[gilroyneil]

1st impressions after 2 days. I have lots of Android/ios devices and have owned a Z10, Q10 and PRIV in recent years.

Slow. This is a mid range device and feels like it. During setup the lag was insane. Afterwards it's just a normal stuttering android experience circa 2015. The software update was applied soon after initial setup. Normally performance is just about "OK" but every so often it all stops for a few seconds. This isn't ideal at all and is miles off the experience on my Moto Z and my Pixel. It's not unusable nor is it terrible but don't kid yourself that this feels like a high end Android. It doesn't at all.

Keyboard. Hard to say much here. I owned a Pearl and a PRIV. I'm much slower on physical than virtual and 1 handled use is impossible with this thing. YMMV. Scrolling etc is OK in some apps and stutters in others. I also frequently hit the capacative home key which is too close to top of the keyboard. And the auto-correct suggestions are crazy.... Why does it sometimes insert a different word to the one I select?

Screen. Not great. Washed out look and slight blur when scrolling. Better screens don't do this. Most apps work/look fine on this resolution though.

Software. Hate the launcher and the Hub. Rest is fine.

Value for money. Really hard to be objective here and I assume that only die hard keyboard fans would consider this BUT it has barely OK performance now... I cannot imagine how this will perform in 2 years? For the money it should have better specs than this especially with the heavy BB apps and services that run.

I'm returning or selling mine. It's quite simply not a very good Android device. There are far better options if the keyboard isn't your primary concern. I shouldn't have bought it and I should have realized that before buying but maybe this post will be useful to someone else.

[Bezbozny]

Thank you for the review. I am thinking of buying it and speed is something that really worries me...

[xxjavaxx2001]

For some weird reason i feel like you just wanted to post a negative post. In every phone and review, one can always still find something nice to say about a product regardless of how incompatible it may be with you. Im surprised you did not even mention about Battery life. Which could have been probably the only positive you could say.. Im sorry i forgot.. you used it only for 2 days.

[Akure4Life]

The title of this thread and the first line of the OP contradicts eachother.



Posted Via CB10 from Z30 OS 10.3..3.1463 

[Moon_Man]

When you don't like physical keyboards (and are slower typing with that), nor the Blackberry launcher and the hub, why did you buy it in the first place?

Sent from my  BlackBerry Passport™

[Uzi]

Maybe you get defective device? Slow stutter first time I heard lol

[mnns]

I'm buying K1 although I know it will be laggy. I desperately need the speed of PKB typing and shortcuts while I also need Android. I basically need Passport with Android.

When BB + TCL release a flagship KEYtwo (or whatever they'll name it), I'll buy it on the spot.

Not much to say, bloated and laggy HUB software and laggy BB Launcher alongside with a slow SD 625 chip isn't a great mix, it's a compromise. There are phones with great battery life and speedy flagship SoCs so don't bother telling everyone they chose 625 for the battery life.

The only hope for having a faster KEYone is if BB will drastically improve the performance of their Android software (Launcher, Search, Hub, Contacts, Calendar etc.) - it is very much possible with sophisticated caching mecanisms, but takes time.

On the optimistic side, I gotta say that the first born PKB baby of TCL+BB looks promising but needs a lot of polishing. Buying, but eagerly waiting for the K2.

[AL8x B]

He is talking about the poor performance. Interesting point of view.

Posted via CB10

[dastillero1975]

Well, for me the screen on the K1 is not that bad. I didn't see that blur he mentioned.
Keyboard is great except the capacitive part, but that is probably a software fault that will be fixed in the near future.
Battery is really good, but as he said, BB software is too heavy, so I'd like to see how much time will it last with a pure Android experience... Probably it will be great!
Compared to a similar Bq Aquaris X with 3GB RAM and an slightly better 626 chipset the K1 is noticeably slower. Difference is that Bq slab is pure Android (they only install an specific camera software and a pair of support apps) so I bet that K1 will work better as BB software will become more polished in the future. But right know that applications make my Xperia Z5 Compact lag as hell.

About money... I've always thought that K1 is too expensive as you are paying almost 300€ more for a PKB + BB services compared to similar devices with similar construction quality (which I forgot to say it's great on the K1).

The fact is that if you want a phone with PKB, K1 is the best option nowadays. And most of the people don't need a flagship, as most of the people buy midrange phones.

[Bostil1987]

I'm buying K1 although I know it will be laggy. I desperately need the speed of PKB typing and shortcuts while I also need Android. I basically need Passport with Android.

