Verizon - Key2 or Samsung clip-on?

I'm in the USA on Verizon, geographically nailed down to my carrier. I know some folks have had issues activating the Key2 with Verizon, since it's not an approved device. I'm especially worried what the CDMA retirement coming at the end of 2020 will do.

The Samsung Note 8 has a clip-on keyboard case that I can buy on eBay (not strictly in English, but I have paint). I have a Note 3, and I love the AMOLED screen and S pen for drawing. The Note 8 also has a better processor, but worse battery than Key2. I like that the Key2's keyboard has screen navigation, and the keyboard probably works better as a built-in. People have posted about the clip-on being buggy.

Thoughts? Make your case for older BBs or other devices too, if you like. I don't care much about software, since stock Android does what I need, so I'm not one for brand loyalty. I just want a good phone with a functional PKB.

Originally Posted by amiaship

I'm in the USA on Verizon, geographically nailed down to my carrier. I know some folks have had issues activating the Key2 with Verizon, since it's not an approved device. I'm especially worried what the CDMA retirement coming at the end of 2020 will do.

The Samsung Note 8 has a clip-on keyboard case that I can buy on eBay (not strictly in English, but I have paint). I have a Note 3, and I love the AMOLED screen and S pen for drawing. The Note 8 also has a better processor, but worse battery than Key2. I like that the Key2's keyboard has screen navigation, and the keyboard probably works better as a built-in. People have posted about the clip-on being buggy.

Thoughts? Make your case for older BBs or other devices too, if you like. I don't care much about software, since stock Android does what I need, so I'm not one for brand loyalty. I just want a good phone with a functional PKB.

Well, what do you do most? Type? Take pictures? I honestly think PKB diehards can get used to a VKB and thrive if they just give it a chance. Especially now that the phones are so wide.

Originally Posted by amiaship

Thoughts?

AFAIK, the Key2 LE is Verizon certified, if you can live without the capacitive touch keyboard.

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by Ben xfg

AFAIK, the Key2 LE is Verizon certified, if you can live without the capacitive touch keyboard.

Posted via CB10

Damn it, the LE doesn't have the keyboard navigation? It was already my last choice because the battery is way smaller than the other Keys or even the Priv. Now I'm even more disappointed that it's the only one Verizon will set up without a hassle.

Originally Posted by Emaderton3

Well, what do you do most? Type? Take pictures? I honestly think PKB diehards can get used to a VKB and thrive if they just give it a chance. Especially now that the phones are so wide.

Trust me, if I could get used to a virtual keyboard and thrive, I would have within the five years since I first got a smartphone. Everything else about Android works really well for me, but using a virtual keyboard just sucks. I had way fewer typos on a QWERTY flip phone and I miss having tactile information about where my fingers are. I don't think I type much slower or less accurately than the average smartphone user, but everyone else seems much less bothered by 25 WPM than I am. It feels slower and clunkier than just writing by hand, and it makes the display so greasy.

I use Twitter and Discord a lot, so I end up typing on my phone much more than I'd like. Switching away from the Note series at all means I won't draw on my new phone much, because the tip of the S Pen is really small and gives me a good view of the screen while I work. The S Pen and keyboard are the main reasons I'm considering the Note 8.

Camera quality doesn't matter much, as long as my new device has both front and rear facing. (My Note 3 was released in 2014. Almost any phone newer than 2016 is going to have better specs.) I'd like Pokemon Go to run well enough for Rocket battles, but that's aspirational, since the app crashes when I try to battle with my current phone.

Originally Posted by amiaship

Damn it, the LE doesn't have the keyboard navigation? It was already my last choice because the battery is way smaller than the other Keys or even the Priv. Now I'm even more disappointed that it's the only one Verizon will set up without a hassle.

If you're really serious about that keyboard; it is possible to get the Key2 to work on Verizon, just in a somewhat limited way.
See this thread where @classact was doing just that.

Posted via CB10

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...2F382705925315

Go for the case if you're curious about the experience you'd get with the Note 8 and it.

At least you'd save some battery life because the pixels underneath the keyboard would be off as long as the case is on and you're not typing (the pixels will be white when typing).

I used to have the S8 keyboard cover which is very similar and it was more fun to type on than glass, that's for sure.

Doing this will be the only way to have both the physical keyboard and stylus in one single device.

