I’ve reviewed tons of of telephones in my profession, however QWERTY keyboard telephones are my largest responsible pleasures. Actually, there’s a purpose why they’ve turn into so uncommon — however every time I come throughout one, I’m pulled again to the early days of the smartphone.
The BlackBerry Passport stays one of the crucial iconic keyboard telephones ever made, and it’s what impressed the Unihertz Titan 2. Whereas that Android-powered telephone introduced again nostalgia after I examined it out final yr, it merely wasn’t sufficient to persuade me to drop my slate telephone.
Properly, Unihertz is again at it, and the Titan 2 Elite is an much more compelling package deal — a lot in order that I ditched my Galaxy S26 for every week to see if this refreshed BlackBerry Passport clone may win me over.
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Unihertz Titan 2 Elite: Specs
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Unihertz Titan 2 Elite
Unihertz Titan 2
Show
4.03-inch (1080 x 1200) AMOLED
4.5-inches (1440 x 1440)
Refresh fee
120Hz
120Hz adaptive
Rear cameras
50MP fundamental, 50MP telephoto
50MP fundamental, 8MP telephoto with 3.4x optical zoom
Entrance cameras
32MP
32MP
Chipset
MediaTek Dimensity 7400
MediaTek Dimensity 7300
RAM
12GB
12GB
Storage
256GB
256GB
Battery
4,050 mAh
5,050 mAh
Charging
33W wired
33W wired
Working system
Android 16
Android 15
Dimension
4.64 x 2.95 x 0.41 inches (117.8 x 75 x 10.4 mm)
5.43 × 3.49 × 0.43 inches (137.8 × 88.7 × 10.8 mm)
Weight
5.75 ounces (163 grams)
8.28 ounces (235 grams)
Colours
Black, Orange
Black
Smaller, far more compact dimension
(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)
I’m so bored with massive telephones. That’s why I’ve taken to utilizing the iPhone 17 Professional and Galaxy S26 as my day by day drivers, quite than top-of-the-line fashions just like the iPhone 17 Professional Max or S26 Extremely. Due to that, I can’t recover from the scale of the Titan 2 Elite as a result of it’s noticeably smaller and lighter than the unique Titan 2.
In a world of outsized slabs, the compact nature of the Titan 2 Elite is a refreshing change — made even higher by the truth that I can really use it one-handed. Its squarish 4.03-inch AMOLED show permits my thumb to achieve all 4 corners with ease.
Even with its diminutive footprint, the construct high quality feels implausible due to its aerospace-grade aluminum building. Whereas the black mannequin I’ve is smooth, the orange model offers off a definite iPhone 17 Professional aesthetic with its flat edges and rounded corners.
Typing is fairly satisfying, however may very well be smarter
(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)
Very like the enduring BlackBerry keyboards of the previous, the Titan 2 Elite options sculpted keys which are straightforward to tell apart as my thumbs glide over them — providing that satisfying, tactile suggestions I crave. Unihertz has additionally introduced again a few of its extra modern options, such because the touch-sensitive keyboard. This permits me to scroll via internet pages and galleries or exactly place the cursor precisely the place I want it simply by swiping over the keys.
At first, I struggled with the shortage of a devoted quantity row, however I respect that they’re integrated into the bodily structure by way of the “alt” key quite than being relegated to a digital row on the show. Nonetheless, whereas the predictive textual content function populates three choices as I sort, the Kika-keyboard software program nonetheless struggles with dependable auto-correction.
Handles the fundamentals with ease
(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)
Functionally, the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite performs simply in addition to my Galaxy S26 relating to on a regular basis duties. Even with its sq. show, apps are usually laid out appropriately. Whether or not I’m replying to emails, browsing the online, or taking part in the occasional recreation, the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 chipset handles all the pieces I throw at it.
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Full view mode.(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)Mini mode.(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)
Nonetheless, there are particular situations the place the unconventional show dimension turns into problematic. For some purpose, video reels on Instagram and TikTok are cropped, which regularly cuts out subtitles. You possibly can see the impact within the pictures above. At the moment, the one strategy to get the facet ratio right into a extra conventional 9:16 structure is to allow “mini mode.” The draw back, in fact, is that this shrinks the structure considerably, leading to a whole lot of useless house on the display.
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Whereas some may discover this annoying, it actually solely impacts vertical video. Video games like Age of Origins load completely effectively, really giving me a wider view of the world map than what I get on my Galaxy S26.
Digital camera efficiency continues to be a battle
(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)
The hardest a part of convincing me to make the Titan 2 Elite my day by day driver is its underwhelming digital camera efficiency. There’s a 50MP dual-camera setup on the again: a fundamental shooter that does many of the heavy lifting, together with a telephoto lens that seems to supply 2x optical zoom.
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(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)
Don’t get me incorrect, the pictures from the primary digital camera are first rate when there’s ample lighting, however they turn into an entire mess below low gentle — and the pictures above are proof sufficient. On the similar time, I’m not impressed by the delicate video recording efficiency, which additionally struggles to take care of focus.
Once you’re used to the superb point-and-shoot reliability of flagship cameras that require nearly no modifying, it’s laborious to return to this.
Backside line
(Picture credit score: Tom’s Information / John Velasco)
I instructed myself a very long time in the past that I’d by no means return to a telephone with a bodily keyboard. But, the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite is definitely the most effective QWERTY telephone I’ve used within the final decade — largely resulting from its unconventional dimension. If it have been as cumbersome because the earlier Titan 2, I wouldn’t be almost as impressed.
Proper now, the telephone is dwell on Kickstarter, the place you possibly can snag it for $369 with an early fowl pledge. I feel it’s price a shot, offered you possibly can overlook the underwhelming low-light digital camera efficiency and delicate video recording. I’ve misplaced depend of how many individuals have stopped me to ask in regards to the keyboard, however they all the time appear much more impressed by its compact design.
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