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BlackBerry KEYone
- Thread starter Aneres11
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Looking forward to reading your thoughts!
Finally!
Congrats
I will be sure to.
And yes, it's an RGB LED so you can choose your colour for the apps.
It's funny, that seems to be the question people over on CrackBerry are going mad for!
IS IT RGB LED!!!!
Yes, yes it is haha. I must admit, I wouldn't have been thrilled if it wasn't.
Not posting my thoughts just yet, will do it later tonight after a full day with it. It's prob good that I'm holding off as my opinion has already changed quite massively from my initial feelings.
IS IT RGB LED!!!!
Yes, yes it is haha. I must admit, I wouldn't have been thrilled if it wasn't.
Not posting my thoughts just yet, will do it later tonight after a full day with it. It's prob good that I'm holding off as my opinion has already changed quite massively from my initial feelings.
Hmm interesting. I'm glad that colors can be changed. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it.
So 'theregister' have been quick to give their early impressions of the KEYone (not a review yet, just a 24 hour update) and they're practically falling over themselves at how much they like it.
Link below.
Best part of the review is their camera samples. As you can see from the images they've shot, the detail is literally incredible. Who knew a BlackBerry was capable?!
I haven't actually taken any photos yet other than of my work keyboard which is very unexciting (ha) but these should tide you over until I get to go out and about later.
Check out that zoomed in detail!
Like I say my thoughts will come later tonight when I'm home. I have to go to trafford centre straight from work to take back the Selfridges online order that arrived at home this morning and to sort my partners phone out.
His iPhone 6 died last night and he's due a free upgrade so he's finally giving in to a new phone.
My money is on a 7 but lets see if I can convince him round to an S8 or Pixel.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/28/blackberry_keyone_production_24hr_test/
Link below.
Best part of the review is their camera samples. As you can see from the images they've shot, the detail is literally incredible. Who knew a BlackBerry was capable?!
I haven't actually taken any photos yet other than of my work keyboard which is very unexciting (ha) but these should tide you over until I get to go out and about later.
Check out that zoomed in detail!
Like I say my thoughts will come later tonight when I'm home. I have to go to trafford centre straight from work to take back the Selfridges online order that arrived at home this morning and to sort my partners phone out.
His iPhone 6 died last night and he's due a free upgrade so he's finally giving in to a new phone.
My money is on a 7 but lets see if I can convince him round to an S8 or Pixel.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/28/blackberry_keyone_production_24hr_test/
I hope it works out well for you. Regardless of the outcome, that is a beautiful smart phone. It has a classic elegant appearance.
I can't wait to test the camera properly.
Hoping I can get some good results. Can feel a dog walk coming on!
Although, might just take some snaps round Trafford Centre tonight. Will take the S8 with me and do some tourist impressions. Stopping to take photos every minute and a half.
I'm excited. I want to be impressed!
Hoping I can get some good results. Can feel a dog walk coming on!
Although, might just take some snaps round Trafford Centre tonight. Will take the S8 with me and do some tourist impressions. Stopping to take photos every minute and a half.
I'm excited. I want to be impressed!
Warning - long post with loads of pics!
OK so I have been with KEYone for the whole day so feel its time to just post some impressions and pictures.
First of all, when I got it I was obviously really excited as I have been waiting for this since it was the BlackBerry Vienna.
Unboxing it and it didn't disappoint. Build quality is absolutely top notch. The phone feels premium, it's a very good weight, not too heavy nor too light, and the rubber back makes for a nice grip which you rarely get on phones these days.
Obviously though, the keyboard is the most important thing here. The crowning glory. And it feels amazing. Much better than the Priv's keyboard which did feel cramped, even for my small hands. This feels much better as it isn't boxed in by anything.
One thing I disliked early on however, was the glossy keys. They didn't allow me to move my fingers over the keyboard without them 'sticking'. I almost felt as if I needed to talc my thumbs up so I could stop the stickiness.
