BlackBerry KeyOne Smartphone Review: Pros and Cons

The BlackBerry KeyOne is a solid choice for those who want a physical keyboard on their smartphone. It's available in black, silver, and space gray colors.

The phone's 4.5-inch touchscreen display is decent, but it's not the largest or most vibrant on the market.

The KeyOne's 12MP rear camera takes good photos, especially in bright lighting conditions. You can also record 4K video at 30fps.

One of the standout features of the KeyOne is its physical keyboard, which is great for typing out long emails or messages.

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The BlackBerry KeyOne's hardware and design are a key part of its appeal. It's powered by a 3505 mAh non-removable battery and an octa-core, Snapdragon 625 processor.

The phone's case is made of a silver aluminum frame, with a black rubbery grip in the back, providing a solid heft to it. This makes it well-balanced and easy to hold, even with one hand.

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Its dimensions are 149.1 x 72.4 x 9.4 mm, which is relatively compact compared to other smartphones. The top of the phone features a headphone jack, while the bottom has a USB-C port and a mono speaker.

The phone's screen is a 3:2, IPS display at 1080x1620 pixels, with a pixel density of 434 ppi. It also features a fully touch-enabled integrated hardware keyboard, which responds to swipe gestures and doubles as a trackpad.

The phone's camera setup includes an 8-megapixel front camera and a 12-megapixel rear camera, both of which can record video. The rear camera can shoot 4K videos at 30 fps.

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The BlackBerry KeyOne's performance is a mixed bag. It runs on the Snapdragon 625 platform, which is a mid-range chip that's similar to what you'd find in a lower-end phone like the Moto G5 Plus. This means it's not as fast as a flagship phone, but it's still sufficient for everyday tasks like typing, browsing, and gaming.

Apps can load slowly and menus may crawl as you scroll, but an update can help alleviate some of these issues. I've found that the phone can handle tasks like playing PinOut and Super Mario Run, but it's not ideal for gaming.

The battery life is where the KeyOne truly shines. With a 3,505mAh battery and a power-sipping Snapdragon 625, you can easily get a day and a half of regular use before needing to recharge. This is impressive, especially compared to phones like the Galaxy S8, which may leave you with only 10-20% battery life at the end of the day.

The BlackBerry KEYone's performance is a mixed bag, with some areas showing promise and others falling short. The phone runs on the Snapdragon 625 platform with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which may seem like a good combination, but it can be slow to load apps and menus.

After an update, the phone's performance improved significantly, but it still lags behind other devices. I've had great experiences with Android phones of similar pedigrees, but the KEYone's performance is not on the same level.

The phone's battery life, however, is a major strength, lasting for days on a single charge. This is thanks to the 3,505mAh battery and the power-sipping Snapdragon 625 processor. I easily got a day and a half of regular use before needing to recharge.

Benchmark scores for the Snapdragon 625 are similar to those of lower-end phones, and graphics performance is particularly weak. However, the phone's battery life is better than many flagship devices, including the Galaxy S8.

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The KEYone's camera is a highlight of the phone, capturing great photos outdoors and in moderate light. It uses a 12 megapixel IMX378 rear camera sensor, the same as the Google Pixel, but the KEYone's performance is more than just its sensor.

The combination of large 1.55 micron pixels and a wide f/2.0 aperture makes for some remarkable shots, even on Auto mode. I took some great photos at dusk that I'll treasure.

Indoors, the camera struggles with grain and poor white balance, especially when capturing moving subjects. The Snapdragon 625's aging image signal processor and lack of optical image stabilization contribute to these issues.

One of the KEYone's best features is its manual mode, which is one of my favorites among any phone camera I've used. The space bar doubles as a shutter button, making it easy to take control of your shots.

The KEYone can also record decent-yet-shaky 4K video at 30fps, and the 8MP front camera gets the job done.

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The BlackBerry KeyOne's specs are impressive, but let's get into the details. The phone runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and its 4.5-inch IPS LCD display packs a punch with 434ppi.

The KeyOne is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, an octa-core 2.0GHz chip with an Adreno 506 GPU. This combination provides smooth performance and efficient battery usage. With 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, you'll have enough space for your apps and files. Plus, the phone supports microSD cards up to 2TB for extra storage.

Here are the KeyOne's key specs at a glance:

The KeyOne's battery life is also noteworthy, with a 3505mAh non-removable battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0.

The KEYone's specs are a mixed bag, but let's start with the good stuff. The phone has a 4.5-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1620x1080, which works out to a pixel density of 434ppi.

