Take advantage of Sony’s big pre-E3 PlayStation 4 sales event
Sony’s celebrating gamers with discounts on games, consoles, and a brand new limited edition PS4.
Just ahead of E3 2018, Sony is flashing its celebratory side with a big sales event for no reason other than they love their PlayStation community. It’s being called Days of Play, and there are discounts in the U.S. and Canada for both new and existing PlayStation 4 owners on tap.
It starts with a brand new limited edition Days of Play Blue PS4 console. It features the DualShock’s iconic face buttons and the PlayStation logo on the top surface of the PS4 in gold, and the accompanying DualShock 4 controller has gold face button lettering on its trackpad. Otherwise, it’s just a really deep, striking shade of blue that’ll draw the eye of anyone in your living room. It starts at $299.
Other highlights for hardware include a PS4 Pro for $349 and PlayStation VR bundles starting at $199. PS VR titles are starting as low as $14.99, with other exclusive games such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Gran Turismo Sport starting at $19.99. For those who are in need of subscriptions, 12 months of PlayStation Plus can be added to your account for $49.99.
These deals and more will be available starting June 8th through June 18th. Take a look at the full slate of discounts straight ahead.
Hardware Deals
- Jet Black PS4 Pro: $349.99 USD / $449.99 CDN
- PlayStation VR bundles: starting at $199.99 USD / $249.99 CDN
- DualShock 4 wireless controller (all colors): $39.99 USD / $49.99 CDN
- PlayStation Move motion controller (2 pack): $79.99 USD / $99.99 CDN
- PlayStation VR Aim controller (US only): $49.99 USD
- Catalog titles: check with your local retailer
Game Deals
- God of War: $49.99 USD / $59.99 CDN
- Gran Turismo Sport: $19.99 USD / $29.99 CDN
- Horizon Zero Dawn: $19.99 USD / $29.99 CDN
- MLB The Show 18: $39.99 USD / $49.99 CDN
- Shadow of the Colossus: $19.99 USD / $29.99 CDN
- Bravo Team (PS VR): $29.99 USD / $39.99 CDN
- Farpoint (PS VR): $14.99 USD/ $19.99 CDN
- The Inpatient (PS VR): $14.99 USD / $19.99 CDN
Subscription Deals
- PlayStation Plus: $49.99 USD / $59.99 CDN for a 12-Month PS Plus membership (terms & conditions here)
- PlayStation Vue (available in the US only): $10 USD per month off the Core plan standard price for the first two months ($44.99 USD per month thereafter)
Every limited edition PlayStation 4 you can buy today.
PlayStation 4
- PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
- PlayStation VR Review
- Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome
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These are all the Huawei/Honor phones coming out in 2018
Having trouble keeping up with Huawei’s countless phones? You’re in the right place.
Although it may not be as popular as Samsung or Apple in the U.S., one of the world’s biggest smartphone brands is Huawei.
Huawei often releases some of the best and most interesting Android phones of the year, including powerful flagships and more affordable options through its Honor sub-brand.
It can be hard to keep up with Huawei’s endless releases, so to help keep you in check, here are all the phones the company’s launching in 2018.
The phones we’re still expecting
Huawei Mate 11
The Mate 10 Pro
Towards the end of 2017, Huawei decided to go out with a bang with the impressive Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro.
The Mate 10 Pro paved the way for Huawei’s 2018 lineup, featuring the Kirin 970, a large 6-inch 18:9 screen, and fantastic dual cameras.
Rumors surrounding its successor are still pretty light, but if it’s anything like last year’s model, it’ll be big, powerful, and a true beauty to look at. The Mate 10 Pro was the first in the series to adopt a new glass back, and we’ll likely see Huawei continue that trend this year with the Mate 11.
Huawei Mate 10 Pro review: Best Android flagship for battery life
Huawei Nova 3/Nova 3 Plus
The Huawei Nova 2
During IFA last year, we got a chance to go hands-on with the Huawei Nova 2 and Nova 2 Plus. The phones featured much more similar designs compared to the drastic difference between the original Nova and Nova Plus and offered comparable specs for just $360 and $426, respectively.
The Nova 2 and 2 Plus were metal-clad phones with dual cameras, 1080p LCD displays, the Kirin 659 processor, and dual cameras.
There’s no reason to believe Huawei won’t release a Nova 3 series before 2018 is over, so we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for a Nova 3 and 3 Plus over the coming months.
Huawei Nova 2 + Nova 2 Plus hands-on
Honor 8X
Released at the very end of last year, the Honor 7X continues to be one of the best ways to spend less than $200 on a smartphone well into 2018.
Honor really hit the nail on the head with the 7X, offering a sturdy metal design, fast Kirin 659 processor, 5.93-inch 18:9 display, and respectable dual cameras for just $199 in the U.S.
We fully expect an Honor 8X to be announced before 2018 is over, featuring a similar price and even more bang-for-your-buck.
Honor 7X review: The new budget champion
The phones that have already come out
Huawei P20/P20 Lite/P20 Pro
A few months after the Mate 10’s U.S. launch, Huawei came out swinging once more with its P20 series — consisting of the P20, P20 Lite, and P20 Pro.
There are a lot of similarities with the three phones, including glass designs, fingerprint sensors, and notches in their displays.
