[Mits5139]

Key2 Review:

I’ve had the Key2 for a few days now having upgraded from the KeyOne Black Edition. Thought i’d share my thoughts on the handset. Hope it helps in people deciding whether to make the jump.

I’ve historically been iOS and Mac and every time I’ve tried to jump ship I have come right back to the tried and tested. I’ve had blackberries in the past and loved them. The only downside was the lack of app support so when the Priv finally came out I tried my first android blackberry and loved it but due to reliability issues went back to the iPhone. Fast forward and I got the KeyOne Black Edition last year. I’ve never had any problems switching from a physical to a virtual keyboard but on paper the handset ticked all the boxes. It was a great handset apart from some niggling issues such as slow downs and strangely enough very erratic Bluetooth connections. I’ve cleared the cache as recommended which definitey did the job and did a few clean installs to rectify the Bluetooth issues but gave up in the end.

Fast forward to the Key2 and if one word could sum it up so far it would be: Fantastic! So how has it been faring these last few day? Sadly I’m not a reviewer so my apologies for any typos and grammar mistakes 

Design & Build:
Compared to my KeyOne it is definitley lighter. Build quality is just as good. It feels solid to hold in the hand and I actually find it very evenly weighted for my use. The texture of the back of the phone makes it great to hold and is not slippy at all. Didnt put a case on the Keyone and wont for the Key2. I love the overall look of my Black Key2. Stealthy and smart.
Niggles: as nice as it is to have the power button on the same side its a beep to take a screenshot holding down the volume and power button simultaneously. I wish the convenience key could be natively mapped to take a screenshot as I use it a lot for work purposes. Current workaround is Blackberry Notably but just seems like an extra unnecessary step.
Keyboard is definitely a step up from the KeyOne and I’m definitely feeling the larger keys and spacebar. The space bar as has been mentioned on the forum is loud and clicky but after a while you forget about it. The fingerprint sensor is still very fast and accurate. Screen launches instantly.

Screen:
Same screen as KeyOne. I’ve not had any problems with outdoor visibility and maximum brightness as has been mentioned in previous posts. TBH I normally have a blue filter app running so it is a little dimmer which helps reduce reflections and glare. Its large enough for my purposes and holding in landscape and watching the odd Netflix/Amazon Video isn’t a bad experience. I use to do this on phones with much smaller screens and they generally look great on the Key2.
Sadly Key2 LCD + Polarised sunglasses when the phone is rotated to landscape as I found out = black screen. Found this out whilst out and about trying out the camera. Not a deal breaker. Will just have to remember to take off sunnies or invest in a non-polarised pair later on down the line.

Sound:
Call quality on both ends has been loud and clear. No dropouts reported. Loudspeaker is loud enough generally. Never going to be room filling but plenty loud. It has a fairly flat response through a pair of earphones and goes quite loud and the headphone jack means we can use normal cables without extra adapters. Sound via Bluetooth is strong and distortion free (I’m looking at you KeyOne).

Performance:
I’m not a heavy multitasker by any means and don’t actually have a lot of apps installed. On my KeyOne and 2 I switched off the hub and mainly use respective apps for messaging and emails. Couldnt understand why the KeyOne kept slowing down regardless. I don’t play games, Facebook, twitter etc. I use to clear the cache weekly and even bought an app of the play store which was actually much better at improving performance.
Thankfully Key2 runs butter smooth. Its quick to launch, switch apps. No slowdown and no clearing the cache at all! Bluetooth has also been rock solid. My Garmin has now only disconnected when ive literally been out of range and not whilst ive been at 6 inches away from my phone.
Wifi performance is strong and its a great hotspot for my pixelbook. The phone also seems to pick up a signal in my consulting room at work where many other phoness have failed in the past so result.

Camera:
I’m hoping this is the one section that can be improved upon to make my Key2 complete. Reviews have bashed the phone for its camera. In all honesty daylight shots have been great with plenty of resolved detail and good colours. The nice thing about the LCD is the colours look more natural as opposed to when I had a note 8. I have had HDR on to get better dynamic range and manual mode if you can master it gives very good quality photos. The very few bokeh I have taken have been pretty good. I don’t normally take them but the cameras work well together.
Low light photography is definitely the Achilles heel for this setup. The images are usable providing your not blowing them up and just posting to Instagram. I found the images soft with a fair amount of noise. The KeyOne took slightly better shots. I’m hoping its a software issue that can be rectified. Apparently the cameras used are from a previous flagship generation so fingers crossed on that one.
Definitely not a deal breaker as I normally keep my trusty Sony Compact with me at all times in case needed.

