Blackberry Key2 with physical QWERTY keyboard launched in India

Blackberry boys in India have got a new reason to celebrate. The company has launched the Blackberry Key2 smartphone in the country for Rs 42,990. The Blackberry Keyone’s successor was first showcased in New York, and was reportedly ‘confirmed’ for the Indian market by the company in the past.

While the trend for most OEMs is going towards less bezel and more screen to body ratio, Blackberry sticks to its roots and retains the physical QWERTY keyboard like the Keyone. The Key2 might not have the big display and modern design, but it sure has a lot more than just the QWERTY keypad.

What’s the upgrade?

Sticking to Blackberry’s design form with necessary enhancements is the differentiating element of the Key2. The Key2 is built using 7-series aluminium, which makes it lighter than its predecessor. Also, it has got a design facelift with minor changes like taller body, thinner side profile, the earpiece grill is neater, new back panel and flat sides compared to the Keyone’s rounded edges.

Blackberry says the QWERTY keyboard experience has been their prime focus this time. The keys are larger, and “clickiness” of the buttons have got some serious attention from the company this time. Meaning, the clicks and taps will help towards an easier and more convenient typing experience.

It has a 4.5-inch touch display with 3:2 aspect ratio having 1620x1080p resolution, and Gorilla Glass 4 protection on top. It has also got a hardware upgrade, including a new Snapdragon 660 chipset and 6GB of RAM with 64GB storage. Thankfully, it has a microSD card slot that supports up to 256GB of external storage.

Another prominent upgrade includes a dual-camera setup at the back with two 12-megapixel sensors a dual-LED flash, while the front camera remains the same at 8-megapixels. New camera enhancements bring better stabilisation, faster speed and better low light performance. Also, the portrait mode finds a place in the camera app this time.

It runs Android 8.0, with a very close to stock interface and of course, the Blackberry hub— their unified messaging inbox, Blackberry security shade, DTEK high security encryption and more.

The Key2 has a 3500mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support and a USB Type-C for data syncing and charging.

Where to buy?

It will be going on sale via Amazon India, from July 31. Buyers will get five percent cashback if using an ICICI debit or credit card. Additionally, Reliance Jio is also offering cashbacks worth Rs 4,450.