Bringing back the keyboard: BlackBerry KEYone is official

BlackBerry today unveiled the KEYone, its first new smartphone since TCL Communication acquired the rights to the BlackBerry name. Previously referred to by the codename Mercury, the KEYone pairs a traditional 4.5-inch touchscreen display with a classic physical BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard. 

Taking inspiration from iconic BlackBerry keyboards, the KEYone's keyboard incorporates gestures similar to BlackBerry's old trackpad for faster messaging, web browsing and emails. 52 of the phone's buttons can be used as customisable shortcuts (hold "m" to launch email, for example), and spacebar also doubles as a fingerprint reader. 

Like past BlackBerry Android devices, the KEYone runs a customised version of Android with a number of enhanced security features. These include a "hardware root of trust" where security keys have been added to the phone's processor, and a preloaded app for continuously monitoring the operating system and apps for any potentially privacy and security risks. 

Other key specifications include a 4.5-inch 1620x1080 display, a Snapdragon 625 processor, 32GB of expandable storage, 3GB of RAM, a 3,505mAh battery with quick-charging, a 12MP rear-facing camera, an 8MP selfie shooter, and an operating system based on Android Nougat 7.1. 

Global availability kicks off from April, and according to local representatives, we can expect an Australian launch in May or June. The KEYone will retail for $799 in Australia. 

While BlackBerry devices were once an enterprise staple, the KEYone seems to be positioned as a device for BlackBerry fans, with both TCL and BlackBerry personnel having made appeals to the brand's loyalists. 

"We’re humbled to play such an important role in the future of BlackBerry smartphones, which have been so iconic in our industry," said TCL CEO Nicolas Zibell. "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."

"We want to congratulate TCL Communications on the launch of KEYone," said BlackBerry Senior Vice President, Alex Thurber. “We have worked closely with TCL to build security and the BlackBerry experience into every layer of KEYone, so the BlackBerry DNA remains very much in place. We couldn’t be more excited to help bring it to market and introduce it to BlackBerry fans."

TCL subsidiary Alcatel Australia contributed funding toward WhistleOut's trip to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

Read full bio