 Blackberry used to represent the business end of smartphones, while the iPhone and Galaxy were more casual. If you wanted to get any real work done, you'd buy Blackberry Bold. This is business. Six years later, almost everyone's forgotten about it. Business users that need a smartphone now have an iPhone, a Galaxy, or some other Android device. Now it's 2018, and here's the new Blackberry Key 2. It exists in a landscape of phones that are shedding bezels and going for full screen designs, not keyboards. You're used to most smartphones trying to be the best or the cheapest, but the Blackberry Key 2 isn't trying to be either of those things. It's trying to be the best business phone. But in 2018, is this Blackberry really what business people or casuals want? The Key 2 is made by TCL, a Chinese manufacturer best known for its cheap 4K TVs, and now they're responsible for Blackberry-branded phones. The Key 2 is trying to take on the most secure Android phone tagline, with monthly security updates on Android 8.1. There's device encryption, a built-in information locker, password manager, and the D-Tech app, which rates the Key 2's overall security based on the app's information you programmed. And yes, it will get upgraded to Android P at a later date. Specs-wise, the Key 2 isn't blazing fast like its rivals, but a Snapdragon 660, six gigs of RAM, 64 or 128 gigabyte storage options with microSD expansion ensure that it can run decently enough for the stuff it's really designed for. Email and messaging. It opens apps quickly, doesn't stutter, and has never crashed on you, which is good. The other reason why this processor's really interesting is because of battery life. When using the Key 2 for the stuff that it's really made for, email and messaging, I can get one or two days of battery life easily. After all, watching YouTube or playing PUBG on a three-to-two ratio screen is a stifling experience that I wouldn't recommend to anyone. Both business and regular users will appreciate just how far TCL has gone to make the Blackberry Key 2 feel more like a Blackberry phone and not an Android phone. There's even a redactor app that acts as an overlay and lets you block sensitive information on screen and in screenshots. Dark modes are available for the hub, BBM, and app launcher. The red notification asterisk makes a return as well. And there are 52 possible customizable shortcuts, one for each key, that you can use to quickly start anything from the home screen. Unfortunately, simply typing on the keyboard from the home screen doesn't trigger a Google search, but I wish it did. If you know anything about Blackberries, you'd know about Blackberry Messenger. Before the age of iMessage and Facebook Messenger, BBM was the app to be. I would tell you what Blackberry Messenger's like to use on the Key 2, but I don't know anyone that still uses it. Alternatively, Slack is a lot of fun to use on the Key 2, and the hub makes it obvious that you missed a few direct messages, so it can be useful. Here's the thing. The Key 2 isn't really that great at being a keyboard-equipped phone for productivity. Still, the Key 2 keyboard has some neat tricks, like swiping across it to quickly erase all the text in the line, as well as scrolling on web pages, the home screen, or in emails. You can even swipe to text on the physical keyboard, which is cool at first, but if you think about it, it defeats the purpose of having a physical keyboard in the first place. Everything here feels slightly cramped and not tactile enough. I've been using it a fair amount, yet I can still type better with on-screen, or mechanical keyboards. If you look past the keyboard and added security, the Key 2 starts to lose its luster. The space bar, which also acts as a fingerprint sensor, does a decent job, but doesn't register consistently at an angle when you use your thumb. The cameras aren't that good, despite the Key 2 being the first Blackberry with a dual 12 megapixel camera design. For some reason, auto-focusing before capture isn't turned on by default, resulting in some blurry photos, and it's only marginally better when it's enabled. The camera setup also supports 4K video recording at 24 or 30 FPS, but the results are a bit choppy. The verdict on the Blackberry Key 2 is that it's a perfectly usable smartphone with a keyboard in 2018. The real issue isn't that it doesn't have a full screen, blazing fast processor, or amazing cameras. It's just fulfilling a simple need for its clientele, being a new and updated Blackberry. The problem with that is its clientele deserves a better smartphone, something like a Galaxy, an iPhone, or a Pixel. Hey, thanks for watching. Let us know what your favorite Blackberry was in the comments. Also, if you didn't know, we have a sister site called Eater, where they have some really cool cooking and food videos on their channel. You should check it out and subscribe.
 Blackberry used to represent the business end of smartphones,
 while the iPhone and Galaxy were more casual.
 If you wanted to get any real work done,
 you'd buy Blackberry Bold.
 This is business.
 Six years later, almost everyone's forgotten about it.
