BlackBerry Key 2 Leaked ahead of the release

BlackBerry used to rule the mobile phone market more than a decade ago. Its flip phones, touch-and-type models along with the conventional QWERTY phones were the only talk of the street. By the start of the first decade of the 21st century, BlackBerry had pretty much died out. Their market had shrunk significantly and product development was near a dead end. Well, not anymore.

BlackBerry is set to release a new phone, the BlackBerry Key 2 next week. The Key 2 is the successor to the KeyONE, which was released last year. The Key 2 is set to be officially unveiled on 7th June at an event in New York. However, to the joy of consumers worldwide, a few press renders of the phone have been leaked onto social media, showing the new model.

Evan Blass has tweeted the renders on his twitter account. The new phone is strikingly similar to its predecessor, the KeyONE. There is a large touch-screen display paired with a physical keyboard. There is a capacitive navigation bar for the operation of the Android-based touchscreen display above the physical keyboard.

The phone’s back has been given a black textured finish. Additionally, the BlackBerry logo has been stamped on the back along with a dual camera setup.

One of the main highlights of the phone is the ability to choose between the physical keyboard and the on-screen keyboard. Arguably there is only a small amount of people who’d prefer using the small physical keyboard but the choice to choose between both of them is likely to appeal to a significant lot of consumers.

The Key 2 is likely to feature a 4.5-inch display, similar to its predecessor. One of the most major upgrades is the processor. The manufacturer of the phone, TCL, has upgraded the Key 2 to a Snapdragon 660 from the Snapdragon 625 processor.

Further details of the phone’s specs and price etc. are to be revealed at the official launching ceremony.