The BlackBerry Key2 was unveiled Thursday in New York by TCL Communication, the Chinese manufacturer which took over the rights to the smartphone brand from the Canadian tech firm in 2016. The latest device, which includes a physical keyboard under a 4.5 inch screen and runs the Android operating system updates the first BlackBerry Key released last year.
The BlackBerry KEY2 runs on the latest Android 8.1 Oreo operating system and will come preinstalled with the Google Assistant, Google Lens, and the Google Play Store. For everyone that misses the BlackBerry 10 OS experience, the KEY2 will also come with the Blackberry Hub, a unifying communication platform that collects all your forms of communication in one place.
BlackBerry’s share of the global smartphone market has fallen to virtually zero from a peak of more than half a decade ago.
The dominance of Apple’s iOS and Android-powered handsets prompted the Canada-based firm to abandon the market to concentrate on software and services.
Under the agreement between the two firms, Canada’s BlackBerry will remain in control of software and security on smartphones, while TCL will produce handsets powered by Google Android software, abandoning the former BlackBerry OS software.
It will be sold this month starting at $649 or 649 euros, according to the company.
TCL also produces smartphones under the Alcatel brand.
