Pro1 Slider brings back the old school sliding keyboard to our modern smartphones

With the passage of time, we have witnessed the most advanced technologies embedded into our smartphones. A latest startup and a UK-based company, F(x)tec has brought back the infamous slide-out keyboard. They’ve launched their first prototype at the Mobile World Congress 2019.

Back in 2008, T-Mobile G1 by android was announced which followed a similar sliding keyboard but slowly and steadily with the rise of touchscreens took over. Now F(x)tec have planned on launching their Pro1 which is bound to bring back the sliding keyboard era.

“At F(x)tec, our vision of the ideal smartphone blends a modern handset with the very best features and technology we loved and miss, to create a perfectly balanced package that is delightful, functional, and unique,” said the firm’s founder Adrian Li Mow Ching. “Our goal is to be the best at bringing back our favorite technology, making it better in a more modern way – that’s technology refined.”

A physical keyboard that showcases five rows will be able to slide out from under the touchscreen display with a mechanism that is similar to that of Nokia. Once the keyboard is completely extended, the notch-free AMOLED screen can be tilted at an angle of 155 degrees and allow the best possible view.

Users will be able to enjoy a user friendly interface for emails and the calendar in the landscape mode. The 5.99 inch 2160 x 1080 pixels screen uses the Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Although the sliding keyboard makes the complete phone a little thick, it is still maintained at a 13.98 mm of thickness.

The inside of the Pro1 includes a Snapdragon 835 processor, 6 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 128 GB of onboard storage. The storage can be extended further using a microSD. The fast processing allows the phone to record 4K videos with 30 frames per second and play back the 4K videos up to 60 fps. All this can be achieved using the 8 MP F2.0 front camera and back cameras – 12 MP F1.8 shooter and 5 MP F2.0 buddy.

Other multiple features include the Bluetooth 5.0 along with 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity, USB Type C port with stereo speakers and also a headphone jack that spans 3.5 mm. The Pro1 also comes accompanied with dual SIM slots along with a 3,200 mAh battery. Each recharge of the battery can allow for up to 10 hours of talk time. The phone uses the Android 9.0 and features a fingerprint reader on its side.

The F(x)tec Pro1 is expected to hit the markets in July for a price of US$649 and can be pre-ordered right now.

All Images: © Pro1 | F(x)tech

h/t: New Atlas