Blackberry KeyTwo LE: A step towards lifestyle?
6.9.2018
Translation: machine translated
Video: Stephanie Tresch
Blackberry presented the Blackberry KeyTwo LE at IFA and took a radical step: the Blackberry is now also available in red. What does this mean for the brand?
The Stue is a hotel in Berlin's embassy district. The Stue is one of the old-fashioned luxurious hotels. The Stue is also the place where Blackberry has invited to present a novelty. Video producer Stephanie Tresch and I don't know what to expect. Sure, we've heard the rumours, but nothing is confirmed.
It quickly becomes clear that the press conference is not a press conference and the launch is one of the most intimate of the entire IFA 2018.
The strangely interesting Blackberry KeyTwo LE
The press conference, which is not a press conference, resembles a dinner party. Filming? Not a chance. Not only is there not enough space, there's also not enough cheek. We have a cosy chat about the food, the trade fair and the hotel with François Mahieu, General Manager at Blackberry, and laugh with the PR people about the wooden alligator head in the entrance area.
But then comes a moment vaguely reminiscent of an official press conference. In about five minutes of dialogue, the Blackberry KeyTwo LE is presented to the world.
Source: Stephanie Tresch
What LE stands for remains unclear, the specs largely undisclosed. Only the new colour is mentioned. Because the KeyTwo LE is available in three colours:
- Slate: Black
- Champagne: So silvery beige
- Atomic: Red
It's clear from the outset that the red LE will attract attention. Because the colour stands out and looks really unusual with the bright red metal. The back remains non-slip with a black rubberised surface and the buttons and screen remain black. So if you're looking for a bright red back plate, you've come to the wrong place. The atomic red is a highlight in the design, not the dominant colour. The LE still looks stylish and under no circumstances vulgar.
Under the bonnet: less, but more camera
The Blackberry KeyTwo LE is a far cry from the flagship level, both in price and performance. The smartphone with a physical keyboard comes as a slimmed-down version of the KeyTwo. Where the KeyTwo is equipped with the Snapdragon 660 system-on-a-chip (SoC), the LE has the slightly slower version, the Snapdragon 636. This means that the processor's clock frequency has been reduced from 2.2 GHz to 1.8 GHz.
Source: Stephanie Tresch
The graphics processor - Adreno 512 becomes Adreno 509 -, the 6 GB RAM, which is now 4 GB, and other specs are similar. The only exception is the main camera, which delivers one megapixel more than the KeyTwo without LE with a 13-megapixel and a 5-megapixel lens. However, I would like to emphasise one feature here: The dual SIM. Because if there's one thing missing from the first series of KeyOnes, it's this feature. Especially for business people who occasionally fly quickly from A to B - journalists do the same, says Team IFA - this is a killer argument for a phone. Because no dual SIM means roaming and roaming means costs. Nobody wants that.
The big question: Why?
The big question now is: Why is Blackberry doing this? Those present at the event are speculating: On the one hand, there is the price of the KeyTwo. The device currently costs around 700 francs without offering top specs or outstanding performance apart from battery life and the keyboard. With the LE, Blackberry is taking a step in a direction that should make the phone with the keyboard affordable and tolerably good. Because the LE costs around 400 francs. A far more attractive price than the 700.
The atomic colour also supports this theory. No manager will ever be seen with an atomic red phone. The few female managers in the world probably won't either, and if they do, they probably won't make up a large enough market share to justify the LE.
The fact is, however, that Blackberry has rediscovered a kind of playfulness. Sure, it's just a new colour, but the decision to invest millions in developing red phones when the main audience would probably be happy with black and white forever is evidence of a new direction. Blackberry is still not playing at the front of the pack, but is trying to appeal to those who are not actually attracted to a Blackberry. <p
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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