BlackBerry KEY2 LE Coming Soon As More Affordable KEY2 Model

TCL Communication is planning to follow up on its recently released BlackBerry KEY2 with the KEY2 LE, another Android-powered smartphone that’s likely to be a more affordable variant of the KEYone successor. A device identified by the model number BBE100-5 has been certified by the United States Federal Communications Commission earlier this week, with its product label shot clearly revealing the “BlackBerry KEY2 LE” moniker. The handset in question has been in development for over half a year and is code-named “Luna,” according to a number of previous reports.

Known industry insider Evan Blass shared one real-life image of what’s assumed to be the same device earlier this month, albeit its official name remained unreported until now. The smartphone is said to be using the same form factor as the original KEY2 and should hence feature a 4.5-inch screen with an unconventional 3:2 aspect ratio. It’s also expected to debut in blue, red, and copper variants, with a black model possibly also being on the cards. A device with a seemingly related model number BBG100-1 has been spotted in the database of phone benchmarking service Geekbench in May, having been listed as featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 system-on-chip and 4GB of RAM. That particular spec combination is found inside the 2017 BlackBerry KEYone, whereas the newer KEY2 uses the Snapdragon 660 and 6GB of RAM.

Android 8.1 Oreo is also likely to be part of the KEY2 LE package, together with a physical QWERTY/QWERTZ keyboard, as is the case with the KEY2. While most contemporary BlackBerry handsets are manufactured by TCL, the Canadian technology company is still the one that’s largely in charge of their software, so the KEY2 LE is still expected to place a major focus on mobile security and enterprise-oriented features. The BlackBerry mobile brand is presently enjoying a global presence and while it isn’t setting any sales records yet, several TCL officials recently said the Chinese firm is satisfied with the commercial performance of its Android handsets.