The BlackBerry Key2 is a phone designed for business people. A phone with a hardware keyboard is basically unimaginable in 2018, but for BlackBerry, it’s the whole reason to exist. BlackBerry is betting once again that its trademark keyboard will be the thing that keeps its dwindling core of dedicated users from choosing an iPhone, Galaxy, or some other Android device.

The nostalgia of previous BlackBerry phones lingers with the Key2: it doesn’t use the fastest processor, have the best camera, or a notch. Instead, it has the latest Android security updates, a plethora of BlackBerry apps all aimed at making (and keeping) the Key2 as secure as possible, and a keyboard that doubles as a trackpad. You’re not going to put a cute AR cartoon on your head with the Key2, you’re going to bang out emails.

The other thing that will appeal to business users — or, just as likely, the businesses that employ them — is the price: $649 for an unlocked 64GB model that works with AT&T or T-Mobile (sorry Verizon and Sprint users, you’re out of luck).

Our review of BlackBerry Key2 Verge Score 6 out of 10 Good Stuff Excellent battery life

Security and timely updates Bad Stuff Lower-end chipset than competitors

Keyboard gestures are not very good

Cameras are unimpressive

Small screen is frustrating to use Buy for $649.00 from BestBuy Buy for $429.99 from Amazon

Everything about the Key2 is designed for business, but now smartphones are more than business tools designed around texts and email — they’re supposed to be computers for our pockets. And computers are used for a lot more than just work.

It definitely looks like a BlackBerry

The Key2 retains the critical BlackBerry traits that complete its aesthetic: black keys with white font, an aluminum frame, a customizable convenience key below the power button and volume rocker, and finally, a textured rubber back complete with BlackBerry logo.

Still, there are parts to this 2018 interpretation that don’t sit well with me, like the long, unbalanced design. The venerated Bold series of phones were practically ergonomic and easy to cup with your hands to start typing. This is no longer the case and using the keyboard for a long time becomes a chore, simply because it’s hard to balance the phone and type at the same time.

BlackBerry Key2 Specs 4.5-inch IPS display at 1620 x 1080 resolution, 434ppi, and 3:2 ratio

Dual 12Mp rear-facing cameras (up to 4K video recording 24 / 30fps)

8MP front-facing camera

Snapdragon 660 CPU

6GB RAM

64 or 128GB storage options (with microSD expansion)

35-key QWERTY keyboard

Android 8.1 Oreo (with BlackBerry app suite)

3,500mAh battery

USB-C and 3.5mm headphone jack

The 52-key keyboard includes all the most common keys, with a spacebar that acts as the fingerprint reader (with decent accuracy) and camera shutter. The Key2 does have a new key, labeled “sym” and called the Speed key; basically you press it alongside a letter, serving as a shortcut between apps.

There’s also gesture support that includes swiping to type — which is usually inaccurate and difficult to tell which keys are recognized until words appear on-screen — scrolling, clearing a field of text, and text selection. These features seem a bit gimmicky in everyday use; it’s nothing like swiping to type on a virtual keyboard.

But most importantly, does it feel like a BlackBerry Bold keyboard? The answer is: no, it doesn’t. But the Key2’s keyboard isn’t bad: it’s clicky, with raised keys and somewhat tactile response. However, becoming proficient with this keyboard takes some time whereas the keyboard on the Bold was far easier to pick up and type efficiently.

To make room for a keyboard, the display had to be made smaller. Using a square-ish 3:2 screen in 2018 is not fun despite its sharp resolution and decent contrast. It won’t adapt well to fullscreen apps and is stingy on viewable content. It’s far too cramped to use effectively on most Instagram feeds, too limiting to really play games (why are you playing games on your BlackBerry!?), and awkward to watch YouTube videos with the keyboard oriented in landscape. None of these costs are worth having a keyboard in the long-run and it clearly shows how much real estate and functionality it strips away.

