BlackBerry had launched its KEY2 smartphone last year and after around eight months, the company has launched a new variant of the same — BlackBerry KEY2 Red Edition. Along with this new color, the phone also comes with increased internal storage.
The phone features almost the same set of specifications as the one launched last year. It boasts a 4.5-inch IPS LCD display with 1620 x 1080 pixels screen resolution. The display is also covered with 2.5D Curved Gorilla Glass for protection against scratches.
It features a physical QWERTY keyboard which has a fingerprint scanner embedded on the space bar. Additionally, this physical keyboard is touch-sensitive and can be used for navigation.
Internally, the phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 SoC, paired with 6 GB RAM. Instead of 64GB internal storage, the phone now comes with 128GB of internal storage, with support for expandable storage using a microSD card.
It features a dual camera setup on its back which consists of two 12 MP snappers – one of which has f/1.8 aperture and the other one having f/2.6 aperture. For taking selfies and video calling, the device comes with an 8 MP snapper on the front.
As for the software, it runs Android 8.1 Oreo operating system, which is quite disappointed and the company should have upgraded it to Android 9 Pie. Connectivity options on the device include 4G LTE, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, NFC, and USB Type-C port. It is powered by a 3500 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support.
The BlackBerry KEY2 Red Edition is priced at $750 (€750 in Europe) and will be available for purchase in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
BlackBerry KEY2 Red Edition Specifications
- CPU: 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor
- RAM: 6 GB
- GPU: Adreno 512
- Operating System: Android 8.1 Oreo
- Display: 4.5-inch IPS LCD display with 1620 x 1080 pixel resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio, 2.5D Curved Gorilla Glass and 433 PPI pixel density
- Rear Camera: 12 MP (f/1.8 aperture, Dual PDAF, 1.28 μm pixel size) + 12 MP (f/2.6 aperture, PDAF, 1.0 μm pixel size) with dual-tone LED flash, HDR, 4K video recording at 30 FPS, Portrait Mode and Optical Superzoom
- Front Camera: 8 MP with Selfie Flash
- Internal Storage: 128 GB
- External Storage: Expandable up to 256 GB via microSD card
- SIM: Dual SIM
- Connectivity: 4G LTE, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, NFC, USB OTG, FM Radio, 3.5 mm headphone jack, USB Type-C 3.0
- Other: Fingerprint Scanner on a physical keyboard, Speed Key, Backlit Keyboard, BlackBerry DTEK Security Suite
- Battery: 3500 mAh with Quick Charge 3.0
BlackBerry KEY2 Red Edition Pricing and Availability
- Price: $750 in the US, €750 in Europe, and £700 in the UK
- Availability: To be announced