This pretty much summaries my experience with the Key2 to date. Was it a worthy upgrade over the KeyOne? For me it definitely has been. I’m loving the new keyboard, my Bluetooth issues have been rectified. It plays nicely with my in car Bluetooth, my pixel book, no performance lag at all.

What could they do for the Key3?
An Oled screen more so that I could use my sunglasses without having to tilt my head 90 degrees lol. Does it need a flagship grade chip inside? I guess its a balance between performance and battery. For most multitaskers id say this is plenty of firepower unless your a gamer. Sadly im rubbish at games lol.

I hope this helps some of you in making a decision. Its not the perfect phone but gets pretty close for all my needs. I’m extremely happy with mine and hope you will be with yours too.
I guess sometimes its the frustration of how things can go wrong with the handset even though technically they are all identical. Thankfully our crackberry forum has a huge support network so theres always some form of work around.

Have a great day peeps 

[Crisdean]

Love your review and thanks for putting the effort in! Sounds like it's a worthy successor. Could you post some low light shots if possible?

[steve er]

Thanks for the review as a regular user. Frank and through. I definitely feel you in regards to the polarised sunglasses bit. I also get it on my KEYone.

Did not bother to ask elsewhere but decided to check in with you. A few reviews show that the black frame is susceptible to scratches and revealing the silver under it. Am thinking of getting black and using without a case, thus the worry...

What is your take on the scratches on black?

[Mits5139]

Love your review and thanks for putting the effort in! Sounds like it's a worthy successor. Could you post some low light shots if possible?

Will post some shots when I get home this evening

[Mits5139]

Thanks for the review as a regular user. Frank and through. I definitely feel you in regards to the polarised sunglasses bit. I also get it on my KEYone.

Did not bother to ask elsewhere but decided to check in with you. A few reviews show that the black frame is susceptible to scratches and revealing the silver under it. Am thinking of getting black and using without a case, thus the worry...

What is your take on the scratches on black?

So far it's been pretty resilient. Plan is to get a tempered glass screen protector though.

[steve er]

So far it's been pretty resilient. Plan is to get a tempered glass screen protector though.

Thanks man. Having that mental debate of silver or black. Still awaiting launch here... thanks again for your review and enjoy!

[Doityourself]

I absolutely agree. I had a Keyone black. had same Bluetooth issues.

camera was amazing on it

key 2 camera is shocking

[world traveler and former ceo]

Nice review... covers most Of my interests... definitely getting it.

Posted via CB10

[Laramie50]

Thanks. Your needs and uses are amazingly close to mine, so a very helpful review indeed.

[mtalinm]

thanks very much for your thoughts. this is helping to push me over the edge toward purchasing

[anon(10465884)]

Key2 Review:

I’ve had the Key2 for a few days now having upgraded from the KeyOne Black Edition. Thought i’d share my thoughts on the handset. Hope it helps in people deciding whether to make the jump.

I’ve historically been iOS and Mac and every time I’ve tried to jump ship I have come right back to the tried and tested. I’ve had blackberries in the past and loved them. The only downside was the lack of app support so when the Priv finally came out I tried my first android blackberry and loved it but due to reliability issues went back to the iPhone. Fast forward and I got the KeyOne Black Edition last year. I’ve never had any problems switching from a physical to a virtual keyboard but on paper the handset ticked all the boxes. It was a great handset apart from some niggling issues such as slow downs and strangely enough very erratic Bluetooth connections. I’ve cleared the cache as recommended which definitey did the job and did a few clean installs to rectify the Bluetooth issues but gave up in the end.

