BlackBerry Key2 LE launched in India for ₹29,990; is it a good deal?

Optiemus Infracom Limited, which owns BlackBerry brand license in India, on Monday announced the launch of BlackBerry Key2 LE. Priced at ₹29,990, the smartphone will be available via Amazon.in starting October 12. Interested customers can register for the phone on the e-commerce platform on Tuesday.

BlackBerry Key2 LE is an affordable version of the Key2 smartphone which launched in India in July this year. The smartphone runs on Android 8.0 Oreo and comes with BlackBerry's security applications. For performance, it relies on Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor with 4GB of RAM. The smartphone comes with 64GB storage, expandable up to 256GB.

BlackBerry Key2 LE has both touchscreen and physical keyboard. On the top it has 4.5-inch full HD display with 3:2 aspect ratio and 443ppi. The smartphone is powered by a 3,000mAh battery. Other key features of the phone include Bluetooth 5.0 LE, USB Type-C (bottom of device), NFC and fingerprint sensor.

It has 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel rear cameras with dual-tone led flash, and an 8-megapixel front facing with 1080p video recording support.

The phone looks very similar to the older version with similar physical keyboard and screen combination design. If you are no longer into physical keyboards, BlackBerry Key2 LE may not appeal you.

The new BlackBerry phone compromises on a few features. It has a smaller 3,000mh battery as compared to Key2's 3,500mAh. The physical keyboard also skips quick access feature.

BlackBerry Key2 LE runs on mid-range focused Snapdragon 636 processor. It's the same chipset that powers phones like Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M11, and Motorola One Power - all available under ₹20,000.

In the vicinity of ₹29,990 price point, you can consider phones like Xiaomi Poco F1 that comes with Qualcomm's much superior Snapdragon 845 processor. The base model of Poco F1 is available under ₹20,000. OnePlus' Snapdragon 845-powered OnePlus 6 is also receiving a big price cut during Amazon Great India sale. The OnePlus phone will be available for ₹29,999, down from the original base price of ₹34,999.