BlackBerry is back and in Nougat flavor (Android 7.1). If you miss the keyboard, it is back too. Check out the BlackBerry KEYone Black which will be available in Singapore from 16th October with a suggested retail price of S$858 from Starhub and M1.
Unlike other flagship models with big screen size, BlackBerry has a relatively “small screen size” of 4.5-inch. This is due to the physical keyboard which many people are still talking about. Personally, I am not sure if this will be super useful.
It has almost all of high specs of a flagship model. Love it that it is bundled with a nice 12MPX rear camera with a big aperture (f/2.0) and large pixel of 1.55um (better low light performance). Check out the full specifications.
Here is the Press Release.
Press Release
Black Is Back as All-New BlackBerry® KEYone Black Launches in Singapore
SINGAPORE – October 13, 2017 – TCL Communication has today announced the Singapore launch of the BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition, which signals a return of the iconic brand to the local market. The re-imagined BlackBerry honours the features that first set the benchmark in enterprise mobility a decade ago while delivering a smartphone designed for the modern user.
“The global release of the BlackBerry KEYone from TCL Communication has far exceeded our expectations so far. Today’s announcement sees BlackBerry smartphones now available in more than 30 countries around the world, while we continue to lay the groundwork for more releases in the near future.” said Alain Lejeune, Global General Manager for TCL Communication’s BlackBerry Mobile brand.
“The demand and excitement for the BlackBerry KEYone across the globe has been fantastic. We congratulate TCL Communications for bringing the KEYone Black Edition to market so quickly, and know it will provide the performance and trusted security people expect from the BlackBerry brand.” said Alex Thurber, senior vice president and general manager of Mobility Solutions, BlackBerry.
BUILT TO LAST
An iconic BlackBerry smartphone made for the modern user, the BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition featers a matte black finish on the device’s sleek aluminium frame and soft grip textured back built to offer the best in durability. It also has a 4.5-inch touch display that features Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4, offering greater impact and scratch resistance. The Black Edition also features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, while still supporting microSD expandable storage up to an additional 2TB.
KEYBOARD REIMAGINED
The BlackBerry® KEYone Black Edition reimagines how we communicate with a Smart Keyboard that goes beyond typing. Up to 52 customizable shortcuts transform each letter key for quick access to your favorite apps and most important contacts. Touch navigation responds to touch gestures like a trackpad, to quickly scroll through webpages or emails. Flick typing offers predictive text, made even faster with the ability to flick words onto your screen as you type. The device includes the world’s first keyboard-embedded fingerprint sensor conveniently located in the spacebar and provides added device security.
POWERED BY ANDROID
Enjoy the familiarity and functionality of Android™ 7.1 Nougat giving users access to the entire Google Play™ store and over one million apps. This includes BlackBerry® Hub which brings all your messages into one consolidated place, such as emails, texts and messages from any social media account.
OUTSTANDING BATTERY LIFE
Featuring the largest battery ever found in a BlackBerry smartphone, the BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition offers all-day use and then some, with up to 26+ hours of mixed use, thanks to the 3505mAh battery. Qualcomm® Quick Charge™ 3.0 technology enables up to 50 percent charge in roughly 36 minutes. In times when you only have a few moments to charge up, BlackBerry® Boost is optimised to get you the most charge with the limited time you have.
WORLD’S MOST SECURE ANDROID SMARTPHONE
What really sets a BlackBerry smartphone apart from any other Android device, are the enhanced security features built into every device, right from the start. From a hardened operating system to BlackBerry Limited’s proprietary technique for establishing a hardware root of trust adding security keys to the processor, the BlackBerry KEYone is designed to offer the most secure Android smartphone experience possible.
The device comes pre-loaded with DTEK™ by BlackBerry, offering constant security monitoring and protection of your operating system and apps by letting you know when your privacy could be at risk and how you can take action to improve it. A quick glimpse lets you see the overall security rating for your device and provides simple access allowing you to easily improve your security status.
This BlackBerry security application monitors your other apps, alerting you if one is accessing your camera to take a picture or video, turning your microphone on, sending a text message, accessing your contacts or location. The BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition will also receive regular monthly Android security updates, ensuring you have the safest and securest Android smartphone experience.
IMPRESSIVE PHOTO QUALITY
The BlackBerry KEYone includes a 12MP rear camera with an industry leading camera sensor (Sony IMX378) that captures sharp, crisp photos in any light. The wide aperture lens with large 1.55μm pixels and dual-tone flash ensures your photos will have superior color and clarity. For times when you have to take a video conference on the go, the device includes an 8MP front camera with fixed focus, LCD Flash, and 84-degree wide angle lens.
QUALCOMM® SNAPDRAGON™ POWER
At the core of this new BlackBerry smartphone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 mobile platform with the Qualcomm® Adreno™ 506 GPU. This means BlackBerry KEYone users will enjoy a powerful combination of optimized battery efficiency and usage and fast LTE speeds for super-fast file sharing.
Pricing and Availability:
The BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition is available in Singapore from week commencing October 16, 2017 with a suggested retail price of S$858 from Starhub and M1.
About TCL Communication:
TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited (TCL Communication) designs, manufactures and markets an expanding portfolio of mobile and internet products and services worldwide under three key brands – TCL, Alcatel and BlackBerry. With a portfolio of products currently sold in over 160 countries throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, TCL Communication ranks as a top-10 global smartphone manufacturer by IDC. Incorporated in Hong Kong, TCL Communication operates nine R&D centers worldwide, employing thousands across the globe. For more information, please visit www.tclcom.com.
TCL is a registered trademark of TCL Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Alcatel is a trademark of Nokia used under license by TCL Communication.
Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY and EMBLEM Design are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited, used under license, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.
Qualcomm, Snapdragon and Adreno are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Quick Charge is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Qualcomm Snapdragon, Qualcomm Adreno and Qualcomm Quick Charge are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.