BlackBerry Key2 review: a modern piece of nostalgia
A TEST REPORT from David Haydl 
on May 20, 2019, 13:00 pm | Write a comment
BlackBerry once stood for high-end smartphones until the company disappeared from the scene for a while. Thanks to TCL, they are back and launched the BlackBerry Key2, their third Android smartphone. It can.
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Unboxing and initial setup
The Key2 comes in a box with a completely black cover on which you can find a picture of the smartphone and all the inscriptions. If you look closely, you can even see that the background pattern consists of a lot of BlackBerry logos. If you remove the cover and lift the lid, the BlackBerry Key2 lies on top in a protective plastic film. Underneath, the manufacturer packed the power supply, the charging cable, some instructions and headphones, which sound SURPRISINGLY good.
Picture: TechnikNews
The first setup is pretty self explanatory. After choosing your own language, you enter the login data for Google and decide whether an existing backup should be restored. Some of the necessary consent forms follow. The Key20 from BlackBerry is ready for use after around 2 minutes.
Design and workmanship
I would like to make one thing clear at this point: The Key2 from BlackBerry is not the rimless dream smartphone that many people want. Anyone looking for something like this should look much more at Samsung, Google and Apple. However, I think that the best of both worlds was combined in the manufacture of the device. BlackBerry was able to integrate the keyboard and still built a display with a fairly thin border (apart from the lower one, where the navigation keys are). More details on these two things will come soon. BlackBerry offers the Key2 in several color combinations. Silver and black, red and black and pure black. The latter option was available to me for testing and I like it best from a visual point of view.
This is the BlackBerry Key2. (Image: TechnikNews)
Let's take a closer look at the frame of the device. On the bottom there is a USB-C port for charging, a microphone and a mono speaker. Unfortunately, this doesn't sound good at all and can also be covered up pretty easily, which is why I almost never used it. On the left side, BlackBerry installed the slot for either two nano SIMs or one nano SIM and a microSD card. At the top you can find a jack plug, on the right the volume control, the power button and a shortcut button that can be freely assigned.
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- This is what the back looks like. (Image: TechnikNews)
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- The button below can be freely assigned. (Image: TechnikNews)
In conclusion, it should be noted that the Key2 lies very comfortably in the hand, is very light and feels high-quality and pleasant. For the Key3, however, I would like BlackBerry to give up the navigation keys and switch to either gestures or on-screen navigation. I'll explain why in a moment.
Keyboard
As I already mentioned, the BlackBerry Key2 has a full QWERTY keyboard. I have found that typing is quite difficult in the first few days of use if you are used to something else. After getting used to it, I was able to write comfortably and quickly on the keyboard. However, for the next key smartphone I would like ALT and SHIFT to be swapped.
But the keyboard isn't just a keyboard. It can also be used as a trackpad for scrolling, among other things. However, here it is Proproblem that it's pretty easy to get to the home button. You could do this by switching to on-screen buttons or gestures Proeliminate problem. The keyboard also supports "glide typing", i.e. swiping across the keyboard to spell out words. However, it was almost never accurate for me, which is why I deactivated it immediately.
Picture: TechnikNews
I think it's pretty clever that BlackBerry integrated the fingerprint sensor into the space bar. This actually works pretty quickly and precisely, so that only a short hang-up is enough to unlock the device. Furthermore, each letter on the keyboard can be provided with double shortcuts. In my case, a simple press on "A" opens the WhatsApp chat with my girlfriend, while a long press on the same key calls my girlfriend. This works on the home screen and in every app, provided you hold down the hotkey at the bottom right.
Display
The LCD display of the BlackBerry Key2 is 4,5 inches and has an aspect ratio of 3: 2. The resolution of the mobile phone is 1.620 × 1.080 pixels, the pixel density is 434 pixels per inch.
4,5 inches at 3:2 - some get the shudder. Ultimately, this is not so bad in everyday life, since all tasks are the same proeasily done without having to strain your eyes because of the small fonts. Portrait games like Candy Crush or Mountain Goat can even be fun. The sharpness of the picture and the colors are at no point in time Probeen a problem.