As the day has gone on though, that's faded away and I am now Speedy Gonzalez once again.
The glossy keys make for a pleasant experience when scrolling web pages or social media feeds with the keys trackpad features, rather than using the screen.
This has been great, and I loved it on my Priv, but it hasn't been a perfect experience with every app. Chrome for instance is a bit laggy. Sometimes it's just easier to use the screen. I also find it a bit difficult to scroll in the middle where the space bar is as it isn't quite as responsive as sliding your thumb over the left or right side of the keypad instead.
My very early impressions of the KEYone (and I mean last night when powering on / setting up and into this morning) were a little flat.
Reason why? The S8.
I didn't quite realise how taken I was with the S8 until something else was put in front of me. Or rather, another Android device.
I was accustomed to this amazing, huge, crisp display with deep blacks and incredible viewing angles.
Everything feels fresh slick and modern with the S8. The Google search bar being rounded, the sleek time and date widget font matching the phones exterior. And then the KEYone with the old style rectangle block Google search that looked like it was pulled from Android KitKat, the icons that are not as shiny or uniform as they are on the S8, and a decent but not as flashy IPS LCD display.
Obviously, I knew it wasn't going to hold up against something like the S8 in the display department, but couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed.
I knew however, that a lot of this could be changed. Beauty of Android eh?!
I set the phone up and started to feel more impressed at how it handled it. The phone got warm at most, not hot in the slightest. They've also been clever here and put the battery seemingly at the top of the phone, so the bottom never really heats up at all. Apps downloaded very quickly and I got the phone set up in next to no time. No stutters, no splutters, nothing. Very impressive all in all.
I got rid of the google widget and used the pixel pill style one instead, which looks much better. Changed the wallpaper as the stock ones are generally rubbish, and shoved everything into folders to de-clutter the smaller screen as much as possible.
Finger print scanner has been set up (I registered both thumbs) and I don't think I have ever used as good a sensor as this.
I must have used it at least 50 times today and it has not failed once. I even asked a colleague to use his thumb as I was worried it wasn't actually working because of the 100% success rate!
It didn't let him into the phone, thankfully.
Screw you Samsung!
As I have used the phone throughout the day, got accustomed to the keypad and made the UI feel a little more modern with different widgets etc, I have really started to love it. Like seriously love the phone.
Performance isn't necessarily an issue at the moment but there is the occasional hang. The biggest culprit is opening the app drawer. There is a second delay between pressing it and it actually sliding open.
When using something like an S8 or Pixel etc, there is none of that what so ever. But it is obvious here. Again, spoiled with the S8.
Couple of neat features to BB's version of Android that I've always loved like the BB Hub which I personally love. Emails are brilliantly handled in this. Much better than anything I have used on the S8 including the stock email app, Gmail app and Outlook app. All rubbish in comparison to this IMO.
They've also now added the option of a dark / light theme for the app drawer background and BB hub, which I know people were asking for whilst using the Priv.
Black is my preference as it just looks less jarring.
The keys on the sides of the phone are a turn off for me. The power / lock button is located on the upper left side, with the 'convenience key' being on the lower right side. Well, I am doing nothing but pressing said convenience key to lock the phone and activating the camera (which I have picked as my assigned app). Muscle memory!
I'll get used to it I'm sure, but this is 100% something you are going see on that negative list of most reviewers. You heard it here first haha.
Keyboard shortcuts are fantastic. Having short and long presses assigned to different apps / phone actions is just something you cannot get elsewhere, and it is a great selling point. Technically you never really have to touch the screen and I think that's pretty sweet!
Backlight is very good, nice and even.
I've had a full day and the battery has been a complete champion. I have had auto brightness off and it has been cranked to the max all day. It has also been pretty battered by me all day too, on and off it due to not being able to put my new toy down!
Came off charge at 7am ish and needed the charger at 9:45pm. I think given the way I'd used it throughout the day (hammered it) I cannot complain one bit. Fast charge is also extremely welcome.
