KEY2 LE or KEYone Black Edition?

Hi friends! I'm trying to buy a new phone within a budget (my Q10 is FINALLY dying out!) and am wondering which is the best value in the market right now (additionally could consider upcoming price drops or sales)? - the KEYone Black Edition (possibly the Dual-SIM version, ~$310) OR the Key2 LE (~$450) - both would be brand new of course. I don't care too much for media usage on my phone and neither would I automatically jump on the 'newer is cooler' bandwagon. Power productivity users - what's your take?

I would go for the KEY2 LE. It's got a more modern and sleeker design, and is lighter than the KEYone by 24g. This of course makes a huge difference in the overall typing comfort and feel in the hand.

Do note that the KEYone does have a bigger battery by about 500mAh, as well as a capacitive keyboard which you can scroll/flick/swipe on, and an arguably better camera sensor.

Black KeyOne has 64gb of storage
Black KeyOne has bigger battery
Black KeyOne's back lit keyboard, you can see the symbols light up better
Black KeyOne has touch sensitive keyboard for scrolling and typing gestures
Black KeyOne has heft

Key2 LE has newer processor
Key2 LE has all buttons on right side of phone
Key2 LE has matte finish and 10% larger keyboard
Key2 LE will get updates after updates stop for KeyOne
Key2 LE feels light compared to KeyOne

The screen is the same on both models.
I have heard mixed reviews for cameras for each.

You state you can get the Black KeyOne cheaper by over $100.

I've been using Black KeyOne for almost a year now. Been very impressed with it. Was debating on selling it for Key2 LE. Touch sensitive keyboard and the fact I already own it, didn't make sense for me to move over.

Based on your price difference, I personally would go for the Black KeyOne. I haven't seen them that cheap here in Canada. But I wouldn't say jumping on the Key2 LE is a bad choice either. Support for Key2 LE will be longer since it's a newer model. Maybe a lighter phone is more important too.

If you've held onto your Q10 for this long, then I would definitely recommend getting the K2 LE. K1 has already received it's major OS update and will likely not receive Pie in the future. K2 LE will. The only factor that I feel makes a difference between the two devices is the capacitive keyboard. Determine if its a feature you must have, and you'll likely decide on which phone is best for you.

as it seems you're not used to a capasitive keyboard for swipping up - I would go for the LE ;)
when you're once used to that than it's a killer not to have it - had this experience with Passport vs Classic...

Agreed!
I am on the passport but considering to buy a keyone BE. The key2 LE would not be an option to me due to the missing capacitive keyboard. I love it and use it all the day.

I cannot express how much I appreciate your response! I think I definitely needed an unbiased pros/cons list and yours was perfect!! A lighter phone would be lovely, but a bigger battery and backlit keyboard are definitely much more important features for me. And since I've survived on BB10 for this long, clearly I don't care too much about an outdated OS and apps. Plus, if I save some cash now, I could upgrade to the Key3 (Maybe?) sooner. Going for the KEYone. Thank you!

I bought a KeyOne Silver for CAD$390 on Black Friday, but haven't opened it yet - it's my Christmas gift!

The KeyOne Black was on for CAD$409 so I bought that and will return the Silver.

The LE is still $599, even with eBay 15% off it would still be $509 plus tax, so $575 vs $462 overall.

With the disadvantages of the LE with respect to the non touch keyboard, and the higher price, I decided on the K1 Black.

Considering that many apps are still on Marshmallow, and Oreo is still a long way from being the predominant Android, I'm hoping the K1 can give me a good 3+ years.

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by mf1982

I bought a KeyOne Silver for CAD$390 on Black Friday, but haven't opened it yet - it's my Christmas gift!

The KeyOne Black was on for CAD$409 so I bought that and will return the Silver.

The LE is still $599, even with eBay 15% off it would still be $509 plus tax, so $575 vs $462 overall.

With the disadvantages of the LE with respect to the non touch keyboard, and the higher price, I decided on the K1 Black.

Considering that many apps are still on Marshmallow, and Oreo is still a long way from being the predominant Android, I'm hoping the K1 can give me a good 3+ years.

Posted via CB10

As long as you don’t mind support dropping sooner than your three year time frame. With BBAndroid, I’d start three year clock from release date.

I bought the LE today. Used the KeyOne as my daily driver for one year and love it. One of the best Berry's I've owned.

I need more time with this LE, but from first impressions, the KeyOne might be a better choice.

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I just bought the keyone black edition for 299€ in germany and absolutely happy with it. You can download an app called FastKey and it is similar to the speed key. You relate the convenience key to the app and can start from every app another one with pushing the convenience key and a short cut.
Amazing!

After scanning through this thread, I decided to get a used (good condition) KEYone BE for around $210. I love my KEYone but feel like it just needs a bit more RAM... my first choice would be a key two (with capacitive kb), but it's a bit steep at the moment.

We'll see how it turns out!

Spinal Tap edition

So OP, which phone did you eventually decide to go with? KEYone black edition or KEY2 LE?

A plug for the KEYOne: I've had it for quite some time now and it had become very sluggish, almost unusable. So, I bought a new iPhone since the K2 and LE aren't available on Verizon. The swiping on the capacitive keyboard was, as it turned out, non-negotiable. I returned the iPhone a week later. I did a full reset of the K1 and I'm sooo glad I did.

Here's what I learned: The K1 is for me the best phone on the market, even at the price of wiping it if necessary to keep it running smoothly. The items mentioned above regarding the differences between it and the LE are not worth the trade in functionality. More Ram would be great, but I can always wipe the phone and start over with a fresh slate. It takes about the same amount of time to set up a new one as it does to reset the one I have, and no money has been spent.

OP, based on my use of the K1 for almost 2yrs and my admittedly short time trying a K2LE, I think you'd be perfectly happy with the K1, especially once you you experience a capacitance KB. I actually also prefer the look and feel of the K1 over the K2LE, even the little extra weight.

At this time I have no problem hanging on to my K1 until something better and worth switching to comes out.

Black Edition and use the left over money to get a case, screen protector and memory card.