BlackBerry has once again stirred the interest of the market with the announcement of an upcoming smartphone, the KEYone, which is expected to compete against flagship units of rival companies. The scheduled release for the first batch of these handsets has been delayed, reports say.
According to reports, BlackBerry officially announced the delay during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) this year. There is no clear information about the handset's exact day of release, but it is expected to launch within the month of April.
Apparently, there seems to be some confusion even within the tech company. John Chen, CEO of BlackBerry, said during the company's previous fiscal earning's call that instead of April, the launch will happen in May and that the production will only begin before the month ends.
BlackBerry KEYone bears the slogan, "Distinctly different. Distinctly BlackBerry." The new handset features the same QWERTY keyboard, but it now has a wider screen. KEYone comes with a strong aluminum frame with an impact-resistant display. It will have a 4.5-inch touchscreen. Its features include flick typing, Touch navigation, shortcuts, an Android 7.1 Nougat operating system, a 2 TB microSD card, and a powerful 3,505 mAh battery.
According to reports, what is interesting about the new KEYone is the camera. It will reportedly come with a high-end 12-megapixel auto-focus camera, which is one notable way of attracting customers these days. The upcoming BlackBerry KEYone, reports say, will have a Sony IMX378 rear camera sensor. With this feature, BlackBerry aims to compete against its tech-giant counterparts. Sony IMX378 previously received Dx0Mark's top score for smartphone camera.
Meanwhile, some reports have shared information that UK retailer Clove Technologies has already posted a KEYone model online. Clove indicates that the first stock is expected to be available on May 5. In addition, it has already posted KEYone's price tag, which is pegged at 499 pounds (roughly US$623). There is no clear word on when the US markets will receive the new handset, but rest assured the phone is already FCC certified.
More updates should arrive soon.
