BlackBerry KEYone screen problem acknowledged, downplayed

Some might look at it like the Galaxy Note 7 all over again, though this time thankfully with less dangerous consequences. The BlackBerry KEYone allegedly had a very week, almost no, adhesive binding the screen to the rest of its body, resulting in the screen popping or falling off with very little force involved.

 In a statement to CrackBerry, BlackBerry Mobile somewhat admits that there might issues with adhesives, but also limits it to a “small handful” of affected units.

Many teardown personalities, like iFixit or JerryRigEverything, usually bemoan the amount of work needed to pry apart the display assembly from a smartphone’s body, usually because of the amount of adhesive used. It seems that TCL took a completely different approach by using very little glue instead.

The result is that a simple bend test by JerryRigEverything caused the display to pop off and the display cable to tear, rendering the KEYone useless.

If it were just a single case, it could be attributed to Zack Nelson’s unusual strength. But apparently some users have experienced similar cases where simply dropping the phone causes the display to detach from the body. 

BlackBerry Mobile acknowledges hearing about the concerns but also says that only a handful out of a thousand users have reported such issues. Here’s the statement in full:

TCL Communication has a long-standing track record of delivering high-quality devices to our customers around the world, and the BlackBerry KEYone is no different. To ensure the highest quality in the BlackBerry KEYone, we used strong, durable premium materials and conducted rigorous stress tests on the device throughout the product development cycle to meet the real life use standards our customers demand. 

While the BlackBerry KEYone is being met with great enthusiasm, we are aware of the concerns around potential display separation on the device. Out of the thousands of BlackBerry KEYone smartphones that have been shipped and sold globally, only a very small handful of customers have reported this kind of issue.

Our teams are actively examining additional adhesive measures that might further strengthen and eliminate any possibility of display separation occurring. If a customer does experience this however, they’re encouraged to contact us for a device warranty replacement.

For its part, CrackBerry claims that its own tests yielded didn’t exactly confirm Nelson’s conclusions. After dropping and even throwing their own KEYone, the phone’s display remained attached to the body. And when it did finally pop off, it was because of purposely bending the phone. Even then, they did find some adhesive in place, contradicting Nelson’s observation. If anything, the situation only shows how uneven and inconsistent the issue really is.