In terms of software, most of the Android 8.1 Oreo core is intact, but it has BlackBerry twists: the red asterisk used in the original BlackBerry OS for notifications, an app launcher with optional dark mode, and BlackBerry Messenger (although very few people would consider that a must-have integration anymore).

If only someone used BBM..

BlackBerry includes quite a few security-focused apps, starting with DTEK, where your overall security is gauged by the Key2 based on the apps and permissions set. It’s a useful feature if you’re uncertain about the overall privacy and security settings on your phone.

If you’re feeling “watched”, the Key2 can also tackle visual hacking concerns via a privacy shade app. You can set a custom view of visible information on-screen, while leaving the rest grayed-out making it nearly impossible to see sensitive information over your shoulder.

Other apps in the BlackBerry suite include the Hub — where texts, emails, Slack, and other messages are all grouped together — a password locker, redactor, file explorer, information locker, FM radio, and device search. It’s easy to tell that the Key2 won’t get its best use out of apps that provide amusement like the iPhone’s Animoji or the Galaxy’s augmented and virtual reality functions — the BlackBerry is for work.

The Key2 is all work, no play

The problem here is while the software is addressing modern-day privacy concerns, overall it still feels dated compared to a well-configured iPhone or a Galaxy device with Samsung Knox installed. You could make the argument that it’s almost too much like an older BlackBerry; either the software features are useful to you or they’ll just get in the way.

On the plus side, the Key2 does maintain that other BlackBerry standby: long battery life. It’s actually quite impressive to find an Oreo device with this great battery life. There’s even an app that learns when you charge the Key2, reminding you to charge within the time frame. This is useful if you travel a lot or tend to miss your usual charging time due to traveling between time zones (think about the business user).

Cameras on BlackBerry phones have never been remarkable and the trend continues with the Key2. It has all of the modern specs and features you’d expect in 2018: there are two 12-megapixel cameras on the back with support for Google Lens image search, a portrait mode, and a 4K video recording. The camera app allows for full manual control, so you can have a bit more fun fiddling with the camera settings.

Oddly, BlackBerry disables “focus before capture” by default so if you want non-blurry photos, it’s best you enable it. Image quality is subpar: busy scenes tend to lack detail, color differentiation, and overall photos are just grainy. Also, the sensor seems to lean toward a warmer white balance, while also being underexposed. Shooting videos in 4K is a choppy experience with camera shake; unfortunately image stabilization is only available for full HD recordings.

Spoiler: The camera isn’t good

On paper, it might be the best camera system ever put in a BlackBerry. But the Key2 doesn’t hold a candle to smartphone camera staples like the Pixel 2 XL and the iPhone X. After all, business users also want to take great photos with their phones, but the Key2 clearly isn’t cut out for that.

Looking at the bottom of the phone, you’ll find two speakers of middling sound quality and they definitely won’t fill a whole room as a speakerphone, which is an odd miss considering how often the speakerphone is used by business customers. They flank the USB-C charging port, which supports Quick Charge 3.0 and triggers a unique and useful yellow indicator that climbs up the screen when it’s in sleep mode (complete with charge percentage). Also, there’s a headphone jack.

The Key2’s biggest problem is its devotion to nostalgia, despite BlackBerry Mobile’s efforts to modernize it. The dual-camera system, gesture-equipped keyboard, and BlackBerry app suite are all attempts at updating an old platform, but not creating a new one.

This execution doesn’t work in 2018

Having a hardware keyboard requires compromises in other key areas, namely the display. It forces the Key2 to have a small, squarish screen that is the exact opposite of the massive displays on every other phone. The BlackBerry Key2 tries and fails to get around these issues with gestures that aren’t useful. The camera takes unimpressive photos and the app suite is something that can be easily replicated by apps from the Play Store on any other phone. On top of that, the keyboard just isn’t very good — it’s hard to type on with one hand or for any length of time.

The very thing that makes the Key2 a BlackBerry is the same thing that keeps the Key2 from competing in a modern smartphone world. A BlackBerry needs a keyboard, but no one needs a keyboard on a smartphone in 2018.