TCL Communication announced the launch of the new BlackBerry KEYone, the Alcatel A5 LED, the Alcatel A3 and the Alcatel U5 smartphones as well as the 2-in-1 Alcatel PLUS 12 tablet, at MWC this year. The company launched the BlackBerry KEYone smartphone on February 25 following the inking of a licensing agreement with BlackBerry in late 2016.
TCL chairman and CEO Tomson Li said that BlackBerry licensed its security software and service suite, as well as related brand assets, to TCL Communication, who would design, manufacture, sell and provide customer support for BlackBerry-branded mobile devices. The latest BlackBerry product is one of TCL’s highlights at MWC. The new product became an instant hit as soon as it was launched and received nine awards from media organizations, making it one of the most highlighted products at MWC.
KEYone is turning the way the keyboard on a smartphone is normally used on its head by combining the touch screen with a physical keyboard, providing users with a large input space in comparison to what one gets with the standard 5.5-inch full-touch-screen smartphone. By combining the smart keyboard with the popular touch gesture recognition and BlackBerry’s traditional touchpad features, the device allows users to browse web pages, check emails as well as input and send messages by touching the keyboard in a more convenient and intuitive way.
KEYone stands out with its iconic BlackBerry design and security features. The new smartphone is designed with unwavering attention to detail from the ground up in terms of the security and performance aspects that are so important to users. It delivers the most secure user experience available among Android-based smartphones in the market by running on a reinforced operating system and the proprietary technology behind the design of the security key.
Besides the unique design and the security features, the phone’s additional functionalities are expected to reshape the mobile communication experience for business, government and corporate users. Powered by a 3,505 mAh battery, the highest capacity among existing BlackBerry devices, the BlackBerry KEYone delivers a measurably longer standby time. In addition, the battery can reach a 50% charge within 36 minutes with the support of the Qualcomm Quick Charge technology.
According to telecommunications research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) and TCL’s own data, the firm ranked No.7 among both handset manufacturers and tablet manufacturers worldwide in the 4th quarter of 2016, with a portfolio of products sold in China and over 160 countries and regions throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the company ranked third in terms of handsets market share.