While all of the handsets are worth a look, the P20 Pro is easily the most eye-catching. In addition to its ultra-reflective and color-changing glass back with the Twilight color, you’ll find not one, not two, but three rear cameras — including a 40MP RGB sensor, 20MP mono sensor, and 8MP telephoto one.
The end result of this wild combination are some of the best photographs you can take from a smartphone, especially when it comes to low-light shots.
You’ll find a lot to love about the P20 Pro, but depending on where you live, buying it could prove to be a bit tricky.
Where to buy the Huawei P20 Pro in the U.S. and Canada
Huawei Porsche Design Mate RS
If the P20 Pro isn’t cool enough for you and you’ve got endless amounts of cash to burn through, the Huawei Porsche Design Mate RS might be the perfect fit.
This is essentially the same phone as the P20 Pro, but it’s got a different design, stunning red color, in-screen fingerprint sensor, and a pain-inducing $2000 price tag.
The Porsche Design Mate RS certainly isn’t for everyone, but it’s easily the most eye-catching phone in all of Huawei’s lineup for the year.
See at Porsche Design
Huawei Mate SE
On the complete polar opposite end of the spectrum from the Mate RS is the Huawei Mate SE.
The Mate SE costs just $249 in the States and comes with a 5.93-inch edge-to-edge 18:9 FHD+ display, dual 16MP and 2MP rear cameras, Kirin 659 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage, and a large 3,340 mAh battery. It’s also available in both Grey and Gold colors.
You get a lot of bang-for-your-buck with the Mate SE, but if you want to stretch your dollars even further, I’d suggest checking out the Honor 7X that was released at the tail-end of 2017.
Honor 7X vs. Huawei Mate SE: What’s the difference?
Honor View 10
Honor’s first phone for 2018 was the Honor View 10, and boy does it have a lot to offer. This is one of the pricier Honor phones at $499, but it comes equipped with just about every flagship feature you could ask for.
The Honor 10 impresses at first glance with a metal unibody design and ultra-slim bezels. The display measures in at 5.99-inches with an 18:9 aspect ratio and has a resolution of 2160 x 1080. There’s a fingerprint sensor underneath it, 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom of the frame, and dual 16MP + 20MP cameras on the back.
Other goodies include the Kirin 970, 6GB RAM, 128GB of storage, NFC, and Android 8.0 Oreo with EMUI 8.0 on top of it. Add all that together with a face unlock feature and a long-lasting 3,750 mAh battery, and you end up with one heck of a phone.
See at Amazon
Honor 10
The Honor 10 was released in late April, and it has more in common with the Honor View 10 than just a similar name. Just like the View 10, the Honor 10 has the Kirin 970, 6GB RAM, and either 128GB or 64GB of storage. However, that’s where the similarities end.
You’ll find dual cameras on the Honor 10, but they’re a bit different with 16MP and 24MP sensors. There’s also a 24MP shooter for the selfie camera, 5.84-inch 1080p LCD screen with a notch at the top, and a reflective, color-changing glass back just like the Huawei P20 Pro.
The Honor 10 is available in China and the UK, and depending on the storage configuration you choose, you’ll spend between $414 and $478.
Honor 10 announced with the P20’s design and a much lower price
Honor 7A/7C
Next up, we’ve got the Honor 7A and 7C. These are the cheapest phones on this list, coming in at £139.99 and £169.99, respectively.
You won’t find the most impressive specs on the 7A and 7C, but what you do get is all the basics for a solid experience at an incredible price.
The 7A is the more affordable of the two, offering a plastic body with a metal-like finish, Snapdragon 430 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB of storage, and a single 13MP camera. With the 7C, you get a faster Snapdragon 450, 3GB RAM, 32GB of storage, and a depth-sensing 2MP camera to go along with the primary 13MP shooter.
You can purchase the Honor 7A and 7C in the UK and India.
Honor 7A + 7C bring face unlock to the sub-£170 price point
Honor Play
There’s been a recent interest in gaming phones in the Android space, with notable handsets including the Razer Phone and Asus ROG Phone. Honor’s the latest company to take a stab at this growing niche with the Honor Play.
A good gaming phone needs to be plenty powerful, and the Honor Play delivers here. It’s powered by the Kirin 970 and comes with a feature called GPU Turbo that allows you to eek out even more performance when playing particularly demanding titles.
You’ve got your choice between 4 and 6GB of RAM depending on the model you choose and 64GB of storage is present for housing all your local files. Other specs include a 3,750 mAh battery, Android 8.1 Oreo, and a 6.3-inch 19:9 screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2280.
The Honor Play is launching first in China with a starting price of around $375.
See at VMall
Honor 9i
The Honor 9i was also announced alongside the Honor Play, but it ditches the gaming focus and instead aims to be your typical Honor mid-ranger.
Up front is a 5.84-inch 19:9 display with a 1080 x 2280 resolution. The Kirin 659 powers the phone along with 4GB RAM and a 3,000 mAh battery should offer respectable endurance.
Other features include dual 13MP + 12MP cameras on the back, 64 or 128GB of storage, and Android 8.0 Oreo.
Similar to the Honor Play, the Honor 9i is also launching in China and carries a starting price of $220.
