Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “The Keyboard Phone Is Back (Again): Hands-On With The F(x)tec Pro 1”.
[, Michael ], If you thought the only way to get a high-end smartphone with a keyboard, was to buy a BlackBerry. Well, you were right. Until now. From Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, I’m Mr. Mobile, and this this is a little piece of the past to come. Back to life. ( upbeat electronic music, ), F, ( x, ) tec is a tiny team based out of London, devoted to bringing back what’s missing from today’s technology and making it better. As a guy who uses a BlackBerry everyday that speaks to me., Giving up physical Keys for smartphones with bigger screens brought a lot of benefits sure., But losing the tactility of typing was a trade-off. Not all of us were fond.
Of., Like the old Nokia smartphones that inspired it. The Pro 1 tries to give us the best of both worlds., A big six inch AMOLED screen and a five row. Qwerty keyboard., The two joined by an articulating hinge that deploys the display at 155. Degrees.
Designs, like this got my attention as a college student. Over a decade ago., But after trying a few, I found that the landscape layouts slowed me down because of the added distance between keys compared to a portrait style, Palm or BlackBerry.. Well, F, (, x, ), tec, thought of that and to combat it. It’S clustered the letter keys in the center of the board.. It’S also been careful not to place the number row too close to the display a common problem with some older designs that resulted in a cramped, typing experience.. It’S clear. A lot of thought went into this keyboard. And even using this early build, I’m impressed.
Key travel is limited, but the feedback is a firm, consistent click on each key.. Eventually, I’m told the Pro 1 will also bring features like app shortcuts.. Fundamentally, this hardware is sound. Elsewhere. The makers have leveraged all the added volume that comes with this big casing..
There’S a headphone jack side firing stereo speakers, fingerprint reader, even a two-stage camera button. For software we’ve got a near-stock build of Android 9, with a small tweak to the launcher to keep widgets properly proportioned when switching orientations. For a company that started out building a Moto Mod that never really came to pass. This is impressive. Progress. Now you’re gon na find compromises anytime, someone tries building a smartphone, this specialized. At full HD.
The display falls short of super sharp and it’s protected by older Gorilla Glass 3.. The full aluminum backplate means there’s. No wireless charging and the Snapdragon 835 at the heart of the phone is two generations old.. That last pill is the toughest to swallow when you take a gander at the price tag of cool $ 649, when the phone starts shipping in July., But then F, (, x, ) tec knows the same thing: all keyboard phone makers, know. They’re, offering something exceedingly rare. Something that some people miss.
Whether there are enough of those folks to make the Pro 1 a success, is a question as open as all the others. I have about camera quality software responsiveness, battery, life. Questions that can only be answered in a full review.. Let me know if you’d watch such a review by subscribing to theMrMobile on YouTube. And if you already know you’re buying one well pre-orders are live right now at F, ( x, ), tec’s website.. Meanwhile, let’s close out the last video of MWC with a nostalgia party.
Tell me your favorite keyboard phone memory in the comments below. Until next time, thanks for watching. And stay mobile, my friends .