We all thought Blackberry was Dead and that it had stopped the manufacturing of mobile phones! No, The Canadian firm just had a comeback with the KEYone, A sleek and beautiful $549 smartphone that runs on Google’s Android Latest operating system and features BlackBerry’s signature physical keyboard.
TCL will present the BlackBerry KEYone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in the next few days.The phone will be released April at a price of $549. The features will include
- A QWERTY keyboard with a fingerprint sensor built into the spacebar. The keyboard also responds to touch gestures which mimics the old BlackBerry trackpad;
- Running Android 7, the latest version of Google’s Android operating system;
- A 4.5 inch touch screen display;
- A Fast charge allowing 50 percent charge in 36 minutes;
- A 12 megapixel rear camera and 8 megapixel front facing selfie camera.and
- A Pre-installed BlackBerry security software called DTEK;
- Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a USB type-C interface
- RAM: 3 GB
TCL’s president of North America, Steve Cistulli, told CNBC that the company’s plan is to market this device to the enterprise market, as a part of a broader strategy to recapture the hearts of consumers, and challenge A-class mobile brands such as Samsung and Apple.
BlackBerry was once one of the most dominant brands in the mobile phone world, but quickly fell from the top of the heap shortly after Apple introduced the iPhone, then lost more ground when Samsung started releasing smartphones. They tried comebacks by releasing Android powered models like the PRIV and the LEAP which did not get enough sales as smartphone users bought more Samsung and Apple products
The executive said the company TLC ,which also makes the Alcatel brand of mobile phones, is aiming to be the number three player in North America by 2020, and near the top five globally.
So what do you think of this Blackberry smartphone, Share your opinions and views in the comment section below.