Fast forward to the Key2 and if one word could sum it up so far it would be: Fantastic! So how has it been faring these last few day? Sadly I’m not a reviewer so my apologies for any typos and grammar mistakes 

Design & Build:
Compared to my KeyOne it is definitley lighter. Build quality is just as good. It feels solid to hold in the hand and I actually find it very evenly weighted for my use. The texture of the back of the phone makes it great to hold and is not slippy at all. Didnt put a case on the Keyone and wont for the Key2. I love the overall look of my Black Key2. Stealthy and smart.
Niggles: as nice as it is to have the power button on the same side its a beep to take a screenshot holding down the volume and power button simultaneously. I wish the convenience key could be natively mapped to take a screenshot as I use it a lot for work purposes. Current workaround is Blackberry Notably but just seems like an extra unnecessary step.
Keyboard is definitely a step up from the KeyOne and I’m definitely feeling the larger keys and spacebar. The space bar as has been mentioned on the forum is loud and clicky but after a while you forget about it. The fingerprint sensor is still very fast and accurate. Screen launches instantly.

Screen:
Same screen as KeyOne. I’ve not had any problems with outdoor visibility and maximum brightness as has been mentioned in previous posts. TBH I normally have a blue filter app running so it is a little dimmer which helps reduce reflections and glare. Its large enough for my purposes and holding in landscape and watching the odd Netflix/Amazon Video isn’t a bad experience. I use to do this on phones with much smaller screens and they generally look great on the Key2.
Sadly Key2 LCD + Polarised sunglasses when the phone is rotated to landscape as I found out = black screen. Found this out whilst out and about trying out the camera. Not a deal breaker. Will just have to remember to take off sunnies or invest in a non-polarised pair later on down the line.

Sound:
Call quality on both ends has been loud and clear. No dropouts reported. Loudspeaker is loud enough generally. Never going to be room filling but plenty loud. It has a fairly flat response through a pair of earphones and goes quite loud and the headphone jack means we can use normal cables without extra adapters. Sound via Bluetooth is strong and distortion free (I’m looking at you KeyOne).

Performance:
I’m not a heavy multitasker by any means and don’t actually have a lot of apps installed. On my KeyOne and 2 I switched off the hub and mainly use respective apps for messaging and emails. Couldnt understand why the KeyOne kept slowing down regardless. I don’t play games, Facebook, twitter etc. I use to clear the cache weekly and even bought an app of the play store which was actually much better at improving performance.
Thankfully Key2 runs butter smooth. Its quick to launch, switch apps. No slowdown and no clearing the cache at all! Bluetooth has also been rock solid. My Garmin has now only disconnected when ive literally been out of range and not whilst ive been at 6 inches away from my phone.
Wifi performance is strong and its a great hotspot for my pixelbook. The phone also seems to pick up a signal in my consulting room at work where many other phoness have failed in the past so result.

Camera:
I’m hoping this is the one section that can be improved upon to make my Key2 complete. Reviews have bashed the phone for its camera. In all honesty daylight shots have been great with plenty of resolved detail and good colours. The nice thing about the LCD is the colours look more natural as opposed to when I had a note 8. I have had HDR on to get better dynamic range and manual mode if you can master it gives very good quality photos. The very few bokeh I have taken have been pretty good. I don’t normally take them but the cameras work well together.
Low light photography is definitely the Achilles heel for this setup. The images are usable providing your not blowing them up and just posting to Instagram. I found the images soft with a fair amount of noise. The KeyOne took slightly better shots. I’m hoping its a software issue that can be rectified. Apparently the cameras used are from a previous flagship generation so fingers crossed on that one.
Definitely not a deal breaker as I normally keep my trusty Sony Compact with me at all times in case needed.

This pretty much summaries my experience with the Key2 to date. Was it a worthy upgrade over the KeyOne? For me it definitely has been. I’m loving the new keyboard, my Bluetooth issues have been rectified. It plays nicely with my in car Bluetooth, my pixel book, no performance lag at all.

What could they do for the Key3?
An Oled screen more so that I could use my sunglasses without having to tilt my head 90 degrees lol. Does it need a flagship grade chip inside? I guess its a balance between performance and battery. For most multitaskers id say this is plenty of firepower unless your a gamer. Sadly im rubbish at games lol.

I hope this helps some of you in making a decision. Its not the perfect phone but gets pretty close for all my needs. I’m extremely happy with mine and hope you will be with yours too.
I guess sometimes its the frustration of how things can go wrong with the handset even though technically they are all identical. Thankfully our crackberry forum has a huge support network so theres always some form of work around.

Have a great day peeps 

Great review and I can't wait to get my key 2 in 3 more days!