 Business users that need a smartphone
 now have an iPhone, a Galaxy, or some other Android device.
 Now it's 2018, and here's the new Blackberry Key 2.
 It exists in a landscape of phones
 that are shedding bezels and going for full screen designs,
 not keyboards.
 You're used to most smartphones trying to be the best
 or the cheapest, but the Blackberry Key 2
 isn't trying to be either of those things.
 It's trying to be the best business phone.
 But in 2018, is this Blackberry really what business people
 or casuals want?
 The Key 2 is made by TCL, a Chinese manufacturer
 best known for its cheap 4K TVs,
 and now they're responsible for Blackberry-branded phones.
 The Key 2 is trying to take on the most secure
 Android phone tagline, with monthly security updates
 on Android 8.1.
 There's device encryption, a built-in information locker,
 password manager, and the D-Tech app,
 which rates the Key 2's overall security
 based on the app's information you programmed.
 And yes, it will get upgraded to Android P at a later date.
 Specs-wise, the Key 2 isn't blazing fast like its rivals,
 but a Snapdragon 660, six gigs of RAM,
 64 or 128 gigabyte storage options with microSD expansion
 ensure that it can run decently enough
 for the stuff it's really designed for.
 Email and messaging.
 It opens apps quickly, doesn't stutter,
 and has never crashed on you, which is good.
 The other reason why this processor's really interesting
 is because of battery life.
 When using the Key 2 for the stuff
 that it's really made for, email and messaging,
 I can get one or two days of battery life easily.
 After all, watching YouTube or playing PUBG
 on a three-to-two ratio screen is a stifling experience
 that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.
 Both business and regular users will appreciate
 just how far TCL has gone to make the Blackberry Key 2
 feel more like a Blackberry phone and not an Android phone.
 There's even a redactor app that acts as an overlay
 and lets you block sensitive information on screen
 and in screenshots.
 Dark modes are available for the hub, BBM, and app launcher.
 The red notification asterisk makes a return as well.
 And there are 52 possible customizable shortcuts,
 one for each key, that you can use
 to quickly start anything from the home screen.
 Unfortunately, simply typing on the keyboard
 from the home screen doesn't trigger a Google search,
 but I wish it did.
 If you know anything about Blackberries,
 you'd know about Blackberry Messenger.
 Before the age of iMessage and Facebook Messenger,
 BBM was the app to be.
 I would tell you what Blackberry Messenger's like to use
 on the Key 2, but I don't know anyone that still uses it.
 Alternatively, Slack is a lot of fun to use on the Key 2,
 and the hub makes it obvious
 that you missed a few direct messages, so it can be useful.
 Here's the thing.
 The Key 2 isn't really that great
 at being a keyboard-equipped phone for productivity.
 Still, the Key 2 keyboard has some neat tricks,
 like swiping across it to quickly erase
 all the text in the line,
 as well as scrolling on web pages,
 the home screen, or in emails.
 You can even swipe to text on the physical keyboard,
 which is cool at first, but if you think about it,
 it defeats the purpose of having a physical keyboard
 in the first place.
 Everything here feels slightly cramped
 and not tactile enough.
 I've been using it a fair amount,
 yet I can still type better with on-screen,
 or mechanical keyboards.
 If you look past the keyboard and added security,
 the Key 2 starts to lose its luster.
 The space bar, which also acts as a fingerprint sensor,
 does a decent job, but doesn't register consistently
 at an angle when you use your thumb.
 The cameras aren't that good,
 despite the Key 2 being the first Blackberry
 with a dual 12 megapixel camera design.
 For some reason, auto-focusing before capture
 isn't turned on by default, resulting in some blurry photos,
 and it's only marginally better when it's enabled.
 The camera setup also supports 4K video recording
 at 24 or 30 FPS, but the results are a bit choppy.
 The verdict on the Blackberry Key 2
 is that it's a perfectly usable smartphone
 with a keyboard in 2018.
 The real issue isn't that it doesn't have a full screen,
 blazing fast processor, or amazing cameras.
 It's just fulfilling a simple need for its clientele,
 being a new and updated Blackberry.
 The problem with that is its clientele deserves
 a better smartphone, something like a Galaxy,
 an iPhone, or a Pixel.
 Hey, thanks for watching.
 Let us know what your favorite Blackberry was
 in the comments.
 Also, if you didn't know, we have a sister site
 called Eater, where they have some really cool cooking
 and food videos on their channel.
 You should check it out and subscribe.