See at VMall
Huawei P20 + P20 Pro
- Huawei P20 and P20 Pro hands-on
- Huawei P20 and P20 Pro specs
- The Porsche Design Mate RS is a P20 Pro that costs $2000
- Join the discussion in the forums
Updated June 7, 2018: Added the Honor Play and Honor 9i to the list.
The biggest problem facing YouTube Music comes from within
The biggest problem facing YouTube Music isn’t a slow rollout. It isn’t casting bugs, or wacky library sorting, or missing albums, or poor handling of going offline. No, no, no, my friends, YouTube Music’s biggest problem is a YouTube that predates the service by years. And with how important rating songs in YouTube Music is, this problem is going to bite music-lovers, long-time YouTube users, and YouTuber creators hard.
While evaluating YouTube Music’s capabilities compared to other platforms, I asked if the 5,000-video limit on YouTube playlists applies to YouTube Music and specifically if it applies to Liked Songs. YouTube’s response was one line:
Currently YouTube has a 5,000-song limit for any playlist.
I will say right off the bat here that this doesn’t quite limit your library size the way Spotify’s 10,000 song limit does. Every album you add to your library doesn’t automatically get added to Liked Songs. If you add albums to your library rather than just liking single songs, you can expand your library without contributing to your Liked songs cap. You can also move songs between playlists if you need to free up space in Liked songs, but you shouldn’t have to.
Liked songs is a critical piece of YouTube Music.
When listening to Your mixtape, the way to shape the mix it serves up is to thumbs songs up and down. If there’s a limit to what you can thumbs up, there’s a point where you stop being able to reinforce the algorithm when it picks good songs, leaving you with only thumbing down bad songs. Offline Mixtape, recommendations and radio stations are impacted by your listening history and your library, but Liked videos also has a big impact on them, too.
This limit is a double-whammy for avid YouTube users, because Liked songs has another name in the main YouTube app, and it’s one we’re all familiar with: Liked videos.
Yep, Likes songs and Liked videos are actually the same playlist, and so they both contribute to that 5,000 song limit. So, even if you’ve never, ever opened YouTube Music before, your Liked songs playlist could be half-full already if you’re someone who rewards YouTube videos like ours with likes. While this means that music videos you’ve liked in the main YouTube app have given you a leg up on dialing in YouTube Music’s algorithms, it’s going to limit what you can do once you’re using the service.
This is bad for YouTube Music users, and even worse for YouTube creators, because it turns likes into an even more limited commodity. If I like a non-music video on YouTube, that’s one fewer song I can like in YouTube Music, one fewer song I can add to my library without adding the whole album. 5,000 videos sounds like a lot, but 5,000 songs is something that’s very easy to hit, especially for the users most-likely to jump on YouTube Music: hard-core YouTube users.
This is something that can be overcome, even without YouTube raising or removing the playlist video/song limit:
- Add singles to a user-created playlist rather than adding them to Liked Songs or adding the entire album to your library.
- Be picky with your likes so they go further.
- When you’re starting to get close, go to Liked Videos. Scroll to the very bottom of the playlist and start working your way up, removing older videos that don’t matter to you anymore, songs that don’t match your current tastes, and any “Removed videos”. This will free up space and help clear out older music videos that might be skewing your YouTube Music recommendations.
Really, though, this is something that needs to be fixed. YouTube Music has hundreds of millions of songs out there, and if they want to market themselves as the biggest catalog of exclusive content, then you need to be able to rate more than 5,000 songs while listening to its radio stations. You need to be able to add more than 5,000 songs to your library without hassling with adding entire albums or making a new playlist for every genre you like.
If it’s any consolation, YouTube has confirmed to Android Central that users can have up to 10,000 playlists/albums in their library — albums function like playlists right now, so that means that albums count towards the 10,000 playlist limit — so even if Liked songs fills up, you’ll still be able to load up other playlists with new music.
Watch the BlackBerry KEY2 announcement — live at 10:00 a.m. ET!
The KEY2 event will begin on June 7 at 10:00 AM ET.
The BlackBerry KEYone stood out as one of 2017’s most interesting and unique phones, and this year, BlackBerry’s going to follow it up with the KEY2. We’ve already come across quite a few leaks and rumors speculating about what the phone will come equipped with, but soon we’ll be able to lay the rumor mill to rest.
BlackBerry’s holding an event in New York to announce the KEY2, and while we’ll be in attendance, you can watch the entire thing without having to put a foot out the door. The company’s hosting a livestream on YouTube, and you can tune in by simply tapping/clicking the video above.
The livestream will begin at 10:00 AM ET on Thursday, June 7.
What are you hoping to see from the KEY2?
I’m excited for the BlackBerry KEY2 because virtual keyboards are still terrible
BlackBerry KEYone
- BlackBerry KEYone review
- KEYone vs. Priv: Battle of the BlackBerry keyboards
- BlackBerry KEYone specs
- The latest KEYone news
- Join the discussion in the forums
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Mobile gaming is influencing the future of the gaming industry as a whole
Mobile gaming — and by extension the entire gaming industry — is at a crossroads.