[Dante Giugliano]

Excellent review! My Key2 pre-order from Amazon is still "shipping soon"
Reading reviews like yours makes the wait so much worse!

[Mits5139]

Thanks guys. It's my honest take on the phone. It has its quirks but overall a solid handset. Feel a lot of the reviews have been unfair. The keyboard shortcuts are a godsend it they'd learnt how to use them properly lol.

[JuiciPatties]

It really bothers me that there appears to be a lot of issues with the camera. This should be basic table stakes. Almost all devices will be judged in part by the effectiveness or quality (or lack thereof) of the camera. I don't understand how they weren't able to get this right. Yes, I do hope for an update to resolve this, but really think it hurts them that they don't get this right for the launch. I definitely want the device, and have always been a fan of the BlackBerry, but just need them (or TCL rather) to help themselves. Anyway, I know I have no say in this and I'm sure there are a lot of things at play, but wished they released it with the camera in its finest form.

[Mits5139]

It really bothers me that there appears to be a lot of issues with the camera. This should be basic table stakes. Almost all devices will be judged in part by the effectiveness or quality (or lack thereof) of the camera. I don't understand how they weren't able to get this right. Yes, I do hope for an update to resolve this, but really think it hurts them that they don't get this right for the launch. I definitely want the device, and have always been a fan of the BlackBerry, but just need them (or TCL rather) to help themselves. Anyway, I know I have no say in this and I'm sure there are a lot of things at play, but wished they released it with the camera in its finest form.

Know what you mean mate. Hopefully they'll quickly send out a fix like oneplus have with their 6 and it'll all get resolved.

For me I've found that it's a little quick to loose focus. I tap to focus but by by time I've taken the shot sometimes the image comes out softer. More so in lower light. However when the focus hits the mark images are sharp with good colour

[o4liberty]

Some say great some say bad I will wait and see for myself I can't believe there are so many different reviews for this one phone I am thinking user error at this point. Seeing too many problems with the device and not enough positive reviews probably a great device.

[Ment]

It really bothers me that there appears to be a lot of issues with the camera. This should be basic table stakes. Almost all devices will be judged in part by the effectiveness or quality (or lack thereof) of the camera. I don't understand how they weren't able to get this right. Yes, I do hope for an update to resolve this, but really think it hurts them that they don't get this right for the launch. I definitely want the device, and have always been a fan of the BlackBerry, but just need them (or TCL rather) to help themselves. Anyway, I know I have no say in this and I'm sure there are a lot of things at play, but wished they released it with the camera in its finest form.

in terms of smartphone technology, camera is the one of the most resource intensive for the OEM. It's not coincidence that smaller companies like Oneplus, Essential, Razer take awhile or multiple phone gens to get it right.

[valer466]

Never knew Camera would be such a strong focus area for the niche within the niche pkb buyer! TCL are you listening? Dumb down on the pkb type-swipe-push-shortcut etc (anything other party trick left?) for the next key3 and focus more on the camera!

[Mits5139]

A few pics taken with the key2. Allowed the camera full control

[AmritD]

Nice review.
Thanks for sharing

ClassicSQC100-1/10.3.3.2163

[NubianPrinc]

Thanks for the simple and clear review. My needs are almost similar to yours. Cannot wait to lay my hands on the Key2.

[Xeak]

Thanks for this review. I'm sure the camera issue will be fixed via future software updates.

My one concern is the space bar. Would typing on the Key2 be audible to others in a quiet room or meeting? I would appreciate any comments on this.

[Mits5139]

Thanks for this review. I'm sure the camera issue will be fixed via future software updates.

My one concern is the space bar. Would typing on the Key2 be audible to others in a quiet room or meeting? I would appreciate any comments on this.

Hi mate it does click but I don't think it's too loud. I'd see if you can try one out. I've not had anyone mention the noise to me when I've been typing away. The keyone space bar was stiff in comparison but I appreciate the one on the key2 more.

If anything they've looked my way trying to figure out what I'm actually typing on and then surprised to find out what it is. I may have converted a few

[Mits5139]

2 indoor shots. One in a Japanese restaurant hence the beer and the second a mind mapl I was making in the evening for my students.

[jamesbondOO7]

I have had the KEY² for 2 days, from a KEYone BE. The keyboard is lovely, performance much better so far (not difficult as KEYone had become a real dog). Basically happy.