When BB + TCL release a flagship KEYtwo (or whatever they'll name it), I'll buy it on the spot.

Not much to say, bloated and laggy HUB software and laggy BB Launcher alongside with a slow SD 625 chip isn't a great mix, it's a compromise. There are phones with great battery life and speedy flagship SoCs so don't bother telling everyone they chose 625 for the battery life.

The only hope for having a faster KEYone is if BB will drastically improve the performance of their Android software (Launcher, Search, Hub, Contacts, Calendar etc.) - it is very much possible with sophisticated caching mecanisms, but takes time.

On the optimistic side, I gotta say that the first born PKB baby of TCL+BB looks promising but needs a lot of polishing. Buying, but eagerly waiting for the K2.

The bold one !

I hope, they continue supporting & improving with all ressources they have ! If there will be signs, that they reduce Android-support, I won't any longer be loyal to them. I only bought the Keyone because of the constant updates of the Android-software.

Give it a bit time ...

[bakron1]

I have a couple of folks in my BBM groups in the U.K. Who have bought one and say they love the device and recommend it as a buy.

For myself, I am buying the K1 based on Kevin's reviews and other folks who have bought one and I am excited about getting my hands on one.

[BB_PP]

1st impressions after 2 days. I have lots of Android/ios devices and have owned a Z10, Q10 and PRIV in recent years.

Slow. This is a mid range device and feels like it. During setup the lag was insane. Afterwards it's just a normal stuttering android experience circa 2015. The software update was applied soon after initial setup. Normally performance is just about "OK" but every so often it all stops for a few seconds. This isn't ideal at all and is miles off the experience on my Moto Z and my Pixel. It's not unusable nor is it terrible but don't kid yourself that this feels like a high end Android. It doesn't at all.

Keyboard. Hard to say much here. I owned a Pearl and a PRIV. I'm much slower on physical than virtual and 1 handled use is impossible with this thing. YMMV. Scrolling etc is OK in some apps and stutters in others. I also frequently hit the capacative home key which is too close to top of the keyboard. And the auto-correct suggestions are crazy.... Why does it sometimes insert a different word to the one I select?

Screen. Not great. Washed out look and slight blur when scrolling. Better screens don't do this. Most apps work/look fine on this resolution though.

Software. Hate the launcher and the Hub. Rest is fine.

Value for money. Really hard to be objective here and I assume that only die hard keyboard fans would consider this BUT it has barely OK performance now... I cannot imagine how this will perform in 2 years? For the money it should have better specs than this especially with the heavy BB apps and services that run.

I'm returning or selling mine. It's quite simply not a very good Android device. There are far better options if the keyboard isn't your primary concern. I shouldn't have bought it and I should have realized that before buying but maybe this post will be useful to someone else.

this is the most hated review so far. what about Camera? battery life? voice quality? fingerprint scanner? compact design?

Posted by Passport SE killed by Whatsppp

[SDTRMG]

Weird how there wasn't one good thing about the device in your review. I mean even the worst of tech bloggers like the device and what they stated completely contradicts what you have here. Guess I have to wait till I buy the device.

[yujinn]

It's nice to see opinions such as these. Some people just prefer seeing positives through tunnel vision and worse attack the person for mentioning anything otherwise.
These kinds of feedback are actually helpful. It can save a lot of us from. buyer's remorse and at the same time makes the manufacturer aware of legitimate complaints.
Lastly, do you really want to read about how awesome the battery life is for the nth time? smh

[SDTRMG]

this is the most hated review so far. what about Camera? battery life? voice quality? fingerprint scanner? compact design?

Posted by Passport SE killed by Whatsppp

This x100. I get the keyone is no s8 but it's not supposed to be. And is almost $200 less for a reason.

And BlackBerry/TCL have to make some money they aren't samsung, Motorola, google or some of these over seas company's that can just give the phone away and not profit. (I know tcl is a Chinese company but they have to see some type of proceeds selling BlackBerrys to make investing worth it.)

[donnation]

These types of reviews should be posted more often. I plan on buying the phone, but the rave reviews in here like this phone is the second coming of all Android phones gets a little ridiculous. Yes this is a BlackBerry fan site, but there should be a little more balance in what people say about this phone. I don't have any doubts that there is going to be some stuttering with this phone. The Priv has better internals and still lags even with the updates they have issued to the Hub. Its just going to be something that you either choose to deal with or not.

