By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
We now know that the BlackBerry is aiming for the KEY series of smartphone to be a line. The KEYOne was well received by keyboard fans and was an outstanding opening salvo for TCL's BlackBerry Mobile which resulted in various variants and some spec upgrades.
The BlackBerry KEY2 looks and feels like a more refined KEYOne, with marked improvements in the QWERTY keyboard department as well as a spanking new dual-camera now enabling 2X zoom and portrait mode.
Out of the box, I like the thinner and more chiseled as well as better balanced design. Fewer rounded corners mean a better grip. The Speed Key is a definite upgrade and gives users the ability to map shortucts to their favourite apps, making multitasking even more efficient.
The KEY2 ships with a mid-range processor, designed more for long battery life than blazing fast performance. The KEY2 does come with 6GB of RAM, which is outstanding for phone in this class and ensures improved multitasking as well as better overall longevity.
Camera performance looks good from the outset. The ability to zoom as well as being able to get portrait mode is a great addition. I am not yet certain if the new dual-camera array is as exceptional as the KEYOne's which was one of the best we tested last year.
The new security and locker features are easy to use and ideal for companies and organizations looking to issue KEY2's to employees who can now lock sensitive company and personal data away from prying eyes.
Battery life is great and I can get one and a half days on a full charge with moderate to heavy use. The audio for hands-free calls seems to have been improved. It's impressive to get stereo audio out of a device in this form factor.
The 20' larger, or taller QWERTY keyboard is a marked improvement over the KEYOne. The new matte finish feels better and cleaner to type on with less possibilities for errors. Keyboard fans will love what the KEY2 offers.
I do find the KEY2's backlight to be a bit dim, specially outdoors in brighter conditions. Other than that, the BlackBerry KEY2 is a delightful and impressive follow-up to the KEYOne and I expect this model to turn heads and entice more switchers to the BlackBerry camp.