Mobile games have always carried a stigma of compromised quality amongst the larger gamer community. In the ongoing PC vs Console debate, mobile games are all too often relegated to a lesser category altogether from PC and console equivalents because they’re “too casual” or simply not considered to be “true games”. For some time, these were valid critiques because so many mobile games look and feel like cookie-cutter copies of other games with limited gameplay or abusive freemium frameworks meant to exploit the addictive behaviors associated with smartphones
We’ve reached a point where flagship smartphones are now capable of emulating full gaming experiences in pocket form.
Everyone has played a free-to-play game that starts out being fun for the first several levels and totally hooked you in — and then out of nowhere you hit a wall and the incentive of those in-app purchases are just too tempting. Or the game is built around a loot box system that leaves you waiting for lady luck to bestow you with the character or weapon you actually want.
Fortunately, we’ve reached a point where flagship smartphones are now capable of emulating full gaming experience in pocket form. Whereas we used to accept the hardware limitations imposed on a mobile game developer, we’ve reached the point where “the gamer phone” is more than just a gimmick. Razer and ASUS have both jumped into the smartphone space to offer phones with specs capable of handling, the latest flagships more capable than ever, and apps like Steam Link offering a promising new look at what’s possible on mobile. In other words, it sure feels like mobile gaming is ready to shed that stigma that has held it back for so long — at the same time that the wider gaming industry seems keen on adapting to the mobile model for generating revenue.
Free-to-Play is winning the day
I’ve spent enough time covering mobile gaming to know that, in spite of all of its detractors, the free-to-play model is still often the most sensible option for users who are wary when spending money on gaming, and studios who still need to generate profit. Even pricing a game as low as 99 cents has proven to severely limit the number of downloads versus releasing a free-to-play game chocked full of ads and/or in-app purchases.
Even pricing a game at 99 cents will severely limit the number of downloads versus releasing a free-to-play game chocked full of ads and/or in-app purchases.
For indie developers, it’s a challenge to even make gamers aware of your game, let alone convince them to pay for the game upfront. For every Monument Valley or The Room success story, there are some really great games that may never get the attention they deserve because they lack the marketing budget to blitz the internet with ads, or never get featured in the Google Play Store. News of Square Enix Montreal ending development of their popular GO franchise came as little surprise because the premium model for mobile games just isn’t as profitable for the companies making the game. It’s ironic that offering gamers a clean and rewarding experience devoid of advertising and in-app purchases — the things that mobile gamers bitch about the most — is often a death sentence for downloads and profits
And yet, mobile gaming continues to grow over the years not so much because of hardware and software advancements, but because of how ingrained smartphones have become in our daily lives. Consider that just eight years ago, Angry Birds was little more than a cute, $2 game that offered casual fun on the go with your fancy new touchscreen phone. Today, the franchise has carved out a cultural legacy that has reached billions of people worldwide and spawned an improbable movie franchise.
(The fact that The Angry Birds Movie generated over $350 million at the box office was just another disappointment from 2016.)
As smartphones have become ubiquitous in our daily culture, we’re approaching a sort of singularity moment where mobile devices are now more than capable of delivering the high-end gaming entertainment that used to be exclusive to PCs and consoles. Games like Fortnite, PUBG Mobile and Vainglory have proven that mobile games can be just as full-featured as their PC or console counterparts without having to compartmentalize or limit the gameplay itself.
But at the same time that the potential and hype surrounding mobile gaming is reaching new heights, the entire gaming industry is embracing the mobile micro-transactions and the “free-to-play with micro-transactions” model — with mixed results.
AAA games and micro-transactions
Over the same time period that Angry Birds took over the world, we’ve seen a massive shift from other juggernauts in the gaming industry itself. Five years ago, Rockstar released GTA 5 for the Xbox 360. GTA 5 remains the last major release in the series, because Rockstar discovered the lucrative cash cow that is GTA 5’s Online Mode — generating more revenue for Rockstar via regularly released DLC content and micro-transactions than ever could through the old model of releasing a brand new game every few years as was the case throughout the 2000s.
Fortnite is another great example. In development since 2011, Fortnite was designed with two game modes in mind for the final version — but it’s best known for it’s free-to-play Battle Royale mode that’s accessible and fun — and caught on with streamers and other gaming influencers like wildfire last year. For the mobile release, Epic Games decided not to bother with the co-op “Save The World” mode because it’s simply not worth the time when gamers crave nothing more than the Battle Royale mode and there’s so much money to be made via in-app purchases for cosmetic character upgrades.
Meanwhile, we’ve seen AAA games that should be amazing like Star Wars Battlefront 2 marred by controversy because surrounding the micropayment model that relied on crates and cards to upgrade your class. It’s the same micro-transaction system you’d expect from a free-to-play mobile game — except built into a full-priced AAA game. It looks and feels like a money grab because it is. Thanks, EA!
Finding it hard to buy into all the hype
Of course, there’s a ton of factors at play here — the costs associated with developing an AAA title compared to a mobile game are apples and oranges, and we’d typically expect less from a mobile game than we would a major console release by the industry’s biggest publishers. As part of the release cycle, games are hyped to death at big events like E3 creating sky-high expectations, while a mobile game can drop into the Play Store with little to no fanfare and blow up through word of mouth. From that, we get PUBG Mobile that offers a great mobile gaming experience for free, while the version for the Xbox One version is a buggy mess that you still need to pay $30 upfront to play.
