Or are personal users likely to find something uniquely worthwhile in this device A throwback with a twist. The KEYones design philosophy sits in stark contrast to what Samsung and LG have already unveiled with their respective flagships. They increased screen size at the expense of the bezels surrounding it. Black. Berry and TCL could do no such thing because of the physical keyboard sitting below the 4. Black. Berry attempted something similar before with the Passport, except that devices squared form factor was an acquired taste. This design feels different. Its certainly wieldier, but it also conveys a feeling of being more in line with the quality of other Android handsets. The aluminium frame not only looks nice but feels rigid to hold. The KEYone doesnt have front facing speakers like the DTEK6. Certain details were carried over from the Passport, particularly the keyboards touch sensitive gestures and the rubberized back. Adding a fingerprint sensor to the space bar also proves to be a wise move, adding a fitting security layer for the devices promise of heightened protection. TCLs fingerprints no pun intended are evident too. The Convenience key on the right edge below the volume buttons mirrors the design and functionality seen in the DTEK5. DTEK6. 0. Beyond that, its clear both Black. Berry and TCL wanted to avoid recycling components. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6. Sony IMX3. 78 image sensor for the 1. The keyboard itself is obviously a throwback with plenty of familiarity to it, just not as an exact replica of the one used in the Classic. A different kind of screen. With the keyboard figuring so prominently in the KEYone, the 4. This isnt like the Priv, where you could effectively ignore the slide out keyboard altogether. The two work in tandem a lot here, and by default, the virtual keyboard is nowhere to be found. Its an easy fix through the settings, but its the kind of presumptive move Black. Berry diehards would love, whereas others might feel too restrictive. Personally, I took a hybrid approach and enabled the virtual keyboard too. The screens 1. 62. HD, albeit with a 3 2 aspect ratio. Again, this is the opposite of the 1. Galaxy S8 and LG G6. Not surprisingly, black bars appear above and below videos unless theyre older shows filmed in 4 3. It affects apps less, but theres an obvious trade off at work when using an app or playing a game that looks better with wider screen real estate. An old mantra might be that productivity doesnt discriminate on screen size, but I would argue thats less true today than ever before. Granted, space is less of an issue when composing messages, but with the industry seemingly bursting at the seams to go bigger, the KEYone does feel like an outlier. Keyboard redux. Black. Berry users know the physical keyboard has utilitarian qualities, except its debatable whether that detail is widely known these days. Shortcuts can be assigned to all 2. This isnt new, and was a fixture going back to the Priv, except the convenience does get easier to appreciate over time. Holding down a key to call someone or launch a specific app makes the keyboard more than just a tool to type messages or emails. Other phones use a dedicated physical button to do something specific, be it the Bixby launcher on the Galaxy S8 and S8 or the physical camera shutters Sony has used for years. Even with the Convenience key on the right edge, the extra shortcuts are nice to have because of the keys limitations. I tended to use it more as a shortcut to a map destination rather than anything to do with productivity. The keyboards shortcut options were considerably more extensive. The fingerprint sensor on the keyboard is not only well placed, it is also wonderfully responsive. It felt like nanoseconds to unlock the screen by simply placing either thumb there. Plus, being able to unlock the screen while the phone rests on a table is a big reason why I like the sensor in front rather than on the rear. The touch sensitive gestures for scrolling and erasing text are pretty much the same. Typing triggers the patented crunch sound of the keys. Seasoned Black. Berry users will feel right at home, despite the slightly different keyboard design. Looking to feel secure. There are no major surprises on the security side, though having Nougat pre loaded should be a boost. Black. Berrys monthly security updates come standard in the KEYone. I havent heard the company boast of it being the most secure Android phone available, but it is implied based on the heritage of the DTEK devices. Is it true Android can never truly be fully secure, in my opinion, but at least Black. Berrys DTEK app simplifies security basics that are otherwise readily available through Androids settings. The monthly patches are certainly nice, and nothing to scoff at considering how lax other Android manufacturers are at pushing those out. To make it obvious, Black. Berry even added an update app to manually check for updates instead of having to go through the settings. Black. Berry and TCL can do this because this version Android is almost entirely stock. Save for some of the nuances, like the three button widgets under apps, for example, its all pretty vanilla. Pushing productivity. Its unsurprising that productivity is a pillar the KEYone rests on. A physical keyboard, coupled with the Hub suite, makes for a nice combination. Indeed, there is nothing quite like the Hub for messaging on Android. Having text, BBM and multiple email accounts, plus notifications for Whats. App, Twitter, Facebook, Linked. In, Slack and Instagram all rolled into one interface is incredibly useful. Its lacking the full breadth of the Hub in BB1. Android, and comes included in the KEYone, with all the various apps that make up Hub. The Productivity Tab sliding in from the screens edge was given a slight makeover recently, and it ties into the Hub reasonably well. I just havent found much use for it, personally. The included app suite does offer something tangible. Notable simplifies annotating images or screenshots. Content Transfer smooths out the process of migrating over to the KEYone. Notes and Password Keeper are carryovers from the Hub. Workspaces has been included, though it is aimed more at businesses managing devices for employees. The openness of Android naturally provides plenty of options for other productivity apps, leaving more than enough room for customization. Getting a camera upgrade. Adding the Sony IMX3. Black. Berry and TCL.