The Unihertz Titan Slim which comes with a physical keyboard is perhaps the best thing that BlackBerry fans can look forward to since the latter has become non-existent. Now the good news on this front is that the Unihertz Titan Slim is currently available on pre-order via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign and is priced at $249. Shipping, according to Liliputing, is expected to begin around September 2022.

The Unihertz Titan Slim specifications include a MediaTek Helio P70 chipset and Mali-G72 GPU making up the core of the phone. There is 6 GB of DDR4-1600 memory onboard as is a 256 GB of UFS 2.1 storage. Power comes from a 4,100 mAh battery which should a nice job of keeping the lights on for more than a day comfortably. Then there is a 48 MP rear cam as well along with an 8 MP sensor on the front. Further, the phone comes with a rather small 4.2-inch display that is lit up by 1280 x 728 pixels.

Connectivity options with the Titan Slim include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 5, GPS, and NFC. There is an FM radio onboard too along with a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer roles. Other features of the phone include a fingerprint sensor and a face unlock system. The phone runs Android 11 right out of the box.

However, while the above specs might seem to be in line with the relatively affordable price tag, the Titan Slim suffers from a few key deficiencies. Take for instance the display that comes with a 5:3 aspect ratio which might not be well suited for the majority of Android apps that rely on a 16:9 or wider aspect ratio. Further, while the smartphone might be named Titan Slim, what is ironic is that it is among the thickest phones around. It measures more than half an inch in thickness which is quite unprecedented in recent times.

That is not all, as many found issues with the keyboard as well where the modifier key has been placed along the top row, which is quite unlike the usual BlackBerry keyboard where the same is found along the bottom row. Instead, the bottom row comprises of the space bar that is flanked on either side by the V and B keys. This can pose to be an irritant for BlackBerry old-timers where the modifier keys are always included at the bottom.

All of this notwithstanding a total of 1952 people – at the time of this writing – have backed the campaign and have pledged around $500,000 for the project with 27 days still to go. That is ten times what Unihertz has been expecting. This can also be a reminder of how smartphones with physical keyboard continue to be in demand.

The post Unihertz Titan Slim with BlackBerry-like keyboard now on Kickstarter for 9 first appeared on Good e-Reader.