Planet Astro Slide 5G brings slide-out physical keyboard and Dimensity 800

If you’ve got a nostalgic spot for smartphones with slide-out keyboards then Planet Computers might catch your interest with its Astro Slide 5G. The device was announced at CES 2022 and brings a backlit keyboard that swivels from underneath the phone’s display thanks to its neat hinge mechanism. The phone boots Android 11 but it can also be booted with Linux distributions and Planet Computers is also working on bringing support for Sailfish OS.

Astro Slide 5G brings a 6.39" AMOLED panel with FHD+ resolution and Gorilla Glass 3 protection with uniform bezels and a 13MP front-facing cam. The phone is powered by the Dimensity 800 5G chipset paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage which is expandable via microSD. Apart from having a QWERTY keyboard you also get programmable keyboard keys that let you open an app or toggle between system functions.

There’s a 48MP Sony camera sensor on the back as well as a fingerprint scanner. The phone comes with dual nano-SIM slots and a microSD adapter as well as two USB-C ports (one on each side) and a headphone jack. The battery comes in at 4,000mAh and supports 30W fast charging and is Qi-compatible for wireless top-ups.

Planet Astro Slide 5G comes in a single blue color and retails for £862. Deliveries are said to start in March.