Ahead of the expected release of the BlackBerry KEYone, TCL’s North American Senior Manager of Communications, Jason Gerdon, has been explaining some of the reasons why you might want to consider the KEYone as your next smartphone. The comments were provided in an interview with Mobile Syrup and according to Gerdon, one of the main selling points of the KEYone is that it is not a smartphone for everyone. Gerdon likens the smartphone game to an automotive industry in explaining this point and suggests that while there are plenty of high end cars and phones for those looking for that sort of product, not everyone is. Instead, the KEYone looks to bring to market a smartphone that offers the traits associated with BlackBerry (defined as “durability, great battery life, security”), in a smartphone that is well-priced.
It is this more broader notion though where the KEYone positioning is better explained as Gerdon notes that TCL and BlackBerry have taken the approach that there is no ‘one size fits all’ smartphone and therefore, even accross the BlackBerry Android portfolio, the devices on offer are considerable different. At least in terms of what they offer (again, like the automotive industry), by appealing to certain customers. Gerdon also notes that although smartphones are at a “core level” all the same these days – as in they all offer the same basic functionality like calls, text, web surfing, and so on – BlackBerry will look to present itself with a product range which is different, because it is more identifiable in what it is. Without looking to give too much away this early, Gerdon also hinted that early pre-orders and interest for the KEYone seem to be going strong so far. Although neither TCL or BlackBerry are looking at this particular smartphone as a single success indicator and instead are more focused on the long-term. With Gerdon hinting that other smartphones that may or may not come from the partnership between TCL and BlackBerry in the future, will likely follow in the footsteps of the BlackBerry KEYone.
As a recap, the BlackBerry KEYone is due to become available in the US on May 31. This is a smartphone that comes with a 4.5-inch display along with a 1620 x 1080 resolution. Inside the BlackBerry KEYone comes loaded with 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC. Additional features include a 12-megapixel rear camera, a 3,505 mAh battery, Android 7.1.1 (Nougat), and of course, the iconic BlackBerry keyboard.