BlackBerry KeyOne UK release date and price confirmed

The BlackBerry KeyOne release date has been confirmed as May 5 in the UK, with a SIM-free price tag of £499 for BlackBerry's latest flagship phone.

If you can't wait for the general sale May 5 date (when the phone will be available in Carphone Warehouse), you can buy the BlackBerry KeyOne from today in Selfridges, London.

The KeyOne will be available from more carriers and retailers throughout May, which means it will be widely available not only in the UK, but also in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The oddly named KeyOne pays homage to the brand's handsets of old, with a full QWERTY keyboard below a 4.5-inch touchscreen.

In terms of specs you're looking at a Snapdragon 625 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 12MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, Android 7.1 and a 3,505mAh battery. That's a solid line up, but it doesn't quite match the flagship power of the Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6 or Huawei P10.

Where keyboard is king

BlackBerry isn't going after the best phones of the moment though, instead targeting those yearning for physical keys on their handset, rather than the touchscreen keyboards which pretty much every other manufacturer offers.

It's a niche, but one that still has a passionate following, plus with the added levels of security BlackBerry has baked into the KeyOne it will also be pushing it at businesses looking for secure devices for employees.

• Read our hands on: BlackBerry KeyOne review