A few years back, everyone just loved BlackBerry devices with their incredibly useful keyboards and great features. While in the past few years these models have become a lot less popular, there still are people who recognize their usefulness. For these people, TCL keeps launching new models, with the latest one being the BlackBerry Key2. The new model just landed and it definitely is a nice device for its category. But is it great enough to make people upgrade from last year’s BlackBerry KeyOne? Let’s take a look at them both and then decide.
When it comes to design, the changes are not spectacular. This probably won’t be the reason why some people would upgrade to the new model. Of course, there are some changes in the looks of the new model, however, they aren’t necessarily jaw-dropping. In fact, they aren’t jaw- dropping at all. The BlackBerry Key2 keeps the same squarish design, only this time around the bezels got a little slimmer and the keys a little larger, making them even more comfortable to use. Other than this, the only truly visible change in the design is the form of the primary camera unit which now consists of two lenses instead of the single camera of last year’s model. Thus, the circular camera is gone and now users get an oval unit, housing two sensors. The size of the screen is exactly the same and the body of the device god a little taller and slimmer. The changes are hard to see with the naked eye.
Naturally, the new model got a small boost in terms of power two. The BlackBerry KeyOne sported a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, which was all right, while the new model, the BlackBerry Key2 comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC on board. Yes, this means that the new BlackBerry is still a mid-range handset, it didn’t get any high-end features. The device includes 6GB of RAM and users can opt for 64GB or 128GB internal storage variants. This is a considerable upgrade compared to the KeyOne which came with 3GB or 4GB of RAM and only 32GB or 64GB internal storage. Even though the new model offers more flash storage, TCL kept the microSD card slot, so users can still add up to 256GB of extra storage to the device.
As we already mentioned, the BlackBerry Key2 now features a dual rear camera setup. Last year’s KeyOne only came with a 12MP single camera on the back. This year, TCL offers its fans a dual camera setup consisting of two 12MP cameras that should normally be able to capture nicer images than the camera of the KeyOne. The front camera remained the same, the Key2 featuring the same 8MP sensor as its predecessor did. The new cameras come with a new app too, featuring Portrait Mode, which is really popular nowadays. Also, they have the capability to autofocus faster than the camera of the KeyOne.
Thankfully, there are some minor changes that will certainly improve the user experience. One of them is the presence of Bluetooth 5.0, which is a lot faster than the previous iteration of the protocol. The new model runs Android Oreo out of the box. Hopefully, it will get the P too soon after its release. There are some new features in the BlackBerry Key2’s Dtek, Locker, and Power Center. Rumor has it that these updates will also reach the BlackBerry KeyOne. The battery remains the same. Both the BlackBerry Key2 and the KeyOne feature the same 3,500mAh battery with fast charging support.
The BlackBerry Key2 might be a mid-range handset, but this doesn’t mean it’s a cheap one. The price of the device starts at $649, which is quite a lot for a smartphone with these specs. Then again, it has the specific BlackBerry security features to offer, and for some people, these could make it worth every cent of its price. Last year’s model is still available on the market, and to be honest, the 64GB model still isn’t a lot cheaper than the new model. In conclusion, if you are thinking about buying a new phone now and you are choosing between the BlackBerry Key2 and the BlackBerry KeyOne, you should go for the new model. However, if you already own the KeyOne, you probably would be better off waiting until next year to change it, maybe the Key3 will be more impressive.
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