Weekly poll: BlackBerry KEYone serves a hardware QWERTY, will anyone bite into it?

The first BlackBerry got its name thanks to its characteristic keyboard - the keys made it look like a blackberry. That keyboard arrangement, with keys at the bottom, was an ergonomic win and became a trademark for the company.

The BlackBerry KEYone is a return to that legacy, after the company lost its way in the torrent of touchscreen-only phones that washed away its market share. The square grid of the QWERTY keyboard doesn’t look like the eponymous fruit. However, if you look closely, the keys still have a 3D shape that follows the arc of your thumbs as you move to type at a blinding pace.

No slider mechanism here, as if the uppercase KEY in the name wasn’t enough of a clue - you won’t be using the KEYone without the keyboard. That keyboard also serves as a trackpad, so you can scroll through apps and text without your fingers obscuring the screen.

On-screen keyboards didn’t become properly usable until text correction got on the level. But now it’s great, almost prescient. Do you really need a hardware keyboard to type fast?

And even if you do, you’ll have to settle for a mid-range device - unlike the Priv, the KEYone aims for the middle segment though someone forgot to tell the person who came up with the $550 price tag. Plus, any modern smartphone will work with a Bluetooth keyboard, there are several compact options (there are even first-party options like the Galaxy S8 Keyboard cover).

Are you interested in the BlackBerry KEYone?

I plan on buying one Touchscreen keyboards work just fine

No, it's a dud, the Priv was better I use a Bluetooth keyboard

SurveyMaker