1. svelt's Avatar
    I'm considering giving either one of these phones a spin soon as perhaps (though hopefully not) a final sendoff to the BB brand of devices before committing to something else. At first, I thought the obvious choice would be the KEY2 to get the best available remaining BB as price is not a factor in the decision, but what gave me pause was how much TCL has stuck with the 2 years' worth of updates.

    This means, as far as I can recall, the KEY2 would basically be EOL in June 2020 and the LE in October 2020. This gives the LE an additional 4-5 months of updates and patches as the KEY2, unless I'm mistaken or TCL has stated they would keep both of them on the same length of upgrade cycle. I do not want to use a phone that hasn't had a security patch or upgrade for several months, meaning effectively if I pick up an LE now I have at least a year, but if I pick up the KEY2 I have at most...the year.

    For me, a phone today can be lightweight and not necessarily that powerful, but it needs to be efficient - have only a few apps, but require the ones that are on it to be smooth and free of hiccups. No games or multimedia needs and I doubt I will use the capacitative keyboard much. Camera quality is important but not absolutely critical, especially if the KEY2 isn't taking anything groundbreaking or worth posting or publishing anyhow (I usually use separate photography equipment).

    So with that said - is it still better to get the KEY2 for the bump in specs and camera, or go with the KEY2 LE for upgrade longevity? Or, am I confused/mistaken about the update periods for the KEY2 and KEY2 LE?
    12-30-19 04:39 AM
  2. Tsepz_GP's Avatar
    I'm considering giving either one of these phones a spin soon as perhaps (though hopefully not) a final sendoff to the BB brand of devices before committing to something else. At first, I thought the obvious choice would be the KEY2 to get the best available remaining BB as price is not a factor in the decision, but what gave me pause was how much TCL has stuck with the 2 years' worth of updates.

    This means, as far as I can recall, the KEY2 would basically be EOL in June 2020 and the LE in October 2020. This gives the LE an additional 4-5 months of updates and patches as the KEY2, unless I'm mistaken or TCL has stated they would keep both of them on the same length of upgrade cycle. I do not want to use a phone that hasn't had a security patch or upgrade for several months, meaning effectively if I pick up an LE now I have at least a year, but if I pick up the KEY2 I have at most...the year.

    For me, a phone today can be lightweight and not necessarily that powerful, but it needs to be efficient - have only a few apps, but require the ones that are on it to be smooth and free of hiccups. No games or multimedia needs and I doubt I will use the capacitative keyboard much. Camera quality is important but not absolutely critical, especially if the KEY2 isn't taking anything groundbreaking or worth posting or publishing anyhow (I usually use separate photography equipment).

    So with that said - is it still better to get the KEY2 for the bump in specs and camera, or go with the KEY2 LE for upgrade longevity? Or, am I confused/mistaken about the update periods for the KEY2 and KEY2 LE?
    Welllll the latest from TCL BB is the KEY 2 Red Edition (K2RE) as that came out in 2019, they K2RE comes with 128GB internal storage, it’s the best and latest BlackBerry available:

    https://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_...news-36666.php

    GSMArena Hands-on:

    https://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_...news-35681.php

    So I am guessing the K2RE will probably get the longest updates vs the normal K2 and K2LE.
    12-30-19 05:09 AM
  3. the_boon's Avatar
    Welllll the latest from TCL BB is the KEY 2 Red Edition (K2RE) as that came out in 2019, they K2RE comes with 128GB internal storage, it’s the best and latest BlackBerry available:

    https://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_...news-36666.php

    GSMArena Hands-on:

    https://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_...news-35681.php

    So I am guessing the K2RE will probably get the longest updates vs the normal K2 and K2LE.
    I think any color variants of a device still hold the originally launched device's update schedule.

    So a KEY2 Red assembled in June 2019 or even a Black one assembled in August - October 2019 would still stop receiving updates in July 2020.

    Probably the same for all other devices from the other brands.