The gaming industry can continue to grow and expand its reach if they properly embrace the potential for mobile gaming on smartphones. When done right, gamers should have the ability to either pay upfront for a full game experience or be given fair options for investing money into the games they love, which in turn gives developers alternate avenues for recouping the costs of development, marketing and server maintenance from reliable sources. Today, that’s through micro-transactions, DLC expansions, loot boxes, and other methods of targeting the sorts of people who would spend money to progress in their favorite game. This can and should be done fairly, and it needs to be called out when it is not. Personally, I think it’s unfair to ask gamers to shell out $60 only to then be forced to spend more money to “enhance” the experience or stay competitive in the online arenas.
That’s why I think that mobile games — despite the exploitive nature of in-app purchases which I’ve written about this before — are in a great position to keep gaining influence and prominence in the industry while, for me, console gaming is quickly becoming an expensive hobby that’s too costly to keep up with.
Still Candy Crushin’ it
There are few better examples of a company that found success with the free-to-play model than King, the Swedish development company behind the insanely popular Candy Crush franchise. While it’s easy for a “true gamer” to dismiss a game like Candy Crush Saga as being a mindlessly mobile game with few redeeming qualities (fun, too), the game continues to rank among the most popular apps on Google Play and iOS App Store and still maintains over 200 million monthly active users all these years later. That’s an insane amount of reliable audience reach — and the fact that we’ve been spared from “Candy Crush: The Movie” to this point is a small miracle.
Activision Blizzard acquired King for $5.9 billion and is surely expecting big things from mobile gaming moving forward.
With those numbers in mind, Activision Blizzard went out and acquired King for a cool $5.9 billion in 2016. This was huge news, as Activision Blizzard is one of the biggest video game publishers of all time and responsible for some of the most profitable franchises in gaming history — Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. For it to invest so heavily in the mobile space shows the significance of the mobile platform moving forward. Since then, King has reportedly started working on a mobile version Activision’s most popular franchise, Call of Duty — at the same time that the PC and console version is pivoting hard towards the trendy Battle Royale mode to contend with Fortnite and PUBG.
While there’s no concrete information, it sure would make sense for Activision to follow industry trends and try to expand its franchises into the mobile space. Today’s smartphones should be more than capable of handling a proper version of Call of Duty for mobile, and there’s a massive audience that’s been clamoring for a true Call of Duty experience for Android. Done right, history shows us that it could be a massive hit with gamers and Activision Blizzard’s bottom line.
It’s a fine tightrope to walk
I recently had the chance to meet up with some developers from Ubisoft Barcelona’s mobile division ahead of the release of Might and Magic Elemental Guardians. Ubisoft bought the rights to Might and Magic in 2003, and released only a couple of traditional RPG releases for PC. But they’ve now pivoted the franchise to mobile and in many ways, the new mobile game represents the exact sort of mobile game compromises we see all too often — a robust PC game given a cartoonish overhaul and designed to be free-to-play with in-app purchases available to speed up your progression.
And yet, with no up-front costs or pay-to-win progression mechanics built in, Ubisoft producer I spoke to cited examples of players who have progressed to the top of the game’s leaderboards without spending any money in the game. It’s proving to be a hit with fans of the older Might and Magic games while Ubisoft is banking on attracting some of the 12 million mobile gamers who play mobile RPGs — and particularly those who will reliably spend a bunch of money on a free-to-play game. When I see in-app purchase bundles priced at $100 I stop and think there can’t possibly be that many players dropping serious cash like that into a game — and yet I’m told the number is probably much higher than you’d think.
Which is why we’re going to be seeing more in-game micro-transactions everywhere moving forward — it’s the new cost of gaming in 2018.
The question moving forward is whether we’ll see companies invest in developing more high-end gaming experiences for smartphones (which will also require more consistent support for Bluetooth gaming controllers, too) and whether publishers can fight the urge to dilute the overall experience with the lure of lucrative (yet restrictive) micro-transactions and loot boxes.
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- All the Android gaming news!
BlackBerry KEY2 hands-on: More of the same, back in the game
It looks familiar, but that’s where the similarities end.
I often think about the pressure movie directors are under to produce sequels that are not only better than the originals but more successful, more entertaining, more profitable. The Godfather Part II, Toy Story 2, The Empire Strikes Back, Paddington 2 — follow-ups that built upon legacies, expanding storylines, growing character arcs, and ultimately leaving the brand better off than where it started.
Such maxims don’t work perfectly in the technology industry, but it’s rare a sequel has been so anticipated as the BlackBerry KEY2 — at least among a small, loyal group of followers. But those supporters are the ones that never doubted the inevitable success of the KEYone, whose legacy was awkwardly forged in the unity of BlackBerry and TCL, which has since created a separate brand, BlackBerry Mobile, under which it plans to flagship phones. Phones like the KEY2.
| Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Display | 4.5-inch, 1620×1080 IPS LCD434ppi |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6604x Kryo 2.2GHz, 4x Kryo 1.8GHzAdreno 512 GPU |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB / 128GB |
| Expandable | microSD up to 2TB |
| Rear Camera 1 | 12MP (1.3 micron) ƒ/1.8 laser+phase autofocusdual-tone LED flash |
| Rear Camera 2 | 12MP (1 micron) ƒ/2.6 2x optical zoom portrait mode |
| Front Camera | 8MP Selfie flash1080p/30 video |
| Battery | 3500 mAh non-removable |
| Dimensions | 151.4mm x 71.8mm x 8.5mm |
As far as sequels go, this one is pretty conservative. But given the KEYone’s loyal following, and projected success (though TCL hasn’t released sales figures), changing too much would be have construed as a betrayal.
