Virtual keyboards have taken over from physical keyboards for the vast majority of smartphones around the world, but the rise of the BlackBerry brand means that by 2021 we can expect at least one phone with a physical keyboard.
Yes, new BlackBerry licensee OnwardMobility confirmed earlier this week that it would indeed offer a keyboard-toting 5G BlackBerry phone next year. The term “keyboard-toting 5G BlackBerry phone” was not a sentence I expected to type in 2020.
However, this turn of events has made us wonder if there is still a market for phones with physical keyboards. We have previously seen successful crowdfunded devices such as the Unihertz Titan (even a BlackBerry Passport clone), the Astro Slide 5G Transformer, and the Fxtec Pro 1. This suggests that there is certainly a niche for a smartphone with a physical keyboard , but the size of this market is not very clear.
Loading interviewA case for and against physical keyboards
There are a number of reasons why people want a hardware keyboard, but the most important is access to a more tactile typing experience. If you feel keys can provide more intuitive typing, reduce errors and make it dependent on predictive text.
Physical keyboards also mean you don’t have to deal with a virtual keyboard that blocks half of your app when you enter a text field. You can read more from that Slack thread than WhatsApp chat.
Another notable advantage is that you can also assign app / tool shortcuts to these physical keys, as we saw on TCL’s BlackBerry phones. If you click on the C, the camera app can launch, while you can launch Gmail on ‘G’, and tapping ‘R’ can launch the Reddit app. It’s a pretty handy solution, because you do not have to navigate to the app or a specific folder to launch your favorite app.
Also read: All phones with QWERTY keyboards
However, there are some disadvantages to offering a physical keyboard. Virtual keyboards are more versatile these days. These software keyboards are usually designed with typing with one hand in mind, while many phones with physical keyboards are not really designed for this purpose (although the KeyOne and Key2 seem to be more accommodating). In fact, virtual keyboards specifically include one-handed mode and swipe gestures to make things easier. This versatility extends to features such as emoji / GIF menus and obscure characters, as the software keyboard can seamlessly present the relevant menu in the same space as the keyboard.
Another major disadvantage to using a phone with a physical keyboard is that it cuts down on the actual screen size. You often end up with a much smaller screen with a foreign aspect ratio compared to a standard phone screen. Watching video clips in particular can be a less-than-ideal experience because of black bars. This can also lead to problems with app layout in general due to the unconventional screen size.
In any case, it is clear that there are a number of reasons to pick up or close a phone with a physical keyboard. But what do you make of this feature, dear reader? Take our poll near the top of the page.