It looks different when consuming content on YouTube or Netflix. There all videos have an aspect ratio of 16: 9 or 21: 9, which means that the picture is shown very elongated. Then the small display size and the strange aspect ratio are noticeable again. For these things I just have it on my Chromecast, Fire TV or mine Lenovo Smart Display resorted to. Playing titles like Clash of Clans is a bit better, even if it is not recommended. To be fair, I have to say at this point that BlackBerry thinks the same and did not design the Key2 for these activities.
Specifications and software
In the Prozessor, BlackBerry chose the Snapdragon 2 for the Key660, which is intended for mid-range smartphones. In addition, my version has 64 gigabytes of memory and six gigabytes of RAM. Alternatively, the manufacturer offers a version with 128 gigabytes of memory. In both cases, this can be expanded thanks to the slot for a microSD card. High-end gaming is not possible with the smartphone, but all other tasks are carried out without noticeable Proproblem mastered. Starting and closing apps also works very quickly, only booting up the device takes a little longer than I'm used to from other devices. Multitasking works like butter, thanks to the six gigabytes of RAM.
The battery has a capacity of 3.500 mAh and lasted between three and a half and five hours when I was using it for over a day with a screen on time. Even if these are average values, everyone should get along well with the maximum runtime. It is fully recharged within just under two hours.
Now the less positive news: Android Oreo Version 2 is still running on the BlackBerry Key8.1. Android Pie, version 9.0, was not yet in sight. This is a shame when you consider that the manufacturer only has to provide the KeyOne, the Key2 and the Priv with Android updates. Samsung, OnePlus and Co, which have a much wider range of smartphones, have more to do and are still faster. On the other hand, the thing runs almost stock Android and I found some things in the software that I liked very much.
First of all, here are two things related to charging the device. On the one hand, there are two charging modes that charge the Key2 at different speeds. One is a normal mode, while the other is called "Boost Mode", all of them Prozesse software so that the battery is full more quickly. Second, a power bar is shown as it loads, showing the current progress. Then there is a feature called "Privacy Shade" in the software. When you start this function, all areas of the screen turn gray except for a small area that can be moved around. Particularly practical if you want to protect yourself from the prying eyes of others.
BlackBerry even thought of a headphone jack. (Image: TechnikNews)
In addition, BlackBerry integrated its own suite of apps: DTEK, Tasks, the BlackBerry Messenger, the BlackBerry Hub, a password manager and a locker. DTEK is a kind of security center where you can manage all sorts of things related to privacy. Firefox Klar was also installed for secure and private surfing on the Internet.
Camera
A dual camera was built into the BlackBerry Key2, with both sensors having a resolution of 12 megapixels. It also supports video recording in 4K with 30 frames pro Second.
Even beforehand, I didn't hear any good things about the photos that the camera on this smartphone spits out. And unfortunately it is really as bad as other testers claim. Even in good lighting conditions, the colors look fake. In addition, everything looks like it has been "drawn" when you zoom in on the images. Unfortunately, this is exactly the same for pictures that I took in poor light. Videos in 4K look pretty good, but you don't notice any stabilization.
Sample images can be found if you are interested here.
Prices and availability
The BlackBerry Key2 is available in the above-mentioned configurations from BlackBerry direct, from MediaMarkt and from Amazon. The starting price (RRP) is 650 euros.
BlackBerry Key2: Conclusion
The BlackBerry Key2 is a different smartphone, there's no doubt about that. With the keyboard, you get a unique BlackBerry feature in a device that is largely contemporary. In my opinion, the manufacturer could hardly improve the design with the keyboard. It may be unfamiliar at first to type on the keyboard, but over time you get used to it. In addition, you learn to appreciate the keys that can be assigned with shortcuts. BlackBerry fans will really get their money's worth here. The performance of the device is sufficient for most tasks.
I find it incomprehensible that the Key2 is still running Android Oreo, not Android Pie. Hopefully the update will arrive soon. Furthermore, I didn't like the pictures that the dual camera provided me at all. With a device price of 650 euros, I would have expected more here. We'll wait and see whether the BlackBerry Key3 will be improved in this area. I don't rate it as negative that consuming video and games on the smartphone is not the best experience. The reason for this is that BlackBerry did not design the model for it either.
The bottom line is that I can recommend the smartphone to everyone who has nothing to do with games or videos on the go and knows what they get from a BlackBerry. Everyone else should look to another manufacturer.
Thank you for providing the BlackBerry Key2.