But BlackBerry focused on improving areas of criticism from the first phone, especially performance. To that end, the phone has a beefier Snapdragon 660 — a substantial upgrade from the Snapdragon 625 of the original — along with 6GB of RAM in every model and an ample 64 or 128GB of storage. It’s got dual rear cameras, a stronger series 7 aluminum frame, and a drastically improved keyboard with keys 20% larger, and far more tactile, than on the KEYone.
Both the robust frame and redesigned keyboard are part of an overall cleanup and modernization of the phone’s exterior. Most importantly, the bulbous front camera and sensor cutouts of the KEYone have been more seamlessly integrated into the bezel atop the 4.5-inch LCD panel, and the earpiece is more sunken, allowing for richer sound.
As far as sequels go, this one is pretty conservative. But that’s OK, because the original was surprisingly good.
In fact, despite the presence of the keyboard, the KEY2 looks far more like a traditional phone than its predecessor in almost every respect. Thankfully, that extends to the placement of the power button, which is wedged between the convenience key and volume rocker on the right side of the phone. Its ridged texture distinguishes itself from the other buttons, which is a nice touch, but the fact that it’s there, on the right side where it should be, is reason enough for me to get excited about this phone. (I jest, but not really.)
This leaves the left side of the phone to deal with the SIM tray alone, all angles and matte finish. Putting the KEY2 next to the KEYone shows exactly where TCL’s designers focused their energy: on removing the shiny, cartoonish elements of the original. The KEY2 comes in two colors, black or silver, and both feature brushed aluminum finishes that speak more to my understanding of BlackBerry’s professional legacy.
And even if your association with BlackBerry is more BBM than holster, the takeaway for everyone looking at the KEY2 without irony (because many people still view a physical keyboard on a phone as a useless indulgence) is that it’s objectively much better looking than its predecessor.
That brings us to the keyboard. BlackBerry Mobile says the keys are 20% larger than before, and more evenly spaced thanks to redesigned frets. But perhaps the most significant improvement is the key finish, which is also matte.
That’s a big deal, because while the glossy KEYone may have looked good out of the box — all shiny and new — the keys got grimy and slippery after a few month’s use. Hopefully that won’t happen with this one.
While I haven’t spent much time with the KEY2’s keyboard, it’s clear the phone is much, much easier to type on. I’ve used every keyboarded BlackBerry since 2004’s 8700 ‘Blueberry’, and I see a lot of potential with this one. It’s closer to the Bold 9900, still considered the best hardware keyboard ever made, than the KEYone, and to me that’s important.
Replacing the right Shift button is the new Speed Key, which works as a ‘function’ button of sorts. Holding it and pressing any one of the keyboard’s 26 letters can open any app or activate any shortcut the system can muster, from beginning a text or email to opening the camera or Instagram. There are 52 possible combinations, too, since you can hold on the Speed Key and long-press any letter of the alphabet.
Such functionality is estimable on the KEYone, but only from the home screen (and only using the BlackBerry Launcher). This bypasses all of those prerequisites, giving avid multitaskers more ways to manically accomplish tasks on the go. It’s unclear how much I’ll use this feature, but given that the Speed Key replaces a largely redundant second Shift key, there’s nothing but upside to the decision.
I’ll spare you the monologue about whether it’s necessary having a phone with a physical keyboard in 2018. BlackBerry Mobile made the KEYone because there was so much pent-up demand for such a phone running Android. It made a sequel because it was confident it could make money from the enterprise. Who am I to judge those who find a keyboard more productive, or don’t mind the sacrifices, from screen size to waterproofing, that come with the form factor?
Sure, I’d like a waterproof KEY2 with wireless charging and a Snapdragon 845, but it would cost $1200 and be twice as thick — and twice as ugly.
Continuing the KEY2 tour, around back there’s a familiar textured back that BlackBerry Mobile says is ever-so-slightly redesigned to be even more comfortable to hold than before. If that’s possible.
If you stare at the back long enough, you’ll notice a second camera sensor adorning the primary, offering features like 2x optical zoom and portrait mode. Both sensors are 12 megapixels, and the primary one has received a minor upgrade in a wider, faster ƒ/1.8 lens and a slight downgrade in the form of smaller 1.3 micron pixels (the KEYone famously shared the same IMX368 sensor with 1.55 micron pixels as the Google Pixel).
The camera on the KEYone was better than it had a right to be. Here, I’m hoping for the same thing.
I haven’t had a chance to take any photos with the KEY2, so I don’t know whether the smaller sensor will have a negative impact on photo quality, especially in low light, but I’m eager to test it out.