Camera. Well, not had much to test here but I tried to take some shots tonight at Trafford Centre.
Comparisons are below between KEYone and S8.
Apologies for any compression but that will be photo bucket's fault.
First though, I will just talk about the camera 'experience'. It is not as fast as the S8. Nor is it as reliable.
The S8 finds focus exceptionally quickly. The KEYone does not like light sources messing with the sensor it would seem. It seems to have a hard time if there's light in the background, or if there is a lot of artificial lighting around? I took a photo of a shop front this evening with the S8 first and I just opened camera, pointed, and clicked. KEYone took an awful long time to focus on anything as I kept getting overblown sections from the multiple light sources. This happened a few times when in shops or when there was a lot of light. Artificial light that is.
I also took a lot of pictures I had to take again on KEYone as I'd click to take the photo and when the shutter sounded I'd pull the phone away, only to find I had a blurred photo. Tip - give it until the photo pops into the left hand corner gallery before you move your phone or you will get blur. Could be the SD processor coming into play here.
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
This is a good example of the blur from thinking the picture had been taken.
KEYone
S8
And now quite low light.
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
This photo was the tricky one for KEYone. Really struggled to focus without blowing out loads of different sections due to the different light sources. I'm guessing it was that anyway, I'm very amateur with these things.
KEYone
S8
So there you have camera samples.
Make of them what you will. I haven't even scrutinised I've literally uploaded and posted here. So no idea what these are like blown up and looked at properly. I'll leave that to you lot!
Sorry for such boring photos, I didn't have a lot of opportunity, and none in day light really due to being in work then straight to trafford centre.
In terms of the KEYone itself then, so early on. I love the phone. It is a BB fans dream. Will it win over those who are used to high end, powerful devices like the S8 and Pixel? I honestly don't know. But I don't think it will.
The processor / ram are a slight hinderance if you like your phone to be blazing quick, but the plus side to it is a phone that runs along very well with a fantastic battery.
For me, I am torn. I don't want to keep both phones. Financially it isn't appropriate and nor is it on a sensible level haha. I just can't swap between them easily.
I like them both equally. But the S8 has more annoyances in its finger print scanner and rubbish VKB's.
The KEYone has its trade offs with the lesser quality screen and not as flashy under hood processor speeds.
I think it will ultimately come down to which one I find a better groove with. I will continue using the KEY one for the weekend and swap back to S8 maybe Monday. See how I go from there.
So sorry to waffle on. Don't blame you all if you didn't read this haha, but wanted to be as informative as I can be for those who are potentially interested in the KEYone.
Happy to answer any questions you have, or if you want specific photos of the device, or for me to take specific photos with the device (clean ones haha ) to help in any way!
For now, it's bed time for me!
OK so I have been with KEYone for the whole day so feel its time to just post some impressions and pictures.
First of all, when I got it I was obviously really excited as I have been waiting for this since it was the BlackBerry Vienna.
Unboxing it and it didn't disappoint. Build quality is absolutely top notch. The phone feels premium, it's a very good weight, not too heavy nor too light, and the rubber back makes for a nice grip which you rarely get on phones these days.
Obviously though, the keyboard is the most important thing here. The crowning glory. And it feels amazing. Much better than the Priv's keyboard which did feel cramped, even for my small hands. This feels much better as it isn't boxed in by anything.
One thing I disliked early on however, was the glossy keys. They didn't allow me to move my fingers over the keyboard without them 'sticking'. I almost felt as if I needed to talc my thumbs up so I could stop the stickiness
.
As the day has gone on though, that's faded away and I am now Speedy Gonzalez once again.
The glossy keys make for a pleasant experience when scrolling web pages or social media feeds with the keys trackpad features, rather than using the screen.
