[stlabrat]

OP, I am glad K1 finally find the soft spot on your heart, even with the price...enjoy.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Well, after nearly 3 weeks of use and now my daily driver, I feel I can finally write an honest review as an average user.

If you want a PKB this is your phone. The Black 64GB version seems a good choice for the difference in price.

I couldn't add a smily as the icon doesn't work! It turns into a KB symbol . Probably Android. Doesn't work on my samslab either.

Hope this'll help u decide if it's for you.

Good review....

I do still wonder if this phone were widely available via normal sales channels and if it were a little more competitively priced.... if there is a viable market of PKB users that might give it a try.

[anon(870071)]

Well, after nearly 3 weeks of use and now my daily driver, I feel I can finally write an honest review as an average user. I'm 52, and the owner of a small to medium sized business in Barcelona. I use a laptop for writing and for emailing. When I can't use the laptop I switch to the phone to deal with and read attachments, etc. I surf the net for reviews, shopping, and news, and watch videos and podcasts and stuff related to forums like this one. I take photos and short videos and use whatsapp a lot. But No games for me!

I was a very happy and proud owner of a Bold before moving to a Samsung S4 about 3 or 4 years ago. Mostly to enjoy a bigger screen.

I had a S7 Edge and now I also use my J7 2016, which I find does everything I need pretty well. I like the idea of a Keyone for the Keyboard and being different!

So, with that in mind, what are my pros and cons as a business user. I'm writing this with my Keyone :
Pros
1. I love the keyboard. It works great in the three languages I use and the swipe up and predictions blow Samsung away. I also like the short cuts.
The feel is almost identical to my Bold and in fact is a little wider. So, great!
Once you get used to it and how to hold the phone (to type with 2 thumbs) it's great, and for me much more accurate than the VKB.
2. Battery life. I posted a screenshot with 10% left after 47 hours. This is due to my usage, but on the S7Edge I needed to recharge every night. I don't find a need for more speed, so I'm happy.
3. Special keys and functions. The convenience key for me is fine where it is. And I like the productivity tab.
The screenshot combo is good and the double press power key for the camera is also nice.
4. The Hub with the BB autoloader is something I like. I'm still tweaking and learning it, but it's so customisable.
5. General appeal of the phone. And I'm keeping the phone as close to stock Blackberry as possible. Because, it appeals to me!!! I love the total Black Blackberry look. I' m very classic.
6. Really fast charging especially on boost.
7. Double tap on screen to wake up and snooze the phone. simple and efficient.

OK
1. Signal and call quality. Haven't had any problems compared to my Samsung. I'm on 4G. Covering the bottom of my phone doesn't lower the signal either. So, glad about that.
I thought I had some dropped calls but my ear activated the mute function!
2. Bluetooth. I've connected in a car to an Alpine system and it worked fine. However, it didn't load addresses. To be fair I didn't investigate and it's not an important function for me.
3. Camera quality. Ok and sufficient for a business phone. You can buy a flagship phone for that. Or a proper camera.
With snapbizcard app it works VERY well on my SJ7 and just passable on the Keyone. The App maybe made for Samsung which gives it an unfair Advantage.
4. The charging port isn't a standard android one so you need this particular one.
5. It feels good quality but not up to my BlackBerry Bold's, with its aluminium frame.
It's beautiful and a work of art. But too expensive for BBM to copy I imagine.
6. The specs are perfect for this phone if you use it for business not video games and the like. 64GB and 4GB ram seem like an attractive offer.
Improvable
1. It was a struggle to buy the phone. BBM sells to the general public, at least in Europe and the UK. For a company toting a business phone this is not acceptable. In the end, Clove UK saved the day with excellent B2B service.
2. The reliability of the special keys.
Both the screenshot and camera double press stopped working. Restarting the phone fixed it.
3. Weight. It's not a dealbreaker, but it feels quite chunky especially with the clear gel protector on the back (recommended). Will annoy picky people!
4. Size. You get a good sized screen. I watch videos and it's OK. However, with fingers wrapped round the phone at the bottom it feels slightly top heavy. I wrap them higher for that reason. If it were possible to take off a finger at the top while retaining the Android 4:3 ratio it'd be perfect. No narrower though! It would reduce the weight but still leave a decent screen you can actually see things on!
5. BBM. Keep improving the phone and listen to and act on feedback. Think of ways to differentiate the phones with clever gestures, buttons and keys.
The screen on my J7 is more touch responsive... keep working on this...
6. Improve customer service and sales to businesses.
7. Don't overpromise on updates. They don't seem to come on time.
8. Review the price. The PKB is a unique feature but it needs to be affordable given the market.


Tips
1. Typing. I've moved to interlaced fingers and 2 thumbs. I started 2 months ago with phones! Thanks to the keyboard it's possible.
2. The back, home, recent keys. They work not by pushing or tapping but by soft touching them. They react to very light pressure.
3. The clear gel back protector saves you from falls and keeps the looks!
4. Possible faults are often likely to be android glitches and / or not knowing how to use the apps or functions more than a problem with the Keyone.
5. Watch the tutorial videos and take a lot of the criticisms as not necessarily general problems : screen drop Excepted.

Opinions
I've shown the phone to business people in a company that moved from BB to Iphone se. They said they weren't eager to go back to PKB. And they were surprised that the BB brand was still alive and I felt as if my Keyone was a bit of a joke. My personal Consultant coach, who's my age and a real PKB fan is already asking me about how to get one. He uses an iPhone 5 and says it serves his needs. And he is a heavy user.

To sum up
That's a long review!
I'm pretty tired now after writing this, but it was quicker than a VKB for me.
And that's the appeal of the Keyone : the Keyboard. It adds to productivity as does the battery life and fast recharging.

If you want a PKB this is your phone. The Black 64GB version seems a good choice for the difference in price.

I couldn't add a smily as the icon doesn't work! It turns into a KB symbol . Probably Android. Doesn't work on my samslab either.

Hope this'll help u decide if it's for you.

Awesome review I agree with your topics and issues! I really like the comparisons as it puts things into perspective!