Great QWERTY smartphones for texting enthusiasts

Great QWERTY smartphones for texting enthusiasts

Touch screens may be all the rage, but for many of you, there's no substitute for a phone with a physical keyboard attached.

Aside from the highly anticipated BlackBerry Q10, there weren't many stellar candy bar phones with onboard keyboards recently released. As such, many of the devices listed here include spacious QWERTYs that slide out from behind the screen. Here's a roundup of some of the most interesting and most useful smartphones with keyboards that you can get now.

BlackBerry Q10 (Verizon Wireless), June 2013

Never mind all the hoopla surrounding BlackBerry's Z10 (which was the company's first smartphone running the new BB10 OS). Loyalists of the brand were really waiting for the Q10 because it would flaunt the classic onboard keyboard BB handsets were known for. And flaunt it it did, along with a smooth internal performance and an impressive long battery life. 

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Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II (Verizon Wireless),

 November 2012

The Stratosphere II packages all the usual Galaxy fixings from Samsung together with a comfortable five-row keyboard. It also features a respectable 5-megapixel shooter, NFC, and 4G LTE capabilities. Be careful though, due to the device's slick coating, it could slip out of your hands when you're not being careful. Whoops. 

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LG Mach (Sprint), November 2012

Not only does the Mach have a comfortable and spacious keyboard, but it's also powered by a zippy dual-core CPU. Also, it runs on Sprint's 4G LTE network, is incredibly budget-friendly, and its camera comes loaded with numerous photo-editing features. 

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Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE (Sprint), August 2012

Despite having a few flaws, like its bulky design and mediocre camera, the Photon Q 4G LTE still has a lot going for it. It has a fast 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and a bright, gorgeous 4.3-inch qHD LCD touch screen with ColorBoost technology. 

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Kyocera Rise (Sprint), August 2012

Even though the Kyocera Rise isn't the fastest handset on the block, it does have excellent call quality and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. And despite sporting a 3.2-megapixel camera, it takes adequate pictures -- especially in ample, outdoor environments.

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BlackBerry Q5 smartphone officially unveiled (hands-on)

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Here at BlackBerry Live 2013, the long-rumored BlackBerry Q5 handset became legitimate. The midrange device will sport a design reminiscent of the old Curve models but use materials less pricey than what's in the current Q10 flagship.

Hands-on with BlackBerry's Q5 (pictures)

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Thatmeans the BlackBerry Q5 boasts a full QWERTY keyboard but won't sport the premium keys you'll find on the Q10. Instead, the Q5's buttons are flatter and more bubbly, not chiseled typing surfaces expertly angled for message-punching perfection.

Indeed, when I was able to spend some time with the Q5 after BlackBerry Live's keynote address, I can confirm that new Q5 feels cheaper than the premium Q10. The Q5's glossy plastic surfaces are slippery and prone to grease and fingerprints. That said, I do like the arresting fiery-red hue of the Q5 model I manhandled.

Still there's much for true BlackBerry fans to love here, including the company's latest BlackBerry 10.1 operating system. Thankfully, the device responded to my finger swipes and commands with the same agility I saw on the Q10 and Z10.

Other key specs include a 3.1-inch touch screen and a digital camera that supports the Time Shift mode, which snaps multiple images at once, then lets you choose the best shot. One bummer is that the camera's sensor is a less-sensitive 5 megapixels as opposed to the 8-megapixel units you'll find on the Q10 and Z10.

The gadget will also come in three colors and will ship in select markets located in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Stay tuned as we provide more details as we get them from BlackBerry Live 2013, and hopefully we'll have a review model of the BlackBerry Q5 soon

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