I'm one of those folks who prefer to type on a physical keyboard rather than a touchscreen.
When I got my first smartphone back in 2013, I chose the BlackBerry Q10 for its physical keyboard.
(learn more at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/10/adventures-on-my-new-smartphone.html )
Then in 2018, I got the BlackBerry KeyOne.
(learn more at https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/09/adventures-with-my-new-keyone.html )
Over the years, I had to change the batteries for the KeyOne several times. By the end of this year and the start of this year, the battery kept draining faster and faster.
It was time to move on.
But move on to what?
BlackBerry hasn't made a new phone since the Key2 back in 2018.
The company left the mobile device business and decided to just focus on cybersecurity.
But I still wanted a smartphone with a physical keyboard!
I could attempt to get another BlackBerry on eBay.
But I also knew there other independent manufacturers who still made smartphones with keyboards. So I think it would be a good idea to reward those who still make those phones.
There was the Unihertz Titan, Planet's AstroSlide 5G, and F(x)tec's Pro1.
I decided on the Unihertz Titan.
Unihertz also had the Titan Pocket (in other words, a mini-Titan) and the Titan Slim.
The Titan Pocket and Titan Slim might've been easier to fit in my pocket.
But only the regular sized Titan allows users to insert the micro-SD card, which I can between devices.
So the Titan it is.
[note: the other QWERTY smartphones I mentioned (Planet's AstroSlide 5G, and F(x)tec's Pro1) are even clunkier than the regular sized Titan]
When I attempted to order the Titan direct from the Unihertz website, I ran into a problem. It stated that it wasn't able to ship to Hawaii (where I'm at).
Why would they not want to ship to someone who wants to buy their stuff?
I decided to email them at service@unihertz.com
We were able to work out a solution, and they got it to ship to Hawaii. I had to wait about a week, but the wait is worth it.
It's now been almost a month since I start using the Titan.
Yes, it's almost the same as the BlackBerry. Physical keyboard to type on. A touchscreen to scroll through. The best of both worlds.
And like the BlackBerry KeyOne, it's an Android phone, and I was able to transfer my contacts and apps to the Titan with ease.
The Titan has a stronger battery and more storage space than the KeyOne.
However, anything new will require a change of habits.
For one, the Titan is clunkier which means it takes more space in my pocket (good thing I don't wear skinny jeans).
And when it comes to typing, the alphabets are arranged in the same order, but the numbers aren't.
For the BlackBerry phones, the numbers were listed on the left side of the keyboard. For the Titan, they're listed on the right side,
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So having numbers (plus punctuation marks and other symbols) arranged differently on the Titan's physical keyboard messes with the muscle memory I developed over the years with the BlackBerry phones.
The Titan's keyboard is larger though made of different materials (not sure what, it just feels different)
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As for the Titan's touchscreen, it's more sensitive than the BlackBerry phones. The high sensitivity can be a pain if you unintentionally touch on the wrong thing on the touchscreen.
Also, just placing a cover over the phone can trigger the sensitive touchscreen.
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Some online reviewers didn't like the Titan's cameras, but so far, I'm satisfied with it. Photos came out good :)
As for the video-camera, I didn't even start using it until after I started typing this post.
Let's see how it goes.
I think it went very smoothly for a short video.
When time permitting, I'll make a longer video speech for YouTube.
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As for the phone's speaker, I think THAT can use some improvement.
If I'm listening on the top speaker (for phone calls), the volume is very limited.
Those who are hard of hearing would be better off using speakerphone, though speakerphone can be inconvenient if you're in a public area and don't want others listening in.
The speaker for the Titan's speakerphone (plus videos, audio, etc) is on the back of phone, whereas the speaker for the BlackBerry phones was on the bottom.
I prefer having the speaker on the bottom. It's more convenient when watching videos.
And if you don't want others listening to what you're listening to, there's the headphone jack on the top.
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There's still some things I want to investigate for the Titan.
I found out you can get replacement parts at https://www.unihertz.com/collections/replacement-parts
Now, does anyone in town know how to install them. I remember PhoneMedic (now out of business) were able to fix my Q10 keys. And Tech Armour were able to install the replacement battery for my BlackBerry KeyOne. I hope them (or anyone on my island) can repair my Titan if I ever need it repaired!
And is there a non-magnetic phone case that can fit over the Titan that isn't too tight (because the ones I bought on eBay were too tight. I just contacted one vendor about it).
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But even with challenges, I'm going to ride with my Unihertz Titan.
It's an improvement over the KeyOne, I have access to Android apps, and most importantly, it has a physical keyboard :)
And it you want one, check it out at https://www.unihertz.com/products/titan
And you can contact Unihertz at service@unihertz.com. They gave me good customer service and I hope they can do the same for you!
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ADDITONAL READINGS
"Adventures on my new smartphone" (this from when I bought the BlackBerry Q10 in 2013) https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/10/adventures-on-my-new-smartphone.html
"Adventures with my new KeyOne" (this from when I bought the BlackBerry Keyone in 2018)
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/09/adventures-with-my-new-keyone.html
"blackberry changes and the future of physical keyboards" (from 2016, when blackberry initially announced they're moving away from making new smartphones. However, after that year, they came out the BlackBerry KeyOne, then the Key 2) https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/12/blackberry-changes-and-future-of.html
"Blackberry's response to competition" (from 2014) https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2014/01/blackberrys-response-to-competition.html