The KEYone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, an octa-core 2.0GHz chip that's paired with an Adreno 506 GPU. This is a solid combination for general use, but it may not be enough for heavy gaming or demanding tasks.

One of the KEYone's standout features is its battery life. The phone has a 3505mAh non-removable battery that's charged via USB-C and supports Quick Charge 3.0. This should give you a full day's use, even with moderate to heavy usage.

The KEYone has a 32GB storage capacity, but you can expand it up to 2TB using a microSD card. This is a big plus for anyone who needs extra storage.

Here are the KEYone's specs at a glance:

The KEYone has a 12MP rear camera with a dual-tone LED flash and HDR support, as well as 4K video recording at 30fps. The front camera is an 8MP sensor with a selfie flash and 1080p video recording at 30fps.

The BlackBerry KeyOne has several variants, each with its own unique features. The AT&T-exclusive version, BlackBerry KeyOne Space Black, was released in the United States in September 2017.

This device has the same specifications as the original KeyOne, but with a different color scheme. It was available in the US, but not in other regions.

In India, BlackBerry launched an upgraded variant called BlackBerry KeyOne Limited Edition. This model comes with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal memory.

It also features dual SIM card support, a significant upgrade from the regular KeyOne model. BlackBerry offered a 1 Year Free Screen Replacement guarantee on this device, available exclusively through OnlyMobiles.com.

The Limited Edition Black variant was later sold worldwide as the Black Edition. It's worth noting that this variant was also released in Indonesia, branded under the Limited Edition Black title.

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The BlackBerry KeyOne is a messaging marvel for a niche audience, with its excellent hardware keyboard being a standout feature.

It's worth noting that the phone's security features are top-notch, with Hardware Root of Trust and Verified Boot, as well as monthly security updates.

The phone's design is well-balanced and feels great in the hand, but it's not ideal for one-handed use, especially when typing.

The KeyOne's price is $549, which is a significant investment, but for some users, it will be worth it.

Here are some key pros and cons of the phone:

Ultimately, the KeyOne is a reliable messaging companion for those who still prefer a physical keyboard, but it may not be the best choice for everyone.

The BlackBerry KeyOne's user experience is a major highlight of this device. One of the standout features is its physical keyboard, which is a game-changer for those who prefer typing on a physical keyboard.

The keyboard is designed for one-handed typing, making it easy to use on the go. It's also backlit, so you can type in the dark.

The phone's software is designed to work seamlessly with the keyboard, with features like predictive text and auto-correction that make typing a breeze. The KeyOne also comes with a built-in spell checker.

One of the things I love about the KeyOne is its ability to learn your typing habits and adapt to your style. It's like having a personal assistant built right into your phone.

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The phone's screen is a 4.5-inch display, which is the perfect size for browsing the web, checking email, and watching videos. It's also a great size for gaming, with crisp and vibrant graphics.

The KeyOne's battery life is also impressive, lasting up to 26 hours on a single charge. That's a full day's worth of use, even with heavy usage.

The BlackBerry KeyOne has some notable similarities and differences with other smartphones on the market.

One of its key similarities is its physical keyboard, which is a major draw for users who prefer a tactile typing experience.

The KeyOne also boasts a 4.5-inch touchscreen display, making it easy to navigate and control the phone with the touch screen.

However, the phone's physical design is quite different from most modern smartphones, with a more traditional look and feel.

The KeyOne's battery life is also a notable difference, with a reported 26 hours of mixed use, compared to many other smartphones that barely last a day.

This is likely due to the phone's more efficient hardware and software combination, which prioritizes battery life over raw processing power.

Overall, the BlackBerry KeyOne is a unique device that stands out from the crowd in both its similarities and differences.

The KeyOne's network performance is a mixed bag, with peak LTE speeds of 300Mbps, but it can get slower than higher-end devices.

You'll notice a difference if you're coming from an iPhone, but if you're switching from a lower-end device, you might not notice a significant improvement.

The KeyOne has a category 7, X9 modem, which is a good starting point, but it's not the best.

I used the KeyOne on T-Mobile for four days and experienced some connectivity issues, particularly in dead zones, where it took longer to recover than the Galaxy S7.

The KeyOne has a good earpiece and speakerphone, with clear and sharp sound quality, making it ideal for voice calls and indoor use.

The speaker port is located at the bottom, making it perfect for conference calls or use on a table.

It's worth noting that the KeyOne's speakerphone volume isn't the loudest, but it's suitable for everyday use.

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