It’s been a few years since a new BlackBerry device was released and looking at the KEYone, it’s clear the company is attempting to recapture some of the notable features that made their devices so popular in government while also addressing their historical shortcomings. I was able to spend some time testing out the new KEYone, evaluating it for government suitability.
The most obvious change is that the phone no longer has a proprietary BlackBerry OS. It runs Android 7.1 Nougat. Users have full access to everything in the Google Play store, plus any special Android-based storefronts set up by individual federal agencies. When you boot the phone, it says BlackBerry, powered by Android. But really, it’s an Android phone.
Read the entire, in-depth review in NextGov Magazine.