This has been great, and I loved it on my Priv, but it hasn't been a perfect experience with every app. Chrome for instance is a bit laggy. Sometimes it's just easier to use the screen. I also find it a bit difficult to scroll in the middle where the space bar is as it isn't quite as responsive as sliding your thumb over the left or right side of the keypad instead.
My very early impressions of the KEYone (and I mean last night when powering on / setting up and into this morning) were a little flat.
Reason why? The S8.
I didn't quite realise how taken I was with the S8 until something else was put in front of me. Or rather, another Android device.
I was accustomed to this amazing, huge, crisp display with deep blacks and incredible viewing angles.
Everything feels fresh slick and modern with the S8. The Google search bar being rounded, the sleek time and date widget font matching the phones exterior. And then the KEYone with the old style rectangle block Google search that looked like it was pulled from Android KitKat, the icons that are not as shiny or uniform as they are on the S8, and a decent but not as flashy IPS LCD display.
Obviously, I knew it wasn't going to hold up against something like the S8 in the display department, but couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed.
I knew however, that a lot of this could be changed. Beauty of Android eh?!
I set the phone up and started to feel more impressed at how it handled it. The phone got warm at most, not hot in the slightest. They've also been clever here and put the battery seemingly at the top of the phone, so the bottom never really heats up at all. Apps downloaded very quickly and I got the phone set up in next to no time. No stutters, no splutters, nothing. Very impressive all in all.
I got rid of the google widget and used the pixel pill style one instead, which looks much better. Changed the wallpaper as the stock ones are generally rubbish, and shoved everything into folders to de-clutter the smaller screen as much as possible.
Finger print scanner has been set up (I registered both thumbs) and I don't think I have ever used as good a sensor as this.
I must have used it at least 50 times today and it has not failed once. I even asked a colleague to use his thumb as I was worried it wasn't actually working because of the 100% success rate!
It didn't let him into the phone, thankfully.
Screw you Samsung!
As I have used the phone throughout the day, got accustomed to the keypad and made the UI feel a little more modern with different widgets etc, I have really started to love it. Like seriously love the phone.
Performance isn't necessarily an issue at the moment but there is the occasional hang. The biggest culprit is opening the app drawer. There is a second delay between pressing it and it actually sliding open.
When using something like an S8 or Pixel etc, there is none of that what so ever. But it is obvious here. Again, spoiled with the S8.
Couple of neat features to BB's version of Android that I've always loved like the BB Hub which I personally love. Emails are brilliantly handled in this. Much better than anything I have used on the S8 including the stock email app, Gmail app and Outlook app. All rubbish in comparison to this IMO.
They've also now added the option of a dark / light theme for the app drawer background and BB hub, which I know people were asking for whilst using the Priv.
Black is my preference as it just looks less jarring.
The keys on the sides of the phone are a turn off for me. The power / lock button is located on the upper left side, with the 'convenience key' being on the lower right side. Well, I am doing nothing but pressing said convenience key to lock the phone and activating the camera (which I have picked as my assigned app). Muscle memory!
I'll get used to it I'm sure, but this is 100% something you are going see on that negative list of most reviewers. You heard it here first haha.
Keyboard shortcuts are fantastic. Having short and long presses assigned to different apps / phone actions is just something you cannot get elsewhere, and it is a great selling point. Technically you never really have to touch the screen and I think that's pretty sweet!
Backlight is very good, nice and even.
I've had a full day and the battery has been a complete champion. I have had auto brightness off and it has been cranked to the max all day. It has also been pretty battered by me all day too, on and off it due to not being able to put my new toy down!
Came off charge at 7am ish and needed the charger at 9:45pm. I think given the way I'd used it throughout the day (hammered it) I cannot complain one bit. Fast charge is also extremely welcome.
Camera. Well, not had much to test here but I tried to take some shots tonight at Trafford Centre.
Comparisons are below between KEYone and S8.
Apologies for any compression but that will be photo bucket's fault.
First though, I will just talk about the camera 'experience'. It is not as fast as the S8. Nor is it as reliable.
