Software and security

The KEY2 ships with Android 8.1 Oreo, but TCL and BlackBerry Mobile fleshed it out with a few security and privacy-focused features. Just look at the DTEK app — it's been part of the BlackBerry formula since the Priv days and has become more proactive about letting you know when apps try to access sensors on your phone. After all, not everything you download needs full access to your phone's hardware. And who among us hasn't breezed through app permission prompts after installing something?

It can be tricky to find the right balance between being notified and not, however -- for a time, my review unit basically wouldn't stop vibrating. (Google's services are especially data hungry.) Once you can define what sensors you want to get notifications for, they start to feel really helpful.

BlackBerry's Locker app has also improved significantly. It used to be that you could only use it to hide files from prying eyes, but apps are fair game now, too, -- you can even hide them from the launcher completely if you're especially paranoid. You'll need to use either your PIN or the fingerprint sensor in the space bar to access data saved in the Locker. And while it's not quite as nuanced as the Secure Folder feature on Samsung devices, it's still plenty valuable. Throw in apps that let you securely store passwords and redact documents (!), and you're left with a phone that takes privacy more seriously than most.