I also haven’t been able to use the phone long enough to see whether the KEYone’s legendary battery life has been transferred over to its sequel. With a 3,500mAh battery and something called a “Smart Battery Experience” that bases charging recommendations on your usage patterns, it should last at least as long as the original, and possibly longer given the custom-core efficiency of the Snapdragon 660.
As we bring this film to a close, we have to talk about software, and the legacy of BlackBerry itself. With Android 8.1 on board and the KEY2 certified as part of the Android Enterprise Recommended program, I’d be remiss not to point out that the phone, as popular as it is with a small number of enthusiasts, is really aimed at the enterprise market.
To that end, the KEY2 maintains its predecessor’s focus on privacy and security, promising monthly security updates (bested only by Google itself) and, as part of the AER, “at least one major OS update.” So you know that the KEY2 will get Android P — eventually. For what it’s worth, the KEYone is still on Nougat and is expected to get Oreo shortly after the KEY2’s release.
Mainstay apps like DTEK have received visual updates to improve usability, and the BlackBerry Locker now has built-in document support so files stored on the phone don’t need to be uploaded to the cloud. (Imagine 10 years ago the notion that a phone needed a specialized locker to prevent files from automatically being uploaded to Google’s servers. What a world we live in.)
More interesting is a partnership with Mozilla to pre-install Firefox Focus, its new super-fast, privacy-focused browser, within the locker, so nothing is tracked and everything is kept out of advertisers’ prying eyes.
I’ll be honest, I’m excited for the KEY2. The primary reason to buy a BlackBerry is for its keyboard, and that seems to be an area the company has worked hard to improve this time around. I didn’t love the KEYone’s keyboard — it never felt comfortable to type on for long periods — but I’m optimistic about the changes made to the KEY2.
The primary issue with the phone will be price: at $649 USD unlocked, it’s an extra $100 on top of what the KEYone demanded, and despite the hefty specification improvements, it’s a hard pill to swallow. At this point, we don’t know carrier specifics for the U.S., but BlackBerry Mobile says, as usual, the phone will launch first at Canadian carriers, where it will sell for $829. In Europe, it will be €649 or £579. The phone launches later this month.
See at BlackBerry Mobile
BlackBerry KEY2
- BlackBerry KEY2 hands-on preview
- BlackBerry KEY2: Everything you need to know!
- BlackBerry KEY2 specs
- BlackBerry KEYone review: Coming home
- Join our BlackBerry KEY2 forums!
BlackBerry
BlackBerry KEY2 Specifications
Don’t fret, here are the specs.
The BlackBerry KEY2 isn’t a reinvention of the KEYone, but it takes what was desirable and delightful about the original and improves areas that were lacking. In particular, performance issues have been addressed with an upgrade to a faster Snapdragon 660 processor and 6GB of RAM. BlackBerry Mobile has also moved up to a dual camera system, though it promises that the primary sensor is still great, and the keyboard is now 20% larger, with clickier, more responsive keys.
Here’s everything you need to know about the BlackBerry KEY2.
| Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Display | 4.5-inch, 1620×1080 IPS LCD434ppi |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6604x Kryo 2.2GHz, 4x Kryo 1.8GHzAdreno 512 GPU |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB / 128GB |
| Expandable | microSD up to 2TB |
| Rear Camera 1 | 12MP (1.3 micron) ƒ/1.8 laser+phase autofocusdual-tone LED flash |
| Rear Camera 2 | 12MP (1 micron) ƒ/2.6 2x optical zoom portrait mode |
| Video | 4K @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps HDR |
| Front Camera | 8MP Selfie flash1080p/30 video |
| Battery | 3500 mAh non-removable |
| Charging | Quick Charge 3.0 USB-C |
| Water resistance | No |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Security | Front-facing fingerprint sensor (in keyboard) DTEK security suiteFIPS 140-2 Full Disk EncryptionAndroid For Work, Google Play for Work |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 5GHz, Bluetooth 5 + LE, NFCGPS, GLONASS |
| Network (NA GSM) | LTE Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 20, 28, 29, 30, 66 TD-LTE Band 38, 39, 40, 41 |
| Dimensions | 151.4mm x 71.8mm x 8.5mm |
| Weight | 168 grams |
| Price | $649 USD, €649, £579, $829 CAD |
BlackBerry KEY2
- BlackBerry KEY2 hands-on preview
- BlackBerry KEY2: Everything you need to know!
- BlackBerry KEY2 specs
- BlackBerry KEYone review: Coming home
- Join our BlackBerry KEY2 forums!
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BlackBerry KEY2: Everything you need to know
Like the BlackBerry KEYone? You’re going to love the KEY2 😍
Following a heap of rumors and leaks, BlackBerry finally unveiled the highly-anticipated KEY2 on June 7, 2018. The KEY2 is a direct successor to last year’s KEYone and retains the same general design while offering upgraded specs across the board.
There’s a lot to unpack with the KEY2, so let’s go ahead and get into it.
Watch and read the preview
The KEY2 doesn’t do too much that’s different to the KEYone, but it improves everything in either minor or major ways. Three areas, in particular, get focus: performance, keyboard quality, and design.
BlackBerry KEY2 hands-on: More of the same, less of the lame
The design is mostly the same
One of the main reasons the KEYone stood out so much was thanks to its productivity-focused design. Instead of releasing a glass, all-screen slab like so many other companies, BlackBerry kicked out a chunky, physical keyboard-touting phone.
