(ThyBlackMan.com) Blackberry began shipping the KEYone this year, just like how it introduced Blackberry Classic in 2014. With hopes to send its premium customers back to the early 21st century, these two devices are different in many ways but are also the same. The company discontinued Classic in 2016 and also confirmed the end of BB10 (Blackberry 10 mobile operating system).
With the Classic, Blackberry tried its luck with many phones including Passport, PRIV, DTEK50, DTEK60 and now the KEYone. The BlackBerry KEYone is more than just a smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard, it is a phone that can fit under a couple of descriptives. On the other hand, the Blackberry Classic brings 
everything in your hand that makes Blackberry a Blackberry. It doesn’t accommodate a very big display but it is also not very small. The phone is far away from the awkward-looking Passport and brings a beautiful design, premium build quality, featuring a physical keyboard and a trackpad. If you’ve used Classic, you know how great the trackpad feels on a Blackberry phone.
Keyboard, a sigh of relief
For those making a move from the Classic to the KEYone, the QWERTY keyboard is the main feature, of course. When the company introduced the new phone, many people believed that bringing a keyboard-focused phone is a clear signal from Blackberry that the company has given up completely. But the hands-on experience is different. The small keyboard bolted at the lower part of a 4.5-inch touchscreen will make you disable the touch keyboard forever. It’s easier to use and typing becomes much more accurate than Google’s touch-based virtual keyboard.
Software, a mixed bag
Blackberry made headlines when it ditched its native BB10 operating system. The company announced the end of all the BB10 devices and adopted Google’s Android. One of the major concerns among the Blackberry Classic users is the software. The combination of irrelevant hardware and software disappoints many BB10 fans who have been using the company’s native platform since years.
The fear of security on Android is obvious because the platform is not very secure as compared to the BB10 ecosystem. Blackberry has tied the security keys with the phone’s processor which certainly makes KEYone more secure than the other Android phones.
The Blackberry Classic struggles in bringing more fun to the users in terms of applications. The KEYone solves the problem by bringing thousands of applications to Play Store. Blackberry is bringing some of its highly popular applications including Blackberry Hub and DTEK monitoring app to the new phone. Blackberry Hub gathers all the messages into one place no matter whether it’s an email, SMS, WhatsApp message or other messages from social media channels. Having these features on a new Blackberry phone is certainly a good deal for those coming from the classic era of BB10.
Specifications & features: it’s better you upgrade
It’s sad but true that there’s no future for the Classic. The operating system no more gets any significant updates and the company doesn’t focus on it. The device has already been discontinued from the mainstream and only those unsold units are listed on several places. If you want to keep your Classic in 2017 and beyond, you can keep using, but there’s no significant reason to stick to this old phone unless you are an average user or simply can’t live without your Classic phone.
Once you switch to the KEYone, you will certainly miss the platform, but good battery life, solid premium build, zippy performance, improved cameras and typing accuracy will make you realize that the phone you are using is far better than the other Android phones available in the market. The Blackberry Classic starts from the price of US$159 and the KEYone ships in both under contract and unlocked versions and is a part of so many good deals.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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