which lets you block out the majority of the screen, leaving just a small area visible. Black. Berry Key. One review | Tech. Radar. Update: Our Black. Berry Key. One review has been updated to reflect the fact that some users have reported screen pop up issues. Our review unit didn't exhibit this behavior, but we've noted it below just in case. Move over, Samsung Galaxy S8. The Black. Berry Key. One is the latest smartphone comeback story of 2. China’s TCL Communications. It’s touted as the most secure Android phone, pre- loaded with smart, enterprise- level mobile software and, at last, delivers an old- school physical keyboard within a modern enough stainless steel and faux- leather design. This is the reinvented Black. Berry for everyone wholly determined to reclaim a tactile keyboard and Black. Berry Messenger. It works great for typing once you get used to the keys again. We were actually more accurate at typing with it, though we never faster versus using an on- screen keyboard.‘Crack. Berry’ addicts have something to look forward to here. But it’s a workaholic. Black. Berry Key. One is all business in the front and back, less of a multimedia party anywhere in between. The screen is bright and colorful, but its 3: 2 aspect ratio leaves you with unsightly black bars on all 1. It makes movies look really small. The audio comes out through a single bottom- firing speaker, too. It’s like this phone clocks out at 5pm sharp when it comes to the fun stuff. It borrows camera specs from other top- tier top phones, with a 1. MP sensor right out of the Google Pixel. Photos are good, though the shared specs only go so far: it doesn't have the same backend camera image stabilization software and its front- end camera app is a mess. Black. Berry Key. One is clearly an Android phone that has productivity users in mind. It works as an entertainment device, too, but it’s not the best at it. Sure, it doesn’t have the fastest chipset and a fancy new display, yet it’s one of the best phones at helping you manage day- to- day tasks and will last you the entire day with battery life that lasts more than 2. What it lacks in top- of- the- line internal chip specs it tries to make up for with unique features like sophisticated software and its physical keyboard. It’s a trade- off that makes it slightly cheaper. Does this new Black. Berry phone have enough of an enterprise advantage to lure you back from your on- screen, makebelieve keyboard? Let’s get down to business and put it to the test.£4. UK at Selfridges and Carphone Warehouse$5. US unlocked on May 3. On- contract via Sprint later this summer. The Black. Berry Key. One price is somewhere in between Wall Street and Main Street, costing $5. AU$7. 29). It’s cheaper than an i. Phone 7 or the Samsung Galaxy S8. In the US, there are two versions: an unlocked edition that’s GSM and CDMA capable across the networks, and a summer- bound CDMA model for Sprint. In the UK, it has launched early at London's prestigious Selfridges and eventually came to Carphone Warehouse on May 5. More UK retailers and carriers coming on board through the month. The Black. Berry Key. One US release date is a longer wait. The unlocked model is scheduled for May 3. Canada, too. Black. Berry's signature keys return, spurning the new all- screen trend. Makes for a more precise, but slow typing experience. Neat tricks: 5. 2 key shortcuts, trackpad- like movement and suggested word- flicking gestures. The Blackberry Key. One is all about its physical keyboard in a world dominated by touchscreen i. Phones and Androids. It’s the exact opposite of the Galaxy S8 and LG G6 all- screen trend. Black. Berry’s signature keyboard is a welcomed change if you miss the tactile feedback of a real smartphone keyboard. There are 3. 5- chicklet- style keys, and each one it properly backlit with no need for an on- screen keyboard to hog your display. It does take several hours of typing to re- learn how use it. At first, it’s problematic. B shares a key with ! How’s your day going. B” with quickly apologize. Sorry, mom.”We found ourselves making fewer typing mistakes going back to a Black. Berry, but overall slower in our characters- per- minute output. We. e were never faster versus typing on an on- screen keyboard, just more accurate and less autocorrect dependent. There are several twists to make life easier. It has 5. 2 customizable shortcuts, so every long and short press gets you somewhere faster. Hold down on the ‘I’ key while on the home screen and you instantly get to Instagram. Blackberry Key. One has three- word suggestions across the bottom of the touchscreen as part of its contextual next word prediction engine. It’s smart, but doesn't have punctuation predictions or, like i. OS 1. 0, emoji predictions. That’s too fun for a Black. Berry. You can, however, select a suggested word without ever lifting your thumbs from the keyboard. Just slide up on the keys and it’ll almost flick the word right onto the screen. It works most of the time and feels faster than tapping one of the on- screen choices. The entire keyboard also acts as a trackpad, so you can scroll through menus and web pages as you lightly pet the keys. You, again, don’t need to put your fingers on the screen. Two- tone sophisticated look: black soft touch back and silver accents. Biometric fingerprint scanner is hidden inside the space bar. Ironically named connivence key is more annoying than it is helpful. Strangely, no dual- SIM option for international business travelers. The Black. Berry Key. One has an air of sophistication, even as it blends the old and the new technology. It looks like a productivity tool carried by the workforce elite. Its screen- and- keyboard combo is outlined in a silver anodized aluminum frame and backed by a black, soft grip textured rear cover. This stylish, two- toned look is has real character. No, the rubberized back isn’t really leather, but it gives that impression. The aluminum frame is scratch- resistant and stood up to our minor testing abuse. Not everyone has had such luck, with a few people reporting that the screen pops out rather easily with a little bend. The most clever thing about this new Black. Berry design is that it hides the fingerprint sensor inside the small space bar at the bottom of the phone. It’s an odd shape for a biometric scanner. The good news is that the blended fingerprint sensor works really well here with a near 0% fail rate. It’s also easy to access on the front and it can wake the phone from a screen- off state. There's also a custom 'convenience' button we mapped to the camera app, but found it more annoying than helpful due to its easy- to- mispress location. Oh, the camera is open.. During calls, it functions as a mute button, which we found useful. It’s easy to remember this button exists during active calls, not when you’re first picking up your smartphone from a table. Again, with the camera opening?!”There's no upside to the mono speaker on the bottom frame. It helps no one – on- the- go entertainment seekers and business speakerphone devotees alike. We’re also surprised the Black. Berry Key. One doesn’t have a dual nano SIM tray when many unlocked phones out of China now have a second SIM / micro. SD card tray. This just has the latter, to the chagrin of jet- setting international business travelers. Full HD screen feels like a 5. The bright display looks great, but its 3: 2 aspect ratio forces 1. This is not a multimedia showstopper, it's a workhorse. The Black. Berry Key. One display shares the front face of the phone with the keyboard, so it can’t compare to an trendy new all- screen Android phone. You just can have everything in life. Its 4. 5- inch Full HD screen is misshapen, with one third of the phone real estate taken up by non- screen parts: keyboard, capacitive buttons and front camera. It feels like a 5. Anything taller would make this already 1. We end up with a screen that’s bright, colorful and gives you more usable space thanks to the the keyboard and trackpad- like scrolling. Sadly, not every app adjusts to a 1,6. You’re going to run into problems with the 3: 2 aspect ratio on a daily basis.
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