But if you don't mind dual carrying, you'd get the best of both worlds with a Note 10 and a KEY2

Originally Posted by amiaship

I'm in the USA on Verizon, geographically nailed down to my carrier. I know some folks have had issues activating the Key2 with Verizon, since it's not an approved device. I'm especially worried what the CDMA retirement coming at the end of 2020 will do.

The Samsung Note 8 has a clip-on keyboard case that I can buy on eBay (not strictly in English, but I have paint). I have a Note 3, and I love the AMOLED screen and S pen for drawing. The Note 8 also has a better processor, but worse battery than Key2. I like that the Key2's keyboard has screen navigation, and the keyboard probably works better as a built-in. People have posted about the clip-on being buggy.

Thoughts? Make your case for older BBs or other devices too, if you like. I don't care much about software, since stock Android does what I need, so I'm not one for brand loyalty. I just want a good phone with a functional PKB.

I am using the Red Key 2 on Verizon (and previously used the Key 2 LE) without issues!

Originally Posted by aliss

I am using the Red Key 2 on Verizon (and previously used the Key 2 LE) without issues!

Second! Using a silver US KEY2 on Verizon with no problems. It is not as difficult to get setup as some make it out to be.

Originally Posted by robnhl

Second! Using a silver US KEY2 on Verizon with no problems. It is not as difficult to get setup as some make it out to be.

The difficulty is that even many of those who finally get it setup, don’t have all the enhanced calling features on truly supported VZW hardware which those people require. Using BB or BBMo hardware on carriers such as VZW or AT&T in the last couple of years has been hit or miss compared with the Android/iOS flagships that sometimes cost less money, and yet have better specs plus sales and support.

Originally Posted by Chuck Finley69

The difficulty is that even many of those who finally get it setup, don’t have all the enhanced calling features on truly supported VZW hardware which those people require. Using BB or BBMo hardware on carriers such as VZW or AT&T in the last couple of years has been hit or miss compared with the Android/iOS flagships that sometimes cost less money, and yet have better specs plus sales and support.

For me and many others wifi calling and carrier video calling are mostly irrelevant. Every feature that I care about has been rock solid - data, phone, SMS, MMS, voicemail.

Originally Posted by robnhl

For me and many others wifi calling and carrier video calling are mostly irrelevant. Every feature that I care about has been rock solid - data, phone, SMS, MMS, voicemail.

Which is what I said. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that others are having no problems with the Key2 on VZW as some BB10 and BBOS hardware users can make the same claim too, if not using all the UI aspects that smartphone ecosystems and carriers push out.

I used to be able to make that statement with AT&T KEYone that although carrier sold, locked, provisioned and necessary voodoo didn’t have WFC support. When the AT&T Femto mini tower finally dies, that AT&T won’t replace anymore since WFC is the current method, I’ll be less than functional.

It’s why I didn’t even bother with any Key2 or Key2 LE on AT&T this go around.

Originally Posted by Chuck Finley69

The difficulty is that even many of those who finally get it setup, don’t have all the enhanced calling features on truly supported VZW hardware which those people require. Using BB or BBMo hardware on carriers such as VZW or AT&T in the last couple of years has been hit or miss compared with the Android/iOS flagships that sometimes cost less money, and yet have better specs plus sales and support.

I was pretty surprised at the price difference between the Note 9 and KEY2. They're the same age, and the Note 9's internal hardware is undeniably better, but it's way, way cheaper. Note 9 is around $400 and KEY2 is still selling upwards of $600 on eBay. Unless you go for the red one, which can run over $1k.

The Note 8 is a comfortable $300 refurbished, which definitely gives me leftover money to snag the clip-on keyboard (and replace the keyboard if it doesn't work, and mod it to my comfort level, and...) Supposedly, navigating with the S Pen got better by 2017, too. Scrolling with the keyboard is an awesome feature I'd love to have, but I don't love it enough to spend twice as much for a phone that performs half as well.

Thanks for the input, CrackBerry. I'm sold on Samsung for now. Maybe in a few years I'll decide I was wrong and pick up a Key2 or Fxtec Pro1.

Originally Posted by Chuck Finley69

Which is what I said. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that others are having no problems with the Key2 on VZW as some BB10 and BBOS hardware users can make the same claim too, if not using all the UI aspects that smartphone ecosystems and carriers push out.

I used to be able to make that statement with AT&T KEYone that although carrier sold, locked, provisioned and necessary voodoo didn’t have WFC support. When the AT&T Femto mini tower finally dies, that AT&T won’t replace anymore since WFC is the current method, I’ll be less than functional.

