The F(x)tec Pro1 is the newest phone from the London-based startup, F(x)tec. The Pro1 isn't any normal smartphone, though; it's got something hidden up its sleeve. It has a keyboard which slides out from the back. This is one of the only devices currently on the market with a physical keyboard.
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Specifications |
F(x)tec Pro1 |
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Dimensions |
154 x 73.6 x 13.98 mm |
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Display |
5.99-inch 2160 x 1080 (FHD+) AMOLED with curved edges, Gorilla Glass 3 |
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Memory |
6GB LPDDR4 |
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Storage |
128GB, UFS2.1, expandable via microSD card up to 2TB |
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Camera |
Front Camera: 8MP, fixed focus, f/2.0Rear Cameras: 12MP (Sony IMX363), f/1.8, 1.4µm pixels + 5MP, fixed focus, f/2.0 |
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Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
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Battery |
3,200 mAh, Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 |
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Sound |
Speakers: dual, stereoAudio Connectivity: 3.5mm TRRS headphone jackFM Radio |
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Biometrics |
Side-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensor |
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Sensors |
GPS/A-GPS, Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Ambient Light, Hall effect |
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Software |
Android 9 PieBootloader unlockable, supports other popular OS’s (Lineage, Sailfish etc) |
The one special part of the F(x)tec Pro1 is the keyboard. The keyboard is behind the display and exposed by sliding the phone up. The keyboard is very Blackberry-looking, though it is landscape instead of horizontal. To work with the keyboard, F(x)tec included 3 custom apps. The launcher, email, and calendar are all optimized to work with the keyboard. Otherwise, the software seems to remain mostly stock Android.
The F(x)tec Pro1 is not the most impressive phone there is, but it does have decent enough specifications. It's running a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. It has a 5.99-inch 1080p AMOLED curved display. On the battery front, we're looking at a 3,200 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.o support. There is a capacitive fingerprint scanner on the side as well. These specifications feel right at home with a flagship from 2017, but that doesn't mean the phone is bad.
F(x)tec is also huge into developer support. The bootloader is unlockable, and F(x)tec sent devices to developers from LineageOS and Sailfish OS to speed up development for the device. The device launches with Android 9 Pie out of the box. With Android 10 just having launched, there is still no word from F(x)tec if it will be updated to Android 10.
If you are interested in a bit more of the look and feel of the device, you can read our hands-on. Our hands-on, however, was on unfinished hardware. The device seemed very interesting then and it seems more interesting now. If you want to pick one up, pre-orders have already started. The Pro1 will retail for £649/$699/€649 if you are interested in picking it up. If you pre-order, you should have your device by the end of September, otherwise, you will likely receive your device in October.