BlackBerry Key2 review: Legacy keyboard design gets a fresh, useful twist

The BlackBerry Key2 features an enhanced design, slightly powerful processor, more RAM, latest Google Android operating system and a dual camera set-up on the back.

Canadian smartphone brand BlackBerry, licensed to India-based Optiemus Infracom, on July 23 launched the BlackBerry Key2, a successor to the BlackBerry KeyOne, which had a full-QWERTY keyboard. Compared to the predecessor, the Key2 not only features an enhanced design but also gets a slightly powerful processor, more RAM, latest Google Android operating system, and a dual-camera set-up at the back. The Amazon-exclusive touch and type smartphone goes on sale today i.e. July 31.

In current times, when almost all smartphones have begun to look almost the same, the BlackBerry Key2, with a rectangular touchscreen-cum-physical-keyboard design, offers a fresh new experience. But, is it worth going back to legacy keyboard design, which one ditched in favour of the all-screen mobile phone format? Let’s find out:

Design

The BlackBerry Key2 impresses with its lightweight design. The phone’s back has a soft texture, which makes it easy to hold the device and use the QWERTY keyboard comfortably. The phone’s rectangular aluminium chassis gives it a solid stance and adds to its overall appeal. The chassis houses volume rocker keys, power key and a customisable speed key on the right, while the left has an ejectable dualSIM slot. On the top, the phone has a 3.5mm audio output jack and the secondary microphone, and the bottom is covered with a USB type-C charging-cum-data transfer port surrounded by 12-hole grilles on either side with a speaker and a primary microphone.

It is the phone’s front that catches your eye with its unorthodox touchscreen and keyboard design. The screen covers two-thirds of the front area, and keyboard the rest. Overall, the BlackBerry Key2 design offers a fresh new experience in the current times, when almost all the smartphones have begun to look identical in many ways.

Display and keyboard

The BlackBerry Key2 has a 4.5-inch fullHD screen stretched in a 3:2 aspect ratio. While the fullHD resolution panel looks sharp, the unconventional 3:2 aspect ratio makes it appear unoptimised for multimedia content. However, the screen is a delight to use for reading articles, books, news, emails, etc, and for messaging.

Speaking of messages and emails, the BlackBerry Key2 features a full QWERTY keyboard, which is swift and makes your writing less prone to errors. The chances of committing a typo is less while using a physical keyboard rather than an on-screen touch keyboard. It takes some time to get used to the physical keyboard on a smartphone after long, but once the fingers adapt to the change, the keyboard looks the best thing possible, especially if you write a lot using your smartphone.

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