[stlabrat]

(1) good to see some opposite review.
(2) slow - can you be specific what is slow - game, app? or based on bench mark?
(3) bload Hub and Launch - I assume you mean memory hog? or just slow? it should be, you go through extra layer to organize it. when you buy a BB, you should know that... but not bloading.
(4) I think you like oled display better? saturated color! some people like that, but not me. Blur - you mean camera image? stability of the camera? or pixel between the display is blur? (you need microscope to see that... normally related to either how display is constructed - some with black margin between color to avoid color bleed, or display way of drive - some drive black before another refresh... that enhance the sharpness). Please tell us what you see.
(5) you type on KB slower than VKB? that definitely Merc is not your thing. I assume short cut means little or no value to you. Return the handset is definitely a good move.
Many thanks in advance for your answer.

[gilroyneil]

Hi,

There are too many posts to comment /answer each... So here is some more detail which may be useful:


Battery life. 2 days isn't enough to know but I assume it's great. Standby drain seems excellent.

Camera. It might be good, unsure. The camera UI isn't the best but beyond that I cannot comment.

As for why I bought it.... I have owned lots of devices and was intrigued. I like the idea of a PKB more than I do the reality.

As for whether or not I have a defective unit. No I very much doubt that I do.

And if I had to list positives it would be a short list. For the money there are far better Android devices. The PKB is the only reason to consider the phone.

[chain13]

This kind of thread will always get more tomatoes. We all know that K1 is not S8, of course it stutters oftenly. It's just a midrange phone targetted for productivity. Because not everyone need flagship, some of them just need an ok phone with pkb and some blackberry suite apps (that are mostly free on playstore). But they don't mind buy it with flagship price.

[oldmangeddyboy]

It's good to have a balance of negative reviews and positive that way any one who's considering buying the phone gets a fair idea of the pros and cons,all we need now is a bit more detailed review of the negative to balance it out,and one that's a fair review.

Posted via CB10

[oldmangeddyboy]

Hi,

There are too many posts to comment /answer each... So here is some more detail which may be useful:


Battery life. 2 days isn't enough to know but I assume it's great. Standby drain seems excellent.

Camera. It might be good, unsure. The camera UI isn't the best but beyond that I cannot comment.

As for why I bought it.... I have owned lots of devices and was intrigued. I like the idea of a PKB more than I do the reality.

As for whether or not I have a defective unit. No I very much doubt that I do.

And if I had to list positives it would be a short list. For the money there are far better Android devices. The PKB is the only reason to consider the phone.

I would be interested if you could post some updates of the battery life and more importantly the camera,if you don't sell or return the phone that is.

Posted via CB10

[ChainPunch]

The user is posting his own personal experience and no one should be knocking him for it because it is his honest view point. With me I am looking at reviews more about the hardware problems than anything else because on the Android software side of things I turn off or disable stuff that I don't use.

[anon(5364777)]

I think its hard to swallow for many here, it just irks them to have to read a negative post.

Its a $300 android device in a premium shell. Aside of positives he did not list hes right 100% in areas which were highlighted by every review out there except for Kevins. But thats his job, he even said the z10 was superb. Thats why his main device is an iphone plus i can guarantee that.

s8...give me a break guys. You can now get a s7 for the same price as they k1 at bestbuy. Hes right this device is not to brag about but a decent entrance for pkb community.

Edit: sorry cheaper by $100 with a constant bb $100 gift card that you can apply to the device. So $450.

[Chris Townsend3]

I've replaced my S7 with a Keyone. On a benchmark test the S7 is 3 times faster.

Do I notice this day to day? Nope

Facebook, hub, google maps etc all run pretty much the same. And thanks to its battery it's still going, unlike my S7!

[mod9]

I think its hard to swallow for many here, it just irks them to have to read a negative post.

Its a $300 android device in a premium shell. Aside of positives he did not list hes right 100% in areas which were highlighted by every review out there except for Kevins. But thats his job, he even said the z10 was superb. Thats why his main device is an iphone plus i can guarantee that.

s8...give me a break guys. You can now get a s7 for the same price as they k1 at bestbuy. Hes right this device is not to brag about but a decent entrance for pkb community.

Edit: sorry cheaper by $100 with a constant bb $100 gift card that you can apply to the device. So $450.

True. The fact that he has/ had other Android phones plus an iPhone does give his opinions/ experience validity in my opinion.

The problem is that he posted in a "BlackBerry" fan site. He was never going to please about 95 percent of the people.

Thank you for the review OP, I am glad I have gone with the S8+.

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