BlackBerry Key2 LE is a cheaper, more comfortable QWERTY phone for a wider market | Apps

BlackBerry Mobile is building on the critical success of its Key2 smartphone with a model designed for a wider market.

The BlackBerry Key2 LE cuts down on some of the premium materials used on the regular Key2 but retains its charm and, importantly, QWERTY keyboard. While, in return, the price has dropped to be more accessible.

It sports the same 4.5-inch 1620 x 1080 IPS LCD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass on top, plus similar dimensions and tweaked Android 8.1 Oreo, but the chassis is now polycarbonate rather than aluminium.

The keyboard on the front has also slightly reduced in size, with keys being fractionally smaller than the flagship model.

Several specifications are slightly lower too, but still significantly better than the BlackBerry KeyOne’s. You get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor plus 4GB of RAM, with 32GB or 64GB storage options. A microSD card slot is present for expansion.

The rear camera is a dual 13-megapixel plus 5-megapixel snapper, and there is an 8-megapixel camera on the front.

Its battery is 3,000mAh and has Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 on board. BlackBerry claims it’ll last up to 22 hours in an average usage scenario.

The BlackBerry Key2 LE comes in three colours: Atomic, Champagne and Slate. It’ll be available from September in the UK, US and other markets globally, priced at £349 ($399) for the 32GB model, £399 ($499) for the 64GB edition.

You can find out our first impressions on the new phone here: BlackBerry Key2 LE initial review.