The BlackBerry Key2 is here.
This is a retail version I bought myself.
Huge thanks to NordVPN for sponsoring this video – but more on that later.
Last year's KEYone didn't do so well in my durability test.
Turns out the screen didn't have enough adhesive on the back and it would randomly fall off.
Not just on my phone, but on others in real life as well.
Luckily BlackBerry was pretty quick to acknowledge the issue after my video and started gluing
their screens on better and offering free replacements to anyone affected.
Now we have the Key2 – a new and improved Android phone with a full keyboard.
But is the screen glued on?
There's only one way to find out.
Let's get started.
[Intro]
There aren't many phones out there with full keyboards these days.
I used to have a BlackBerry Pearl back in the days of T9 texting.
So the keyboard and I do have a fond history, even if I don't currently use one.
The keyboard this year on the Key2 is more of a flat matte dry plastic, which I'm a fan
of.
I think it's better than the glossy rubberized keys from last year's KEYone.
Also, the screen glass doesn't wrap around the edges of the phone.
The Key2 has flat glass, which I think looks better and is more durable.
The back is still the black rubber we've come to expect on BlackBerry phones.
And the keyboard still doubles as it's own little track pad controlling the screen.
Speaking of which, it's time for the scratch test.
I have a set of Mohs picks that differentiate between different minerals and materials.
BlackBerry did drop down to a Gorilla Glass 3 on the Key2, which compromises slightly
on the shatter resistance, but personally, I feel like Gorilla Glass 3 is slightly harder
and therefore slightly more scratch resistant than Gorilla Glass 5.
Glass is still glass no matter what version it is.
The different variations of glass are just marginally better than each other.
This 4.5 inch screen still gets marked up at a level 6, with deeper grooves at a level
7.
Up here at the top of the screen, the glass extends all the way to the top of phone protecting
the 8 megapixel front facing camera, and also surrounds the earpiece which appears to be
made from plastic.
The earpiece is very well secured underneath the glass, so unless the screen falls out
on it's own, which isn't outside the realm of possibilities with BlackBerry, the earpiece
should be solid.
The keyboard of the BlackBerry Key2 is my favorite part of the phone.
It's unique.
It might be argued that keyboards are outdated, but everyone has different preferences and
that's what makes the smartphone world awesome – there really is something for everyone.
We're here for durability though.
The flat non-grippy plastic is still scratchable, but I bet typing speed will increase when
your thumbs tickle the old ivory since the the rubber isn't there to slow you down.
The keyboard letters are printed on top of the plastic and not embedded all the way through
like we saw with the Nintendo Switch.
The printed keys are more cost effective, just time will tell if they wear off with
normal use or not.
They keys themselves are pretty awesome.
Each individual key is very securely glued to a rubber backing over the circuit board.
And judging by how far I can pull them away from the phone without breaking, these are
going to last a while.
They spring back into place like nothing happened.
This phone has no water resistance though.
We'll have to see if BlackBerry added any internal protections during my teardown video.
The fingerprint scanner is very creatively integrated into the space bar, and surprisingly,
does not scratch.
The little guy is scratch proof.
All the other keys are the normal plastic except for this space bar.
Setting up my fingerprint was still pretty flawless and managed to open up the phone
every time.
I'm impressed.
The scratch proof space bar definitely gets a thumbs up from me.
The viewing angle does seem a little low on this phone, but BlackBerries have a reputation
for being secure, so maybe that's a plan feature and not a flaw.
The phone is made from metal though, which is great.
7000 series aluminum and still comes with a headphone jack.
The sides are metal which is good.
The volume rocker is also metal, although it did feel like plastic initially.
And we have our heavily textured power button and a dedicated programmable button on the
side.
Nice of BlackBerry to leave it open so we can choose what we want to use it for.
The SIM and SD card tray are metal.
And the bottom of the phone brings our USB-C port – all things we have come to expect
on a 2018 flagship.
Dual cameras are also the norm these days, and BlackBerry did it right with 2 different
types of lenses.
A normal 12 megapixel camera, and a 12 megapixel telephoto zoom lens.
The dual 2 colored LED flash is plastic, but the light is getting diffused anyway, so scratches
won't matter if they happen.
The BlackBerry drupes are permanently displayed in the center of the phone.
If you remember, drupes are what we call the little balls that make up the BlackBerry fruit
– hence the logo.
And each drupe is very solidly secured into the back panel.
These guys aren't coming out on their own.
It's almost like BlackBerry was ready for me this time around.
The back panel itself is made from, as BlackBerry calls it, textured diamond grip non-slip back.
I call it rubber molded in the shape of diamonds.
Also, fun fact, modern keys, the ones we use today, were invented in 1861.
They've been around for almost 160 years.
A modern key against this Key2 won't do any damage though.
It should hold up against normal abuse, like keys and coins and stuff.
BlackBerry is pretty recognized as one of the most secure smartphones, especially back
when they had their own operating system.
Nowadays, they are still secure on a software level, but against my physical flame, it lasted
about 13 seconds.
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One new feature on the app is called CyberSec, which protects you against advertisements
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Check the video description for links and thanks to NordVPN for sponsoring this video
and supporting my expensive hobby.
Now let's see if that screen pops off.
A bend test gives us a pretty good idea of how well the phones are constructed, revealing
any fragile points or kinks in the frame we need to worry about.
Even with considerable pressure applied to the back of the phone, the front glass is
very solidly intact and still glued in.
Same from the rear.
The back panel remains secure and in one piece this time around.
If phone companies keep making super solid secure smartphones, I'm going to be out of
a job as a professional phone breaker.
Or maybe it's my job that keeps smartphone companies making solid smartphones.
Who knows.
From a physical standpoint, the Key2 is a success and passes all my durability tests.
Nice work, BlackBerry.
If you want to check out the current pricing or give NordVPN a try to secure your Internets,
try the links in the video description.
Let me know if you have any questions.
And thanks a ton for watching.
I'll see you around.