1. jeremyr4's Avatar
    So I finally bought a Key2 and, now that I have used it for several hours, there's a good chance that I might switch to the Key2 LE simply because it's so top heavy (as others have reported). It's worth noting that I do find the increased size of the keys on the Key2 very noticeable in that the Key2 LE keys feel cramped to me while the Key2 keys almost feels too large! They also might be spaced a little further apart on the Key2 - I am not sure. I am going to head to my local Best Buy this weekend to compare them side-by-side.

    There is definitely a SIGNIFICANT weight difference between the Key2 and Key2 LE - something I wasn't expecting this to this extent. It's a bummer to have to decide between the capacitive keyboard and bigger keys vs the weight but I'm leaning towards the latter because I use my phone for literally hours every day (at typically for 1-2 hours first thing in the morning) so I can't afford to have weight issues. I would probably be best for me to wait for the Key3 but I don't think my Classic will hold out long enough, as it has a number of issues right now...

    Anyhow, I will post an update with my final decision and thoughts after I compare them side-by-side. But, for now, I hope this is helpful for anyone trying to figure out which to buy...
    bqik likes this.
    01-04-19 11:33 PM
  2. anon(10538261)'s Avatar
    So I finally bought a Key2 and, now that I have used it for several hours, there's a good chance that I might switch to the Key2 LE simply because it's so top heavy (as others have reported). It's worth noting that I do find the increased size of the keys on the Key2 very noticeable in that the Key2 LE keys feel cramped to me while the Key2 keys almost feels too large! They also might be spaced a little further apart on the Key2 - I am not sure. I am going to head to my local Best Buy this weekend to compare them side-by-side.

    There is definitely a SIGNIFICANT weight difference between the Key2 and Key2 LE - something I wasn't expecting this to this extent. It's a bummer to have to decide between the capacitive keyboard and bigger keys vs the weight but I'm leaning towards the latter because I use my phone for literally hours every day (at typically for 1-2 hours first thing in the morning) so I can't afford to have weight issues. I would probably be best for me to wait for the Key3 but I don't think my Classic will hold out long enough, as it has a number of issues right now...

    Anyhow, I will post an update with my final decision and thoughts after I compare them side-by-side. But, for now, I hope this is helpful for anyone trying to figure out which to buy...
    Get the Key2 le..i made the switch after a week with the Key2..it just never felt right in the hand plus the sharp corners were uncomfortable...rounded edges of the Le are much better
    01-04-19 11:36 PM
  3. bqik's Avatar
    Wow, cannot believe it...

    The Classic was a heavy device!
    chenized likes this.
    01-05-19 01:49 AM
  4. Molfus's Avatar
    Classic is heavy, but not out of balancce like KeyONE or Key2.
    For having a slate design the LE feels pretty balanced.
    01-05-19 03:01 AM
  5. OMGitsRLR-1's Avatar
    Yeah I had a Key2 for ages and ended up getting a LE for about a week and noticed the light weight helps so much with typing and with long calls - I don't find the keyboard too cramped at all, personally - but don't have no desire to go back to my Key2 at all, only really miss the battery life, to be honest
    the_boon and anon(10538261) like this.
    01-05-19 04:53 AM
  6. gnirkatto's Avatar
    I'm sure you'll get used to the LE's slightly smaller keyboard very quickly - just don't constantly compare by moving back and forth between the K2 and the LE. I noticed whenever I took the LE in my hands it felt like 'oh nice how light and not top heavy it is' - and then back to the K2 'oh nice to have bigger keys' and so forth.
    Once I decided to go LE because of its lightness and not being top heavy, I gave the K2 away, and today (after 2 days) I can't even remember nor imagine how it was to type on a K2, and the LE keyboard feels like home.
    01-05-19 10:13 AM
  7. jeremyr4's Avatar
    Thanks for everyone's feedback. I went to Best Buy today to compare both phones and I have decided to return the Key2 and buy the Key2 LE. Even though the LE was hooked up to one of those alarm devices you could still feel the considerable weight difference. It's truly a shame that the weight balance of the Key2 is off or I would have kept it.

    A few other quick notes:

    - The back of the LE is MUCH better in terms of grip than the Key2. The Key2 feels slippery while the LE has better grip (although it's not perfect in terms of grip).
    - The LE is just slightly less long and its screen is a little lower down relative to the Key2, which should help for one handed reaching on the screen.
    - I actually like the feedback of the LE keys better than the Key2. I noticed immediately that the Key2 keys feel "spongy" compared to my classic and even more so compared to the LE. I am pretty sure that I will type more quickly on the LE due to the clickiness vs sponginess of the Key2.
    - The Key2 keyboard is surprisingly larger to the LE. I believe this is a combination of both the keys being larger (they practically matched my Classic keys in terms of height) and the fact that the spacing between rows on the Key2 is much more pronounced than the LE.
    - I tried launching a few apps simultaneously and it's obvious that the Key2 is quicker than the LE but I can easily deal with that coming from the Classic :-)

    The biggest changes to me are the smaller keys + lack of capacitive keyboard. For my business use I am guessing the 4GB of ram on the LE will be sufficient and the speed is definitely good enough. I'm actually really happy I was able to compare them in-person, as it made me even more excited about making the switch from my Classic because I can see why people like the LE.

