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BlackBerry KEYone Review: A Discontinued Keyboard Phone

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From the archive. This article was originally published in 2018 and is kept for reference. Some details may be out of date.
BlackBerry KEYone Review: A Discontinued Keyboard Phone
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The BlackBerry KEYone is a discontinued 2017 model. Check software support, battery condition and network compatibility before considering a used handset.

TCL Communication licensed the BlackBerry name and shipped the KEYone in 2017 with a physical keyboard, fingerprint sensor in the space bar, and BlackBerry’s productivity software of that era. It targeted people who still wanted tactile typing while everyone else moved to larger touchscreen-first phones.

Why you should not buy one new in 2026

The KEYone is long out of production. It will not receive modern OS or security updates comparable to current iPhone or Android flagships. Spare parts, battery health, and app compatibility are the usual used-market risks for phones this old.

What it got right

The keyboard and productivity focus were real differentiators for a niche audience. That niche was not large enough to sustain BlackBerry-branded smartphones in the mainstream market.

Related reading

For current phone buying help, use our best smartphones guide instead of discontinued BlackBerry reviews.

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Smart Devices Reviewer

Nur ul ain Chaudhry is a Smart Devices Reviewer at TechEngage who covers smartphones, smart home gadgets, and wearables across more than 45 articles. A graduate of LUMS with a degree in Economics and Politics, she is known for interbrand comparisons and startup coverage, weighing products through both a technical and economic lens.

Joined TechEngage May 2018First article on TechEngage May 2018

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