Canadian smartphone maker Blackberry announced their latest Blackberry KeyOne smartphone. Their new device sports a QWERTY keypad much like their other proprietary devices the pre-Apple era. The smartphone comes at a price of $549 unlocked.
The sale of Blackberry devices has witnessed a massive decrease which is likely due to aggressive pricing from the manufacturer. As noted from CNBC, Blackberry doesn't manufacture devices anymore assigning that job to Chinese firm TCL communications who in turn sell it under Blackberry branding. Blackberry KeyOne hasn't been rolled out globally with their home turf Canada being their first market.
The Blackberry KeyOne will be sold in the US very soon where Sprint plans to hold a dedicated device launch. Key features of the new smartphone include an embedded fingerprint sensor on the spacebar of the keypad. While serving as a space bar, it also offers other security features.
Blackberry KeyOne might be the final device from the manufacturer since their devices haven't fared well in the Android industry likely due to their competitors managing to do a better job, with a much lesser price. While security on Blackberry devices is undoubtedly better, new customers are attracted to the likes of smartphones from Samsung, LG, and others.
A review from the Business Insider points out that the Blackberry KeyOne smartphone can be preferred by a small set of people only and is a total waste to everyone else. The company is now concentrating on selling their security features to others while bringing a halt to their own devices in the market.
The phone features a 4.5-inch display that also acts as a touchscreen. The device has a very good build quality and hence it provides a great outlook to the onlooker. A USB-C port on it is a welcome change for many people who use a lot of devices making use of the same port. This will, in turn, eliminate carrying a lot of charging cables with a user.