    I am going to wait for any CES announcements before pulling the trigger on the LE. Looks like TCL might make a couple of carrier-related announcements. My hunch is that the Key2 will now officially be Verizon-compatible (given that you can already get it to work in a similar manner to LE) but what I'm wondering is whether perhaps Verizon will carry the LE directly, as I would be more likely to buy it directly from them for their support vs on Amazon. We will see...

    Thanks for everyone's help and feedback! I hope my feedback above is helpful.
    Adriano 1 likes this.
    01-05-19 06:27 PM
  8. RK_BB's Avatar
    ...I am going to head to my local Best Buy this weekend to compare them side-by-side....
    Just the fact your local Best Buy has both the K2 & the LE on demo is mind blowing.
    01-05-19 11:15 PM
  9. jeremyr4's Avatar
    Sorry for any confusion. In fact my local Best Buy (in Los Angeles) only has the Key2 LE. I took the Key2 I bought to the store so I could compare them side-by-side. I don't believe any Best Buy locations have both on display - only the LE.
    01-06-19 01:18 AM
  10. RK_BB's Avatar
    Sorry for any confusion. In fact my local Best Buy (in Los Angeles) only has the Key2 LE. I took the Key2 I bought to the store so I could compare them side-by-side. I don't believe any Best Buy locations have both on display - only the LE.
    In Los Angeles?!? Which one?!?!
    01-06-19 01:20 AM
  11. jeremyr4's Avatar
    I went to the Pico/Sawtelle store.
    01-06-19 01:26 AM
  12. RK_BB's Avatar
    I went to the Pico/Sawtelle store.
    Good to know!
    01-06-19 01:35 AM
  13. babugaru1's Avatar
    Thanks for everyone's feedback. I went to Best Buy today to compare both phones and I have decided to return the Key2 and buy the Key2 LE. Even though the LE was hooked up to one of those alarm devices you could still feel the considerable weight difference. It's truly a shame that the weight balance of the Key2 is off or I would have kept it.

    A few other quick notes:

    - The back of the LE is MUCH better in terms of grip than the Key2. The Key2 feels slippery while the LE has better grip (although it's not perfect in terms of grip).
    - The LE is just slightly less long and its screen is a little lower down relative to the Key2, which should help for one handed reaching on the screen.
    - I actually like the feedback of the LE keys better than the Key2. I noticed immediately that the Key2 keys feel "spongy" compared to my classic and even more so compared to the LE. I am pretty sure that I will type more quickly on the LE due to the clickiness vs sponginess of the Key2.
    - The Key2 keyboard is surprisingly larger to the LE. I believe this is a combination of both the keys being larger (they practically matched my Classic keys in terms of height) and the fact that the spacing between rows on the Key2 is much more pronounced than the LE.
    - I tried launching a few apps simultaneously and it's obvious that the Key2 is quicker than the LE but I can easily deal with that coming from the Classic :-)

    The biggest changes to me are the smaller keys + lack of capacitive keyboard. For my business use I am guessing the 4GB of ram on the LE will be sufficient and the speed is definitely good enough. I'm actually really happy I was able to compare them in-person, as it made me even more excited about making the switch from my Classic because I can see why people like the LE.

    I am going to wait for any CES announcements before pulling the trigger on the LE. Looks like TCL might make a couple of carrier-related announcements. My hunch is that the Key2 will now officially be Verizon-compatible (given that you can already get it to work in a similar manner to LE) but what I'm wondering is whether perhaps Verizon will carry the LE directly, as I would be more likely to buy it directly from them for their support vs on Amazon. We will see...

    Thanks for everyone's help and feedback! I hope my feedback above is helpful.
    I know what is weight, what is weight balance?
    01-06-19 08:42 AM
  14. the_boon's Avatar
    I know what is weight, what is weight balance?
    Weight balance is where the weight is mostly situated in a given object. (Correct me if I'm wrong )

    In the case of a smartphone, we would want a low center of gravity which means most of the weight being from the middle of the device and down.

    Having most of the weight on top is terrible as it makes you feel like the phone is gonna tip forward out of your hand.

