The F(x)tec Pro 1 Is a QWERTY Slider Blast From the Past

In was just a decade ago when we all lived in the golden age of the QWERTY keyboard smartphone. Devices like the Palm Pre and Motorola Droid seemed like viable alternatives to the iPhone largely because they had all those tactile keys for inputting text. Smartphones with physical keyboards are all but extinct now, but F(x)tec is trying to bring them back with the F(x)tec Pro 1. It faces a tough uphill climb, though.

F(x)tec has been carrying the torch for QWERTY sliders for some time now. The company initially came together as a project to build a keyboard Mod for Motorola’s Moto Z line of modular phones. That dream fell apart for a number of reasons, and now F(x)tec aims to build its own phone with a keyboard. It will join Blackberry/TCL, which is currently the only source for modern Android phones with keyboards.

The $649 F(x)tec Pro 1 looks like something straight out of 2009 with a dash of modern flair. It has a five-row landscape QWERTY keyboard consisting of 64 backlit keys. The keyboard slides out in landscape orientation, and the display tilts up at a 155-degree angle for more comfortable viewing. The phone’s launcher will be optimized for landscape usage, and there are even arrow keys on the keyboard for navigation. It’s really a blast from the past.

Read ExtremeTech’s full report here: https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/286640-the-fxtec-pro-1-is-a-qwerty-slider-blast-from-the-past