Here are our favorite BlackBerry KEY2 features

The BlackBerry KEY2 is TCL’s next BlackBerry flagship phone. It includes some impressive new features, along with improvements compared to the earlier BlackBerry KEYone. Lets take a closer look at some of the key features and improvements found on the KEY2.

Don’t miss: BlackBerry KEY2 hands-on: It’s all about speed

Larger keys for the KEY2 physical keyboard

The KEYone brought back the trademark physical keyboard that made BlackBerry phones so memorable. For the KEY2, TCL decided to increase the size of its keys by 20 percent compared to the ones on the KEYone, which should make it easier to use. The KEYone’s swipe gestures will also make a return.

The new speed key

In addition to the larger keys, the keyboard on the BlackBerry KEY2 contains a new “speed key” feature. In earlier BlackBerry phones, you could program a key on the keyboard to automatically launch an app when tapped. The KEYone had that feature as well, but you had to go back to the phone’s home screen to use it. The speed key will launch your app shortcut no matter which screen or app you happen to be using. It should make using the KEY2 much quicker.

6GB of RAM doubles its memory

The BlackBerry KEYone suffered from some laggy performance because it only had 3GB of RAM onboard. TCL solved that problem with the KEY2, throwing in double the amount of memory to 6GB of RAM. That, along with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, will allow apps to run much better on the KEY2.

More: The full list of BlackBerry KEY2 specs

Dual rear cameras

The BlackBerry KEY2 will be the first BlackBerry-branded phone to join the current dual rear camera trend. In this case, the phone will come with twin 12MP sensors on the back. The primary sensor will have an f/1.8 aperture and and 1.28µm pixel size, while the secondary sensor will have a f/2.6 aperture, 1µm pixel size, and a 2X zoom telephoto lens, which means the KEY2 will include a portrait mode. The KEY2 also has an 8MP front-facing camera for selfies.

Power Center app

The KEY2 ha a large 3,500mAh battery, which TCL claims will last up to two days of normal use on a single charge. The phone also includes a new Power Center app. This will give owners more control over which apps use up battery life on the phone. It will show the battery usage of each active app, and if any are compromising the phone’s battery life. This should be very helpful for people out on the road who want to keep working on the KEY2 for as long as they can.

In addition, TCL is adding some machine learning features to the Power Center app. It will begin to learn how you use the KEY2 from a full charge throughout the day, and if it senses you are using the phone more than normally, it will send you alerts to find a place to charge your phone hours before normal notifications will tell you that your battery is running out.

DTEK security improvements

Officially, BlackBerry is just a software company now, as it licenses out its brand to TCL and other phone makers to make hardware. However, BlackBerry’s security software is available in all of those branded phones, including DTEK. For the KEY2, DTEK brings a refreshed user interface and a way to see which apps are running in the background or foreground.

DTEK will also set the KEY2’s microphone and camera as sensitive permissions. If an app tries to access one or both of those hardware items, the phone will send you an alert and ask you directly if you want to allow permission to use them. In this security conscious world, more info about what your phone and apps are doing is always a good thing.

Private Locker

Another security feature on the BlackBerry KEY2 is its private locker, which allows you to drop apps, pictures, or video inside it securely. You can only access that locker, and anything that’s inside it, with a password, PIN, or your fingerprint. If you place apps with shortcuts on your home screen in the KEY2’s private locker, you will still have to go through the private locker’s security measures to open the app after tapping the shortcuts. This could be very helpful for privacy-minded users.

BlackBerry KEY2 features: Wrapping up

As you can see, the BlackBerry KEY2 adds a lot, especially if you used the older KEYone. Which of these new features and improvements on the KEY2 is your favorite? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out our other BlackBerry KEY2 content below:

• BlackBerry KEY2 hands-on: It’s all about speed
• BlackBerry KEY2 is official: Better keyboard, more RAM, and dual cameras
• BlackBerry KEY2 specs
• BlackBerry KEY2 price, availability, deals, and release date