Hands-on with the BlackBerry KEY2 Red Edition: Double storage and vibrant color

While cameras are a major focus of high end smartphones today and often these prices approach or exceed $1,000. The new BlackBerry KEY2 Red Edition is designed to help you get work done and while it is a bit pricey at $699, it is focused on consolidated communications and enterprise security.

The KEY2 in Red looks great and is built like a tank with a two day battery life. However, you really need to be a fan of physical smartphones to justify this device over others in this price range. ZDNet's Jason Cipriani found a few good things to love about this phone.

The physical QWERTY keyboard really is the focus of the KEY2 and if you have no interest in using this at all then you shouldn't even consider the phone. However, if you like keyboards then this is one of the best made for a BlackBerry.

The capacitive function to scroll pages is useful while thumb typing away on a note or message is quick and easy. The red highlights really help the keyboard pop out of the casing too. 

With the KEY2 LE, we saw some cost savings in material used with that phone. The KEY2 Red Edition is a metal phone with red coating highlights around the keyboard and around the edges.

The phone fits well in the hand, has a good display, and can go a couple of days with regular usage.

The QWERTY physical keyboard is great with one of my favorite features of scrolling by swiping on the keyboard. There are way more shortcuts available than I can ever remember, but you should setup and use at least a few to improve your efficiency.

There are a few breaks around the edges so that your signal strength is not degraded with the aluminum casing.

It's rare to see headphone jacks still used on phones, but the KEY2 has one up top.

The iconic logo is present on the back with a textured back too.

The power key is centered along the right side and has raised ridges so it stands our from the other buttons. A quick double press of the button also launches the camera.

USB-C is used to charge up the phone while a speaker and microphone are found on the bottom. There are also a couple more antenna lines seen along the edges.

A dual camera setup is present on the KEY2 Red Edition and it stands out from the back of the phone.

The red color comes down a bit from the edge. A front-facing camera and headset speaker are also present on the front.

The red color stands out with the textured back panel. The back has good tactile feel and also acts to protect the phone too.

The red aluminum frame is dotted with black buttons and a textured black back panel.