    Good weight balance is even more important on a PKB phone, especially if you want to be able to type well single handed.
    Adriano 1 likes this.
    01-06-19 08:47 AM
  15. ElGorgon's Avatar
    Yeah, classic was a heavy device but was perfectly balanced. Key2 le is also very well (not so well as classic) but so much better than key2. This is really important for me in order to feel confort while I'm using the device.
    01-06-19 09:42 AM
  16. jeremyr4's Avatar
    Yeah, classic was a heavy device but was perfectly balanced. Key2 le is also very well (not so well as classic) but so much better than key2. This is really important for me in order to feel confort while I'm using the device.
    This is exactly my opinion as well and why I am switching to the LE. Big difference in the weight balance.
    01-06-19 11:23 AM
  17. the_boon's Avatar
    I'm surprised how many people also find themselves going for the LE from their KEY2.

    I really feel like BBMo aced the LE more than its big brother, and that it's their most reliable device so far.
    The LE forums don't have nearly the same amount of complaints as the KEY2 and KEYone. This could also be due to the fact that there are less of them out there, since it's the most recently released device of them all.

    I trust my LE more than just about any other device I've used.
    The only thing that could increase my confidence in it as an every day device I take everywhere would be an IP rating.
    01-06-19 01:00 PM
  18. OMGitsRLR-1's Avatar
    I'm surprised how many people also find themselves going for the LE from their KEY2.

    I really feel like BBMo aced the LE more than its big brother, and that it's their most reliable device so far.
    The LE forums don't have nearly the same amount of complaints as the KEY2 and KEYone. This could also be due to the fact that there are less of them out there, since it's the most recently released device of them all.

    I trust my LE more than just about any other device I've used.
    The only thing that could increase my confidence in it as an every day device I take everywhere would be an IP rating.
    For me, I had to change from using the Key2 - I loved the device but the Space Bar kept having issues on different devices. The LE is so much lighter & easier to talk/type on, that on paper/specs sheet, it sounds like the weaker device, but does the job for now perfectly, as the Key2's imperfections (weight, issues with capacitive keyboard being too responsive, etc) shine more now I've started using my LE, and don't intend to go back
    the_boon likes this.
    01-06-19 02:10 PM
  19. jeremyr4's Avatar
    Thanks for your feedback - that is all good to know. Just an FYI to everyone that I bought a Key2 on Amazon last week and I can tell you based on my unit (and others who have recently provided feedback) that they seem to have fixed the spacebar issue. It feels identical to the other keys now for new builds. Just an FYI for those reading this and considering both. I absolutely experienced the capacitive keyboard issues on the Key2 (multiple times per day) but the space bar itself was ok...
    01-06-19 05:03 PM
  20. the_boon's Avatar
    Thanks for your feedback - that is all good to know. Just an FYI to everyone that I bought a Key2 on Amazon last week and I can tell you based on my unit (and others who have recently provided feedback) that they seem to have fixed the spacebar issue. It feels identical to the other keys now for new builds. Just an FYI for those reading this and considering both. I absolutely experienced the capacitive keyboard issues on the Key2 (multiple times per day) but the space bar itself was ok...
    What date was your KEY2 built?
    01-06-19 05:18 PM
  21. jeremyr4's Avatar
    What date was your KEY2 built?
    Sorry - how do I check that?
    01-06-19 06:59 PM
  22. the_boon's Avatar
    Sorry - how do I check that?
    You can find the assembly date for the unit in the MMI test / Traceability menu

    1. Dial *#2886#
    2. Press the MANU red button
    3. Touch the "Traceability" menu
    4. Hit PASS

    You should get something like this, where the bottom line is a date of assembly:

    20180729
    YYYYMMDD

    5. Hit PASS again
    6. Scroll to the bottom and hit Exit
    01-06-19 10:12 PM
  23. jeremyr4's Avatar
    Thanks. Looks like my Key2 build date is 09/13/18 so it's pretty recent. I purchased it on Amazon (sold by Amazon) last week.
    01-06-19 10:25 PM
  24. ElGorgon's Avatar
    22/9/2018 mine. I got it since 22 Oct. Also bought on amazon.
    01-06-19 11:01 PM
  25. tnewton3's Avatar
    I'm on the flip side of this and looking to switch to the KEY² from the LE. I absolutely love my LE and only used the KEY² briefly because when it first dropped it wouldn't fully function on Verizon (reports are saying it runs on Verizon fine now).

    I want the most power possible and like the look of the Silver KEY² over my current slate. Waiting to see CES announcements and keeping my fingers crossed for a $100 pricedrop on the KEY². With everyone reporting the spacebar issue being addressed and fixed I'm looking forward to giving it a try.
    01-07-19 08:10 AM
29 12

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