    I doubt my Red OnePlus 6 will get a single extra security patch compared to the OG Black ones.
    12-30-19 08:35 AM
  4. robnhl's Avatar
    Based on your requirements it seems the LE is the obvious choice. It will likely receive updates for longer, you don't care about the capacitive keyboard feature, and (in my experience) performance is pretty equivalent between the LE and KEY2. I don't see much difference between the cameras - neither are world beaters; both actually pretty low quality for a modern device. You didn't mention price as a factor but if it is a consideration the LE can regularly be had on the second-hand market for $150 or so.

    Personally, if my KEY2 was dual-SIM I would use it over the LE simply because I prefer the metal exterior and do find some use in the keyboard scrolling. Otherwise, the phones are very similar.
    12-30-19 09:28 AM
  5. Elky64's Avatar
    The way things have gone it's a gamble and I'd be afraid TCL/BBMo is going to jump ship. If that happened easier to swallow opting for the KEY2 LE (due to price). KEY2, not so much as its still garnering some hefty $$$.
    12-30-19 10:49 AM
  6. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    The question is does the Key2 LE follow the same update path as the Key2 does? Color variants don’t matter or at least haven’t up till now. Less risk with the LE and you might get some extra updates.
    12-30-19 11:04 AM
  7. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    There is no guarantee that the LE will get updates longer the the KEY2... nor do I view three or four updates worth the difference. That is the rumor, but TCL could end updates for both phones in six months, three month or even last month.

    I'd look at both phones based on their individual merits.... me I'd go ahead and get the more powerful KEY2.
    John Albert likes this.
    12-30-19 11:20 AM
  8. Troy Tiscareno's Avatar
    There is no guarantee that the LE will get updates longer the the KEY2... nor do I view three or four updates worth the difference. That is the rumor, but TCL could end updates for both phones in six months, three month or even last month.

    I'd look at both phones based on their individual merits.... me I'd go ahead and get the more powerful KEY2.
    If a PKB phone was important to me, I'd agree with this. The K2 is likely to be the best PKB phone ever released by a major OEM, because it's very unlikely that another one will be released by a major OEM in the upcoming decade, so if you were going to try to run a PKB phone for as long as possible, I'd want the best hardware available.

    On the other had, if this isn't a long-term prospect, and you just want a PKB to play with for a while, then a K1 or K2LE might be a better option, because it won't matter that the hardware will be obsolete sooner.
    rarsen and pdr733 like this.
    12-31-19 12:48 AM
  9. John Albert's Avatar
    Most importantly, Google will not push security patches to devices on Android Oreo after September 2020.

    I don't think we will get Pie or 10 at this point.
    12-31-19 01:02 AM
  10. SuperPapum's Avatar
    Mine will not reach Sept 2020 regarding more and more space bar issues... Fed up !
    12-31-19 07:15 AM
  11. skrble's Avatar
    Most importantly, Google will not push security patches to devices on Android Oreo after September 2020.

    I don't think we will get Pie or 10 at this point.
    Could you reply a source for this? I haven't found any. Thanks!
    01-02-20 05:49 PM
  12. Troy Tiscareno's Avatar
    Google only supplies security patches for 3 years from the release date of an OS version. That's pretty open knowledge in the industry.
    01-03-20 02:44 AM
  13. chain13's Avatar
    So with that said - is it still better to get the KEY2 for the bump in specs and camera, or go with the KEY2 LE for upgrade longevity? Or, am I confused/mistaken about the update periods for the KEY2 and KEY2 LE?
    None of them have a good camera or even updates longevity by today’s standard. If I were you, I would just get midrange samsung A51 or A71 - 6/128GB variant. Better camera and processing power, reasonable price, better hardware and longer software support (patches and os upgrades).
    01-07-20 03:24 AM
  14. Sigewif's Avatar
    I love the KEY2 and agree with the poster above that it has an amazing keyboard. If money truly isn't a factor, then why not get both. maybe not, but the LE in champagne or atomic are cool looking.
    I don't know what the future holds as far as updates, and whether one will have them longer than the other. I am not so concerned at this point. I still make use of my semi retired KEYone which has no more updates.
    I find the KEY2 camera to do well for me after practice and I like the captivative keyboard. I think the battery life is better as well.
    Therefore, I personally would (and did) choose the KEY2.
    01-07-20 03:54 AM
  15. danfrancisco's Avatar
    The K2 is likely to be the best PKB phone ever released by a major OEM, because it's very unlikely that another one will be released by a major OEM in the upcoming decade
    What a depressing thought!!! But one that I have come to grips with.

