The newest smartphone from BlackBerry is the TCL-produced KEYone, formerly known to many as the Mercury.
“An iconic BlackBerry smartphone made for the modern use,” said BlackBerry in its marketing material. The main feature of the Keyone is the physical QWERTY keyboard that also doubles as a fingerprint sensor as it’s embedded within the spacebar.
While the design is a shift away from BlackBerry’s recent Android-powered DTEK50 and DTEK60 devices, the KEYone is most similar to the Priv from 2015.
It’s important to note that the Priv was designed by BlackBerry while the Keyone is designed, manufactured and marketed through its new partnership with TCL Communications.
Nicolas Zibell, CEO for TCL Communication, said in a statement to MobileSyrup, “We’re humbled to play such an important role in the future of BlackBerry smartphones, which have been so iconic in our industry, and we’re eager to prove to the BlackBerry community that their excitement around this new BlackBerry smartphone is something they can be proud of as well.”
As for Canadian pricing and availability, BlackBerry stated that “Canadian-specific information will be coming in April.”
The company said the newest QWERTY smartphone will be “available globally beginning in April and will be priced at or under €599 EUR/£499 GBP/$549 USD.”
Below is a comparison of the Keyone, Priv, DTEK60 and DTEK50:
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