New BlackBerry Key 2 phone released on June 7th

Multinational Chinese electronics company TCL will release the new BlackBerry Key 2 this Thursday, June 7th in New York. The new phone appears to be a refined version of the earlier BlackBerry KeyOne.

Leaked images of the phone show it with a subdued gray and black appearance with perhaps a slightly more spacious keyboard layout. The phones standout according to a recent review only by having a keyboard and additional security features, but otherwise are like generic Android phones.

BlackBerry phones now made by TCL

TCL stands for Telephone Communication Limited. TLC is a global electronic firm with headquarters in Huizhou, Guandong province. It designs, develops, and makes numerous electronic and other products including television sets, mobile phones, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, and small electrical appliances. It was rated as the 25th largest consumer electronics company in the world in 2010. In 2013 it was the third largest producer of televisions.

In 2016, TCL reached an agreement with BlackBerry Limited, formerly Research in Motion, to manufacture smartphones using the BlackBerry mobile brand name. In December of that year TCL was licensed to manufacture, distribute and design devices for the global market using the BlackBerry brand name.

Features of the Key 2

A key feature of the Key series is the physical keyboards. While many may prefer to use the touch keyboard at least you are provided the option to use even though the physical keyboards have rather small keys. There are also dual cameras on the phone.

The Key One had a 4.5 inch screen and a Snapdragon 625 processor. The key 2 is rumoured to have the same size screen but an upgraded Snapdragon 660 processor described here. Verge has a review of the Key One. A short review of the Key 2 is on the appended video.

BlackBerry launches two new stores in China

TCL has scheduled a separate launch of the phone in China on June 8th. It has also begun a new retail strategy by opening stores both in Shanghai and Nanjing. The Chinese market is hard to crack and the company faces competition from Chinese firms such as Oppo, Huawei, and Xiaomi. Apple also has strength in the upper end of the market. Sales are also cooling in China as it and some other countries face markets that are saturated already.

Published earlier in Digital Journal