The S8 finds focus exceptionally quickly. The KEYone does not like light sources messing with the sensor it would seem. It seems to have a hard time if there's light in the background, or if there is a lot of artificial lighting around? I took a photo of a shop front this evening with the S8 first and I just opened camera, pointed, and clicked. KEYone took an awful long time to focus on anything as I kept getting overblown sections from the multiple light sources. This happened a few times when in shops or when there was a lot of light. Artificial light that is.
I also took a lot of pictures I had to take again on KEYone as I'd click to take the photo and when the shutter sounded I'd pull the phone away, only to find I had a blurred photo. Tip - give it until the photo pops into the left hand corner gallery before you move your phone or you will get blur. Could be the SD processor coming into play here.
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
This is a good example of the blur from thinking the picture had been taken.
KEYone
S8
And now quite low light.
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
This photo was the tricky one for KEYone. Really struggled to focus without blowing out loads of different sections due to the different light sources. I'm guessing it was that anyway, I'm very amateur with these things.
KEYone
S8
So there you have camera samples.
Make of them what you will. I haven't even scrutinised I've literally uploaded and posted here. So no idea what these are like blown up and looked at properly. I'll leave that to you lot!
Sorry for such boring photos, I didn't have a lot of opportunity, and none in day light really due to being in work then straight to trafford centre.
In terms of the KEYone itself then, so early on. I love the phone. It is a BB fans dream. Will it win over those who are used to high end, powerful devices like the S8 and Pixel? I honestly don't know. But I don't think it will.
The processor / ram are a slight hinderance if you like your phone to be blazing quick, but the plus side to it is a phone that runs along very well with a fantastic battery.
For me, I am torn. I don't want to keep both phones. Financially it isn't appropriate and nor is it on a sensible level haha. I just can't swap between them easily.
I like them both equally. But the S8 has more annoyances in its finger print scanner and rubbish VKB's.
The KEYone has its trade offs with the lesser quality screen and not as flashy under hood processor speeds.
I think it will ultimately come down to which one I find a better groove with. I will continue using the KEY one for the weekend and swap back to S8 maybe Monday. See how I go from there.
So sorry to waffle on. Don't blame you all if you didn't read this haha, but wanted to be as informative as I can be for those who are potentially interested in the KEYone.
Happy to answer any questions you have, or if you want specific photos of the device, or for me to take specific photos with the device (clean ones haha
) to help in any way!For now, it's bed time for me!
Last edited:
Great write up! Very informative and detailed!Warning - long post with loads of pics!
OK so I have been with KEYone for the whole day so feel its time to just post some impressions and pictures.
First of all, when I got it I was obviously really excited as I have been waiting for this since it was the BlackBerry Vienna.
Unboxing it and it didn't disappoint. Build quality is absolutely top notch. The phone feels premium, it's a very good weight, not too heavy nor too light, and the rubber back makes for a nice grip which you rarely get on phones these days.
Obviously though, the keyboard is the most important thing here. The crowning glory. And it feels amazing. Much better than the Priv's keyboard which did feel cramped, even for my small hands. This feels much better as it isn't boxed in by anything.
One thing I disliked early on however, was the glossy keys. They didn't allow me to move my fingers over the keyboard without them 'sticking'. I almost felt as if I needed to talc my thumbs up so I could stop the stickiness
As the day has gone on though, that's faded away and I am now Speedy Gonzalez once again.
The glossy keys make for a pleasant experience when scrolling web pages or social media feeds with the keys trackpad features, rather than using the screen.
This has been great, and I loved it on my Priv, but it hasn't been a perfect experience with every app. Chrome for instance is a bit laggy. Sometimes it's just easier to use the screen. I also find it a bit difficult to scroll in the middle where the space bar is as it isn't quite as responsive as sliding your thumb over the left or right side of the keypad instead.
