Richard Goodwin 24/05/2017 - 11:41am

Forget what you think you know about BlackBerry phones and camera performance… The BlackBerry KEYone is up there with the best of them

I’ve been using the BlackBerry KEYone for almost a week now, and during that time I have noticed a couple of things; 1) the camera on the back of this thing is amazing and, 2) this is one of the most unique phones you can buy right now.

Why’s it unique? Simple, it has a QWERTY keyboard, a feature no one else can claim to have. By itself this probably isn’t enough to dissuade you from a new iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy S8. But the KEYone is WAY more than just a QWERTY keyboard.

The camera, for instance, is utterly superb. It completely took me by surprise when I tested it out during a recent trip to Wales. The KEYone uses the same 12MP Sony IMX378 sensor as the Google Pixel and, if you’ve used that phone, you will know just how capable this setup is.

I’ve tried my damnedest to find any official information on the IMX378 sensor but so far I have found nothing. Sony for whatever reason is not talking about this piece of technology (at least not officially, anyway).

There is a rather excellent write-up of the IMX378, however, over at XDA Developers, which is well worth a read if you’re interested in how this camera technology works and what it is bringing to the party.

“One of the big improvements of the IMX378 over the IMX377 is that it is able to handle more of the image processing on-chip,” notes the report, “reducing the workload of the ISP (although the ISP is still able to request the RAW image data, depending on how the OEM decides to use the sensor).”

It added: “It can handle many small things like defect correction and mirroring locally, but more importantly, it can also handle BME-HDR or SME-HDR without having to involve the ISP. That could potentially be a major difference going forwards by freeing up some overhead for the ISP on future phones.”

Whether shooting in low light or bright sunlight, the Sony IMX378 is a brilliant sensor. It captures masses of detail thanks to its large 1.55μm size and it is masterful in how it balances colour, as you can see in the image samples below: 

The KEYone autofocus is snappy and its built-in HDR Auto mode ensures images captured are always beautifully composed, regardless of lighting.

BlackBerry KEYone Camera Specs

  • 12MP auto-focus large pixel camera
  • 4K video recording at 30 fps
  • Phase Detect Auto Focus (PDAF), Fast focus lock
  • HDR 6-element f2.0 lens
  • Dual Tone LED Flash – Enhanced photo colour balance
  • 4x digital zoom
  • Continuous & touch to focus, face detection, electric image stabilisation
  • Panorama, Burst, Live Filters
  • Multi-Frame Low Light Enhancement

You also have an 8MP shooter on the front, which is also well above par for 2017.

Basically, BlackBerry has gone all out with imaging on the KEYone and it the plan has worked beautifully.

I do not ever recall using a BlackBerry with a good camera. Like, ever…

Photography just wasn't what BlackBerry’s were about in the past; they were about security and emails and messaging. Now, though, you have a BlackBerry handset that not only looks, feels, and performs like a classic BlackBerry, but one that can also shoot images and video to the same standard as the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Google Pixel phone.

And that hasn’t happened before in the BlackBerry ecosystem. This is a significant moment for BlackBerry and I kind of wish it would make more of a big deal about how good the KEYone’s camera actually is!

Here’s a break down of the BlackBerry KEYone’s core specs:

  • Android Nougat
  • 4.5in 1080p display
  • Convenience Key
  • 8MP front camera with flash
  • 12MP auto-focus large pixel rear camera
  • Fingerprint Sensor
  • BlackBerry Security software

My full review of the BlackBerry KEYone will be going live next week, so keep an eye out for it then.

And if you cannot wait THAT long before pulling the trigger on a shiny, new BlackBerry KEYone you can pre-order the handset at Carphone Warehouse right now for £499.99.