    I'm actually excited for 2020 as I start evaluating what my next phone is going to be. Bought a Xiaomi MI 9 SE over Christmas (Global variant) but returned it because I had to make too many software compromises (had to sideload Netflix and that was wonky, Google Pay doesn't work, Xiaomi's handling of dual SIM was tripping up certain apps such as Moody messenger... just to name a few). Absolutely loved the form factor though and now have my sights set on the Samsung S10e.
    01-07-20 07:48 AM
  16. the_boon's Avatar
    What a depressing thought!!! But one that I have come to grips with.

    I'm actually excited for 2020 as I start evaluating what my next phone is going to be. Bought a Xiaomi MI 9 SE over Christmas (Global variant) but returned it because I had to make too many software compromises (had to sideload Netflix and that was wonky, Google Pay doesn't work, Xiaomi's handling of dual SIM was tripping up certain apps such as Moody messenger... just to name a few). Absolutely loved the form factor though and now have my sights set on the Samsung S10e.
    If I'd be using any slab instead of a KEY phone, it would be the S10e.

    It checks pretty much every single box except the battery isn't as big as I'd like it to be.

    Still, it shouldn't be bad especially if you know how to optimize Android.
    01-07-20 07:52 AM
  17. chain13's Avatar
    What a depressing thought!!! But one that I have come to grips with.

    I'm actually excited for 2020 as I start evaluating what my next phone is going to be. Bought a Xiaomi MI 9 SE over Christmas (Global variant) but returned it because I had to make too many software compromises (had to sideload Netflix and that was wonky, Google Pay doesn't work, Xiaomi's handling of dual SIM was tripping up certain apps such as Moody messenger... just to name a few). Absolutely loved the form factor though and now have my sights set on the Samsung S10e.
    I think you got the chinese variant, the global variant should be google fully supported (no need sideloding anything).
    01-07-20 07:04 PM
  18. danfrancisco's Avatar
    I think you got the chinese variant, the global variant should be google fully supported (no need sideloding anything).
    No, I got the global variant. Came with all Google services. Just for some strange reason Google pay wouldn't work. It's a known issue.
    01-07-20 07:44 PM
  19. svelt's Avatar
    I'm only in for the PKB. I still make a ton of typos on slabs all the time, even after using one for a couple of years now, and while it's accepted and the norm nowadays, still doesn't annoy me any less. I'm on the go a lot and frequently type while walking and doing something else at the same time and I'm responding to messages and emails far slower than I am used to and would like to. Nothing's really worked for me, neither BB's keyboard app (not very good, IMO) nor Swype.

    I never, ever watch anything on my phone (for more than a few seconds). I don't play games at all. Not spewing one of those touch trite "tools not toys" comments here, it just isn't for me and doesn't entertain me.

    I used to think whether I was just trying to forcibly fit a Blackberry phone into my life, but it's honestly the other way around after stints with iPhones and Galaxies. I simply want a phone that has a physical keyboard and yet is 100% modern, secure and compliant with whatever the current web standards are and is reasonably elegant - so no Samsung keyboard covers or UniHertz titan type startups, and obviously never a BB10 phone. It'd be great if it can take a good photo, but it seems impossible with any BB.

    I digressed a bit. The responses seem to have started out agreeing that the advantages of the KEY2 didn't really apply to me and the LE is the better buy, but now it seems like the LE would not have any guarantee of getting more updates than the standard KEY2 and one might as well buy the device that has the better internals. So I'm still left torn.

    My current line of thinking is I'll pick up the KEY2, and if it so happens that updates do stop in June 2020, but the LE somehow continues to get patches for several months afterwards I'll just move on to the LE and ride out the years until I'm forced to go back to a slab phone due to being completely out of date.
    01-09-20 03:41 PM
  20. the_boon's Avatar
    I'm only in for the PKB. I still make a ton of typos on slabs all the time, even after using one for a couple of years now, and while it's accepted and the norm nowadays, still doesn't annoy me any less. I'm on the go a lot and frequently type while walking and doing something else at the same time and I'm responding to messages and emails far slower than I am used to and would like to. Nothing's really worked for me, neither BB's keyboard app (not very good, IMO) nor Swype.

