Unihertz Titan 2 Elite review: This 5G business phone with a BlackBerry-style keyboard made my mobile work feel faster

TechRadar Verdict

There’s a reason we have all switched to touchscreen smartphones: ease of use and simplicity. However, there is still a subset of people who love physical-keyboard mobile phones, and the Titan Elite 2 is a prime option. This brightly coloured, compact Android smartphone features a physical QWERTY keyboard, and whilst it might seem like something from the 90s, once you get used to having physical keys rather than just a simple touchscreen, it starts to make a lot of sense. With the ability to add shortcuts for repetitive tasks, this is an exceptionally fast smartphone option once you find your way around. In use, the screen is bright and touchscreen-enabled, and once you get used to the keys, it’s actually an extremely fast way to type, giving a slightly analogue, retro feel. If you prefer physical keyboards to touchscreens, this is a great option, and I also love the compact size.

Pros

• +Real keyboard
• +Compact size
• +Plenty of storage expansion

Cons

• -Small display area
• -No headphone jack
• -No wireless charging

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Titan 2 Elite: 30-second review

Touchscreens have changed the way we enter text on our mobile devices, with swipes used to interact with apps rather than typing on a traditional keyboard; long gone are the days of BlackBerry.

This means that the way apps are designed has changed greatly since the advent of smartphones. However, there is still a place for physical QWERTY keyboards, especially if you do a lot of typing. Whilst a touchscreen is great for straightforward input, when it comes to shortcuts, they can be a little bit convoluted, and that’s where this type of QWERTY keyboard really starts to make sense, especially when you can customise and add your own shortcut systems into the keyboard layout.

As a smartphone, the Titan Elite 2 runs Android 16, into which you install the latest apps, and the screen itself, while small at 4.03 inches, is an AMOLED display with 1080 x 1200 resolution and a very decent 120Hz refresh rate. This means it is actually pretty good for watching back TV shows or catching up on social media, but it really comes into its own for quickly typing in messages. Actually, after I got used to the small keys, I found it much easier to respond to messages, WhatsApp, and emails on this keyboard than on the standard touchscreen.

Through the test, I found the battery life was pretty decent, and because you are generally not using it the same way you would, say, a standard touchscreen smartphone, the battery still had a decent 60% remaining when I got back home. I then just found myself using the phone less because of the design, and again, that was something that really endeared me to the design.

The other point about the design, aside from the bright orange colour, is just how small and compact it is. It fits neatly into a trouser pocket, and while it’s as wide as a smartphone, it’s shorter, making it feel slim and lightweight.

Whilst there were many aspects of this phone that I really liked, there were a few minor issues. When it came to quickly editing a photo or two, the small screen was just a little bit too small. There’s not a great deal of real estate for anything other than typing or watching back videos, and even when you come to play games, because the screen is that much smaller and with that keyboard in place, it’s not great. Then there is the issue that there is no 3.5mm jack or wireless charging, which is a little bit of a shame. However, it does feature Bluetooth and the USB-C port.

The Unihertz Titan 2 Elite is a really nicely considered phone. It won’t appeal to everyone, but for those who like the slightly retro approach to smartphone use, it is a great option.

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