My very early impressions of the KEYone (and I mean last night when powering on / setting up and into this morning) were a little flat.
Reason why? The S8.
I didn't quite realise how taken I was with the S8 until something else was put in front of me. Or rather, another Android device.
I was accustomed to this amazing, huge, crisp display with deep blacks and incredible viewing angles.
Everything feels fresh slick and modern with the S8. The Google search bar being rounded, the sleek time and date widget font matching the phones exterior. And then the KEYone with the old style rectangle block Google search that looked like it was pulled from Android KitKat, the icons that are not as shiny or uniform as they are on the S8, and a decent but not as flashy IPS LCD display.
Obviously, I knew it wasn't going to hold up against something like the S8 in the display department, but couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed.
I knew however, that a lot of this could be changed. Beauty of Android eh?!
I set the phone up and started to feel more impressed at how it handled it. The phone got warm at most, not hot in the slightest. They've also been clever here and put the battery seemingly at the top of the phone, so the bottom never really heats up at all. Apps downloaded very quickly and I got the phone set up in next to no time. No stutters, no splutters, nothing. Very impressive all in all.
I got rid of the google widget and used the pixel pill style one instead, which looks much better. Changed the wallpaper as the stock ones are generally rubbish, and shoved everything into folders to de-clutter the smaller screen as much as possible.
Finger print scanner has been set up (I registered both thumbs) and I don't think I have ever used as good a sensor as this.
I must have used it at least 50 times today and it has not failed once. I even asked a colleague to use his thumb as I was worried it wasn't actually working because of the 100% success rate!
It didn't let him into the phone, thankfully.
Screw you Samsung!
As I have used the phone throughout the day, got accustomed to the keypad and made the UI feel a little more modern with different widgets etc, I have really started to love it. Like seriously love the phone.
Performance isn't necessarily an issue at the moment but there is the occasional hang. The biggest culprit is opening the app drawer. There is a second delay between pressing it and it actually sliding open.
When using something like an S8 or Pixel etc, there is none of that what so ever. But it is obvious here. Again, spoiled with the S8.
Couple of neat features to BB's version of Android that I've always loved like the BB Hub which I personally love. Emails are brilliantly handled in this. Much better than anything I have used on the S8 including the stock email app, Gmail app and Outlook app. All rubbish in comparison to this IMO.
They've also now added the option of a dark / light theme for the app drawer background and BB hub, which I know people were asking for whilst using the Priv.
Black is my preference as it just looks less jarring.
The keys on the sides of the phone are a turn off for me. The power / lock button is located on the upper left side, with the 'convenience key' being on the lower right side. Well, I am doing nothing but pressing said convenience key to lock the phone and activating the camera (which I have picked as my assigned app). Muscle memory!
I'll get used to it I'm sure, but this is 100% something you are going see on that negative list of most reviewers. You heard it here first haha.
Keyboard shortcuts are fantastic. Having short and long presses assigned to different apps / phone actions is just something you cannot get elsewhere, and it is a great selling point. Technically you never really have to touch the screen and I think that's pretty sweet!
Backlight is very good, nice and even.
I've had a full day and the battery has been a complete champion. I have had auto brightness off and it has been cranked to the max all day. It has also been pretty battered by me all day too, on and off it due to not being able to put my new toy down!
Came off charge at 7am ish and needed the charger at 9:45pm. I think given the way I'd used it throughout the day (hammered it) I cannot complain one bit. Fast charge is also extremely welcome.
Camera. Well, not had much to test here but I tried to take some shots tonight at Trafford Centre.
Comparisons are below between KEYone and S8.
Apologies for any compression but that will be photo bucket's fault.
First though, I will just talk about the camera 'experience'. It is not as fast as the S8. Nor is it as reliable.