It’s why I didn’t even bother with any Key2 or Key2 LE on AT&T this go around.

WiFi Calling has gotten pretty important....

I've been in big buildings with terrible cellular coverage, but with WiFi calling it's not an issue.

Originally Posted by amiaship

I was pretty surprised at the price difference between the Note 9 and KEY2. They're the same age, and the Note 9's internal hardware is undeniably better, but it's way, way cheaper. Note 9 is around $400 and KEY2 is still selling upwards of $600 on eBay. Unless you go for the red one, which can run over $1k.

The Note 8 is a comfortable $300 refurbished, which definitely gives me leftover money to snag the clip-on keyboard (and replace the keyboard if it doesn't work, and mod it to my comfort level, and...) Supposedly, navigating with the S Pen got better by 2017, too. Scrolling with the keyboard is an awesome feature I'd love to have, but I don't love it enough to spend twice as much for a phone that performs half as well.

Thanks for the input, CrackBerry. I'm sold on Samsung for now. Maybe in a few years I'll decide I was wrong and pick up a Key2 or Fxtec Pro1.

Let us know how you like your Note 8 + keyboard combo.

I've always been curious to try that out myself (having tried the S8 and keyboard) but in the end I would have little to no use for the S Pen so I would mostly just benefit from having both an AMOLED display and a keyboard... with much better performance than the Priv!!

Originally Posted by amiaship

Damn it, the LE doesn't have the keyboard navigation? It was already my last choice because the battery is way smaller than the other Keys or even the Priv. Now I'm even more disappointed that it's the only one Verizon will set up without a hassle.

The LE's keys are definitely bigger than the Priv's. And there is an official Verizon variant of the KeyOne and it's still a usable daily driver, though the software updates appear to have ceased. As others have mentioned, the Key2 is doable with some work.

Originally Posted by amiaship

I was pretty surprised at the price difference between the Note 9 and KEY2. They're the same age, and the Note 9's internal hardware is undeniably better, but it's way, way cheaper. Note 9 is around $400 and KEY2 is still selling upwards of $600 on eBay. Unless you go for the red one, which can run over $1k.

The Note 8 is a comfortable $300 refurbished, which definitely gives me leftover money to snag the clip-on keyboard (and replace the keyboard if it doesn't work, and mod it to my comfort level, and...) Supposedly, navigating with the S Pen got better by 2017, too. Scrolling with the keyboard is an awesome feature I'd love to have, but I don't love it enough to spend twice as much for a phone that performs half as well.

Thanks for the input, CrackBerry. I'm sold on Samsung for now. Maybe in a few years I'll decide I was wrong and pick up a Key2 or Fxtec Pro1.

The Key2 is a limited-run niche device that's hard to find. Samsung phones are made in the tens of millions and nobody actually pays MSRP unless he's stupid.

I've used the Samsung keyboard case before. If you're coming from a touch device, you'll probably like it because it's better than nothing. But it's pretty horrid compared to a proper built-in keyboard because the buttons have to be narrow enough with a particular mechanism to hit the virtual keys below them. And it's not capacitive obviously. I wish Samsung would make a limited-run physical keyboard variant of one of their phones or made the attachment a better experience but it's better than nothing.

Originally Posted by whatnow00

The LE's keys are definitely bigger than the Priv's. And there is an official Verizon variant of the KeyOne and it's still a usable daily driver, though the software updates appear to have ceased. As others have mentioned, the Key2 is doable with some work.



The Key2 is a limited-run niche device that's hard to find. Samsung phones are made in the tens of millions and nobody actually pays MSRP unless he's stupid.

I've used the Samsung keyboard case before. If you're coming from a touch device, you'll probably like it because it's better than nothing. But it's pretty horrid compared to a proper built-in keyboard because the buttons have to be narrow enough with a particular mechanism to hit the virtual keys below them. And it's not capacitive obviously. I wish Samsung would make a limited-run physical keyboard variant of one of their phones or made the attachment a better experience but it's better than nothing.

Yep, I also had the S8 with its keyboard cover and to summarize, it's better than nothing, but that's about it lol.

The design just looks so off, the device is a sleek shiny slab and the case is of a cheap matte plastic finish.

It would be more interesting to use the Note 8 and the case cover because there would be a bit more screen real estate and you'd have the awesomeness of having the only modern device that has both a stylus and a PKB.