Two months ago, TCL unveiled the BlackBerry KEYone, a premium handset with a high-resolution display, and a physical keyboard fixed in place below the screen - unlike the slide-out keyboard of the earlier BlackBerry Priv.
The device was originally due to launch this month, but its release was pushed back. Pre-orders opened in the UK this week, where it"s priced at £499 GBP, and now, TCL has announced details of the handset"s launch in the US and Canada.
The KEYone will be released in both of those markets on May 31. In the United States, it will be available in GSM and CDMA flavors, with both models priced at $549 unlocked. Sprint will be selling the device on carrier plans in the US this summer, but exact pricing has not yet been revealed.
As Engadget points out, Canadian carrier pricing might offer a hint of what you should expect to pay for a carrier deal in the US. Bell, Rogers, SaskTel and Telus will all be selling the KEYone for $199 CAD up-front on a two-year plan; that"s around $50 (20%) less than what Canadian carriers are charging for a Galaxy S8 on a 24-month contract.
The KEYone"s key specs include:
- 4.5-inch display with 1080x1620px resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 4
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB storage (plus microSD card support up to 256GB)
- 12MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus, dual-LED flash and 4K video recording at 30fps
- 8MP front-facing camera with 1080p video recording
- 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, dual-band
- Bluetooth 4.2
- USB 3.1 port with Type-C connector
- Fingerprint sensor
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 3505mAh battery
- 149 x 72 x 9.4mm; 180g
You can find out more about the BlackBerry KEYone in our hands-on video from its launch event, including some first impressions.
Source: Engadget