The S8 finds focus exceptionally quickly. The KEYone does not like light sources messing with the sensor it would seem. It seems to have a hard time if there's light in the background, or if there is a lot of artificial lighting around? I took a photo of a shop front this evening with the S8 first and I just opened camera, pointed, and clicked. KEYone took an awful long time to focus on anything as I kept getting overblown sections from the multiple light sources. This happened a few times when in shops or when there was a lot of light. Non-artificial light that is.
I also took a lot of pictures I had to take again on KEYone as I'd click to take the photo and when the shutter sounded I'd pull the phone away, only to find I had a blurred photo. Tip - give it until the photo pops into the left hand corner gallery before you move your phone or you will get blur. Could be the SD processor coming into play here.
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
This is a good example of the blur from thinking the picture had been taken.
KEYone
S8
And now quite low light.
KEYone
S8
KEYone
S8
This photo was the tricky one for KEYone. Really struggled to focus without blowing out loads of different sections due to the different light sources. I'm guessing it was that anyway, I'm very amateur with these things.
KEYone
S8
So there you have camera samples.
Make of them what you will. I haven't even scrutinised I've literally uploaded and posted here. So no idea what these are like blown up and looked at properly. I'll leave that to you lot!
Sorry for such boring photos, I didn't have a lot of opportunity, and none in day light really due to being in work then straight to trafford centre.
In terms of the KEYone itself then, so early on. I love the phone. It is a BB fans dream. Will it win over those who are used to high end, powerful devices like the S8 and Pixel? I honestly don't know. But I don't think it will.
The processor / ram are a slight hinderance if you like your phone to be blazing quick, but the plus side to it is a phone that runs along very well with a fantastic battery.
For me, I am torn. I don't want to keep both phones. Financially it isn't appropriate and nor is it on a sensible level haha. I just can't swap between them easily.
I like them both equally. But the S8 has more annoyances in its finger print scanner and rubbish VKB's.
The KEYone has its trade offs with the lesser quality screen and not as flashy under hood processor speeds.
I think it will ultimately come down to which one I find a better groove with. I will continue using the KEY one for the weekend and swap back to S8 maybe Monday. See how I go from there.
So sorry to waffle on. Don't blame you all if you didn't read this haha, but wanted to be as informative as I can be for those who are potentially interested in the KEYone.
Happy to answer any questions you have, or if you want specific photos of the device, or for me to take specific photos with the device (clean ones haha
For now, it's bed time for me!
Some of those pics the KEYone wins and some the S8 does.
But at the end of the day.......I think you are BB fan at heart. I think you should go with what your heart leads you to....
Wow fantastic post @Aneres11 !! Thanks for taking the time to write this up. I'm not surprised with the slight hiccups in speed from this processor but I think the sacrifice is worth it to have a day long battery. Looks like the camera over saturates a bit but i'm amazed atthe low light shots! It seems the keyboard functionality is really the phones triumph. I hope to get my hand on one next month.
Just a very quick update as I made a little discovery just now.
I was finding the delay to get into the app drawer really annoying and by chance I just selected to turn dark theme off so it was back to white backgrounds.
Now, no delay what so ever. It opens basically instantly. Very very odd but I'm very pleased I happened to just change it!
Even the folders open more quickly now they have a white background? How odd.
[doublepost=1493490532][/doublepost]Also just turned developer options on and went in and got rid of all of the animations and transitions.
KEYone is now flying round menus like the S8!
I was finding the delay to get into the app drawer really annoying and by chance I just selected to turn dark theme off so it was back to white backgrounds.
Now, no delay what so ever. It opens basically instantly. Very very odd but I'm very pleased I happened to just change it!
Even the folders open more quickly now they have a white background? How odd.
[doublepost=1493490532][/doublepost]Also just turned developer options on and went in and got rid of all of the animations and transitions.
KEYone is now flying round menus like the S8!
Reading the reviews of BB Launcher it appears many users are complaining of Lag in recent updates. So it seems the software team need to make some big improvements.
Could you try a different launcher to see if they run smoothly ?
Interesting.
I guess I could but I'm not one for experimenting with launchers.
