Steve Kovach/Business Insider

The BlackBerry Q10 is here, and it is hard to imagine that only six short years ago, a phone without a keyboard seemed absurd.

How would you type? How would you dial?

But the huge wave of touchscreen phones that started with the original iPhone proved that was what most consumers really wanted.

BlackBerry largely missed that trend and is only just recently catching up with its new touch-friendly mobile operating system BlackBerry 10, which debuted last month on the BlackBerry Z10.

But the company is still trying to appeal to its core audience with another new phone running BlackBerry 10, the BlackBerry Q10.

And this time, you get that iconic BlackBerry keyboard.

Let's be clear though. The Q10 isn't for the typical consumer. It's a serious device and designed as such. It has a smaller touchscreen, which isn't the best for gaming, streaming video, or any of that other fun stuff. It's an email, messaging, and productivity beast.

If that's you're style, you're going to love this phone.

Click here for photos of the BlackBerry Q10 >

Design And Hardware

The BlackBerry Q10 looks a lot like BlackBerry's last generation of Bold smartphones, except it has a much larger 3.1-inch screen and a wider keyboard with bigger individual keys.

It's a delight to type on. I haven't used a physical keyboard in ages, but the keys are designed so well that I was flying. It's definitely a better and more accurate experience than most touchscreen keyboards, as long as you can get past the tradeoff of a smaller screen.

The Q10 feels great to hold too, thanks to a special rubbery coating that helps protect it from dings and scratches. The entire phone is just plain solid. There aren't any creaks or squeaks like you see on many non-metal smartphones. It also has a removable battery and SD card slot for extra memory, two other throwback features that'll please BlackBerry lovers.

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It is a bit odd to switch between the touchscreen and the keyboard so often though. Most of the BlackBerry 10 operating system is designed for touch gestures, so there's really no need for the keyboard most of the time. Whereas most touch-based operating systems only show you the keyboard when you need it, the Q10's keyboard is always there. It feels like wasted space when you're not typing.

It's a minor drawback, and one keyboard lovers will surely have no problem overlooking.

BlackBerry 10, Improved

The Q10 will be the first phone to ship with BlackBerry's first major update to BlackBerry 10, version 10.1. That version includes a handful of minor improvements over the last version, including a more robust tutorial mode to help beginners learn how to navigate the phone.