With the KEY2, that theme is present once again.
The KEY2 measures in at 151.4 mm x 71.8mm x 8.5mm, making it taller, yet thinner, than the KEYone. The screen is once again a 4.5-inch panel with a 1620 x 1080 resolution, and the 3:2 aspect ratio makes a return, too.
You’ve got access to 35 backlit keys on the physical keyboard, and similar to the KEYone, the spacebar doubles as an integrated fingerprint sensor.
It’s got more RAM and a faster processor, but the battery is slightly smaller
Although the KEY2 may look similar to the KEYone on the outside, it’s got a lot of improvements under the hood.
Last year’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and measly 3GB RAM have been replaced with a Snapdragon 660 and impressive 6GB RAM. You also have your choice between 64 or 128GB of internal storage, both of which can be upgraded to 256GB via a microSD card.
The battery is ever-so-slightly smaller at 3,500 mAh compared to the KEYone’s 3,505 mAh unit, but thanks to the power-sipping nature of the 660, the KEY2 should still be a battery champ.
BlackBerry steps up to dual cameras
The single 12MP rear camera on the KEYone was fine. It had the capacity to take decent photos, but often struggled in low-light and produced very shakey 4K video.
You don’t buy BlackBerry phones for their excellent cameras, but this is another area where the KEY2 should offer some serious improvements.
Around back, BlackBerry’s outfitted the KEY2 with dual 12MP sensors. The primary one features a large 1.28um pixel size with f/1.8 aperture while the secondary one touts a 1.0um pixel size and f/2.6 aperture. You can record video in 4K at 30 FPS, dual-tone flash helps to brighten dark scenes, and there’s Phase Detection Autofocus.
In regards to the selfie camera, you’re looking at an 8MP sensor that’s capable of recording 1080p video at 30 FPS.
You’ll need to cough up $650 to own one
As you’d expect, the KEY2’s many enhancements have resulted in a steeper price tag compared to last year’s model.
While the KEYone started out at $550 in the U.S., the KEY2 is $100 more expensive at $650.
Elsewhere, the KEY2 will cost €649 EU, £579 GB, and $829 CDN.
BlackBerry KEY2
- BlackBerry KEY2 hands-on preview
- BlackBerry KEY2: Everything you need to know!
- BlackBerry KEY2 specs
- BlackBerry KEYone review: Coming home
- Join our BlackBerry KEY2 forums!
BlackBerry
The Fire TV Cube is available for pre-order and Prime members get $30 off
Something new and exciting.
Amazon Prime members can pre-order the Fire TV Cube streaming media player for $89.99 if they order it before June 8. For everyone else, it is still available for pre-order, but they’ll have to pay $119.99 instead. The pre-order discount ends June 8, and the item releases June 21.
As an extra bonus, if you activate the Fire TV Cube before July 1, you’ll get a $10 credit for Amazon Prime Video. The credit has to be applied by August 31 and only works on digital video content sold by Amazon.
We broke down the Fire TV Cube earlier today. Essentially, imagine the way you use an Echo Dot now to control all the wirelessly connected appliances around your home. Then imagine that control plugged into your TV so you can control everything plugged in there with your voice as well. That’s what you get with this new device. It’s a way to turn on the TV, play your favorite DVD, adjust the volume on your home audio system, dim the lights, and get your microwave to cook some popcorn all without moving from the best spot on the couch.
You can also get $30 off a bundle that includes the Fire TV Cube and Amazon’s Cloud Cam Security Cam. The bundle is discounted to $200 instead of the $240 you’d have to pay for each item individually, and Prime members pay just $169.98 total with the extra $30 off.
If you’re not a Prime member but want to take advantage of these discounts, you can sign up for free today and get the deals with your 30-day trial.
See on Amazon
BlackBerry KEY2 Hands-On by MrMobile
There’s no getting around it: I’m a born-again BlackBerry addict. From the first hands-on through the second teaser and then the full review, it was pretty obvious how I felt about the BlackBerry KEYone. I loved it for re-addicting me to the physical keyboard, and I respected it for backing up that halo feature with incredible battery life. At the same time, the KEYone suffered many of the predictable pitfalls of your typical “reboot” product: my device’s responsiveness slowed to a crawl shortly after the initial review period, and no amount of replacements or RAM upgrades could correct for that.
The BlackBerry KEY2, announced moments ago, packs a bevy of improvements that should correct for that. There’s a newer processor under its textured rubber backplate; refined software riding atop a foundation of Android 8.1; and 50% more RAM than even the top-tier trim of the KEYone. The KEY2 also comes with a revised aluminum design that whittles away a lot of the bulk, making it more pocketable (and positively more pretty) than its predecessor. Best of all, the new BlackBerry’s keys have been made 20% taller, and the slick glossy gelcoat has been replaced with a matte finish that evokes the BlackBerry Passport keyboard of years past.
Will those improvements make the BlackBerry KEY2 the next phone to grace your pocket – even at its newer, higher starting price of $649? Get an early look at every angle of the KEY2 in my BlackBerry KEY2 Hands-On – and be sure to check out Android Central’s complete coverage so you don’t miss the deeper dive!
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