The biggest gripe I have is losing the blackberry red 'sparks' for notifications which I absolutely do not want to give up! Unless there's a way to retain it?
To be honest though, since removing the dark theme and turning the animations off it is going so quick!
Very impressed at the minute.
Although I can't find a wallpaper that I like which is annoying me.
Just a very brief update from me as been using the KEYone now for the whole weekend.
Today has been a bit of a wipe out as I've been suffering with an upset stomach (urgh!) So haven't been anywhere and the phone has just been lay on sofa next to me!
I still have both the BB and the S8 and still am a little torn between the two, although I am leaning way more over the KEYone at this stage.
Feeling loads better now so will hopefully be able to get out and give the KEYone camera a proper testing soon.
Not sure whether I will do a direct compare with the S8 again. Prob just focus on the KEYone alone and see what it is capable of.
Signs seem great so far though although software not quite as good as the big boys.
Today has been a bit of a wipe out as I've been suffering with an upset stomach (urgh!) So haven't been anywhere and the phone has just been lay on sofa next to me!
I still have both the BB and the S8 and still am a little torn between the two, although I am leaning way more over the KEYone at this stage.
Feeling loads better now so will hopefully be able to get out and give the KEYone camera a proper testing soon.
Not sure whether I will do a direct compare with the S8 again. Prob just focus on the KEYone alone and see what it is capable of.
Signs seem great so far though although software not quite as good as the big boys.
What a great review and your pictures were more than adequate to demonstrate the differences between the two cameras on the two smart phones. I think your review puts to rest any concerns that the Key One is not a very capable flagship for the BB line.
I think the camera fared quite favorably in comparison to the S8's. Your S8 photos demonstrate an annoyance of mine with the S8 cameras, namely that the S8 tends to let in a bit too much light when it doesn't need to and it bleaches out some attractive detail that other phone cameras like my IPhone 7Plus and your BB Key One preserve. For example, in your photo of the store that has the "Our House" banner, the S8 bleaches out the delicate detail of the marble floor. The S8 in general favors sharp bright photos over warm ambiance. I've personally had my S8+ camera on full auto mode destroy the ambience of scenes that I had to restore with manual settings. My iPhone 7Plus, on the other hand preserved the lighting as my eyes saw it in person.
No, the Key One is not quite the media consumption oriented device the S8 is. The S8 is optimized for that. The Key One has another focus entirely and so far from what you've reported, it seems a very good value for that purpose.
I just love the appearance of it. It remind me of a beautiful antique manual SLR. They really outdid themselves on making an attractive design. I'm so glad that it's not just a pretty face and functions well, too.
I think the camera fared quite favorably in comparison to the S8's. Your S8 photos demonstrate an annoyance of mine with the S8 cameras, namely that the S8 tends to let in a bit too much light when it doesn't need to and it bleaches out some attractive detail that other phone cameras like my IPhone 7Plus and your BB Key One preserve. For example, in your photo of the store that has the "Our House" banner, the S8 bleaches out the delicate detail of the marble floor. The S8 in general favors sharp bright photos over warm ambiance. I've personally had my S8+ camera on full auto mode destroy the ambience of scenes that I had to restore with manual settings. My iPhone 7Plus, on the other hand preserved the lighting as my eyes saw it in person.
No, the Key One is not quite the media consumption oriented device the S8 is. The S8 is optimized for that. The Key One has another focus entirely and so far from what you've reported, it seems a very good value for that purpose.
I just love the appearance of it. It remind me of a beautiful antique manual SLR. They really outdid themselves on making an attractive design. I'm so glad that it's not just a pretty face and functions well, too.
Ha! I've been trying to figure out why the KeyOne looks so nostalgic and sophisticated. This is the reason why!
It's weird seeing no official reviews of the KeyOne yet. I guess i'm used to the big companies releasing on a specific date and the tech blogs receiving their review units weeks in advance.