    I never, ever watch anything on my phone (for more than a few seconds). I don't play games at all. Not spewing one of those touch trite "tools not toys" comments here, it just isn't for me and doesn't entertain me.

    I used to think whether I was just trying to forcibly fit a Blackberry phone into my life, but it's honestly the other way around after stints with iPhones and Galaxies. I simply want a phone that has a physical keyboard and yet is 100% modern, secure and compliant with whatever the current web standards are and is reasonably elegant - so no Samsung keyboard covers or UniHertz titan type startups. It'd be great if it can take a good photo, but it seems impossible with any BB phone.

    I digressed a bit. The responses seem to have started out agreeing that the advantages of the KEY2 didn't really apply to me and the LE is the better buy, but now it seems like the LE would not have any guarantee of getting more updates than the standard KEY2 and one might as well buy the device that has the better internals. So I'm still left torn.

    My current line of thinking is I'll pick up the KEY2, and if it so happens that updates do stop in June 2020, but the LE somehow continues to get patches for several months afterwards I'll just move on to the LE and ride out the years until I'm forced to go back to a slab phone due to being completely out of date.
    What I have done and recommend is to have a KEY2 and an LE as a backup and keep using it/them until no longer possible due to the slow processor (which will be in a while, a KEYone can still get by today if you don't throw too heavy stuff at it).

    And also support any new PKB devices that may arise, no matter from where/who.

    I backed the Titan and while I was disappointed by its PKB, that doesn't mean I won't support the next PKB device that comes along.

    I did not back the F(x) Tec Pro 1 only because I didn't feel like typing on a giant, heavy landscape keyboard device and having to stretch my thumbs to reach the center keys.
    01-09-20 03:47 PM
  21. chain13's Avatar
    I'm only in for the PKB. I still make a ton of typos on slabs all the time, even after using one for a couple of years now, and while it's accepted and the norm nowadays, still doesn't annoy me any less. I'm on the go a lot and frequently type while walking and doing something else at the same time and I'm responding to messages and emails far slower than I am used to and would like to. Nothing's really worked for me, neither BB's keyboard app (not very good, IMO) nor Swype.
    I would recommend using Gboard if you want to learn VKB, anything else is just hit and miss.
    01-09-20 04:48 PM
  22. the_boon's Avatar
    I would recommend using Gboard if you want to learn VKB, anything else is just hit and miss.
    Gboard is my favorite, followed by BB VKB, followed by SwiftKey.

    The rest aren't worth the time.
    01-09-20 07:17 PM
  23. chain13's Avatar
    Gboard is my favorite, followed by BB VKB, followed by SwiftKey.

    The rest aren't worth the time.
    Yup. What I like about gboard is swipe in the space bar will move the cursor. Really handy when I get one character typo, no need to delete entire word.
    01-09-20 08:30 PM
  24. skrble's Avatar
    Google only supplies security patches for 3 years from the release date of an OS version. That's pretty open knowledge in the industry.
    Thanks. However, I still haven't found any clue to proove this.

    Android 5.x was supported for something over half a year, Android 6.x for 2 years, Android 7.x for 3 years. That doesn't really sound that Google is dropping Oreo in August for sure, there hasn't been any statement, announcement, anything. At least I haven't found anything.

    That is why I've kindly asked you for a source.
    01-11-20 12:18 PM
  25. conite's Avatar
    Thanks. However, I still haven't found any clue to proove this.

    Android 5.x was supported for something over half a year, Android 6.x for 2 years, Android 7.x for 3 years. That doesn't really sound that Google is dropping Oreo in August for sure, there hasn't been any statement, announcement, anything. At least I haven't found anything.

    That is why I've kindly asked you for a source.
    Check the Android Security bulletins.

    Marshmallow was last updated in August 2018, and Nougat was last updated in October 2019. It's a repeating cycle.
    01-11-20 12:50 PM
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