BlackBerry Key 2 Feature Roundup 

Believe it or not, some people still prefer a physical keyboard on their smartphones. BlackBerry was quite well-known in the early 2000’s for making early smartphones. And yes, those had physical keyboards too. The release of the iPhone brought about a near-universal change in the realm of smartphones, though, and most manufacturers scrapped physical buttons. It’s hard to imagine now, but at the time the digital keyboard of the iPhone was revolutionary. The tables have turned, now, as BlackBerry attempts to make physical keyboard cool again and is met with skepticism. 

The Titular Keyboard 

The most surprising thing about the Key 2 is that there was a KeyOne. Alright, jokes at BlackBerry’s expense aside, the Key 2 is better than its predecessor in every way. The keys are more distinct and taller, and they’ve got great grip. The issue, though, is how tiny and cramped the keyboard has to be. As you can tell, having this keyboard on the bottom of the phone cuts down on how much screen you can have. The phone is still almost awkwardly long with the shortened screen, and you can thank the keyboard for that. 

While I understand that there are users who don’t want to give up their physical keyboards, the keyboard here compromises a lot to be attached to a smartphone. It simply serves too many masters: it’s far too small for comfortable typing and far too large to be convenient on a smartphone. It just reminds me of why smartphones moved away from physical keys.

Key-Based Shortcuts

The one cool thing the keyboard is capable of, though, is the shortcut feature. Every key on the face can be bound to a different app and called up with a short or long press. This functionality is one of the few that inspires confidence in the keyboard design decision. That said, the functionality isn’t quite enough to justify the keyboard for those accustomed to normal smartphones.

Laggy Touch Screen, Unpolished Operating System

The touchscreen isn’t very responsive; users will find themselves pressing the screen multiple times to no avail. The lag and slowdown would have been unforgivable in 2007 after the iPhone release, and it’s downright embarrassing now in 2018. If BlackBerry wants the Key 2 to be taken seriously, it has to function as well as other flagship smartphones. The most telling sign of the unpolished nature of this product, though, is in the UI. Some apps, like G Mail, will pull up a digital keyboard when opened. That keyboard can’t be closed, and, given the Key 2’s small screen, leaves very little real estate for viewing messages. It’s not a deal breaker, but combined with the phones other shortcomings, it makes it hard to recommend.

BlackBerry Key 2 Release Info

The Key 2 is set to release on July 13th, and will run on Android. It’s MSRP is $649, which, when compared to the competition, is somewhat laughable. If you absolutely must have a physical keyboard, this isn’t the worst phone ever. However, for the price, you can find much better options in both Android and iPhone lines.