BlackBerry Keyone Release Date: Phone Finally Arrives In US In May

TCL has announced that the Android-powered BlackBerry Keyone smartphone will launch in the United States on May 31. The device will arrive unlocked for $549, but will be available through Sprint sometime in the summer.

The BlackBerry Keyone was first introduced in January during the CES 2017. Back then it was just a prototype called the “Mercury.”

TCL, the manufacturer that currently owns the BlackBerry brand, then provided more details on the handset’s specs and features the following month during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. TCL said back then that the handset would be made available worlwide in April, but its release was delayed unexpectedly and was set to launch in May.

The BlackBerry Keyone will first arrive in Canada with pre-orders opening May 18. The device will be available from Canadian carriers Bell, Bell MTS, Rgers, SaskTel and TELUS Business for CAD $199 (around US$146) with a two-year contract, according to TCL’s press release.

The BlackBerry Keyone comes with a 4.5-inch 1080p full HD display and it’s being powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. On the back is a 12MP camera, while the front houses the 8MP shooter.

The biggest and most important feature on the handset is its physical backlit QWERTY keyboard. The Keyone brought back BlackBerry’s signature keyboard, while marrying it with the modern touchscreen smartphones that we have today.

The keyboard also features capacitive touch sensors so that users can simply use swipe gestures to navigate through the interface. The cleverest addition to the keyboard has to be the fingerprint scanner that’s been embedded on the spacebar.

Other hardware features also include USB-C 3.1, a headphone jack and NFC. The BlackBerry Keyone launches with Android 7.1.1 Nougat straight out of the box with BlackBerry’s Security software.

The one problem with the Keyone right now is that the $549 price tag might be too steep for some users. They will have to wait for Sprint to carry the device later this summer to lessen the blow on their wallets. TCL's partnership with Sprint could also help the BlackBerry brand get back on track, as pointed out by Engadget. TCL might share more details on the Keyone's availability from Sprint later next month.