I’ve been unnecessarily harsh on BlackBerry‘s design team of late, but have been (pleasantly) surprised with the likes of the BlackBerry Passport.
Now, new to the company’s alternative arsenal is probably the most BlackBerry-ish BlackBerry of recent years. It’s the spiritual successor to the Bold 9900 appropriately dubbed the “Blackberry Classic.”
No ad to show here.
At this point you might be wondering, “what’s the point?” and for good reason. Why upgrade a phone (or at least, refresh a concept) that was around in 2011? There’s a few good reasons, but we’ll cover that in the Gearburn review coming in the next few weeks.
For now, what we can tell you is that for about R6500 (carriers permitting), you get a full QWERTY keyboard, a 3.5-inch Corning Gorilla Glass 3-laced 720p squared screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 SoC with 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage with room for a 128GB microSD expansion card.
Around the back, there’s an 8MP camera, a 2MP camera up front and a 2515mAh battery beneath the textured backplate.
But will this be the package win the hearts of BlackBerry fans of yonder years, and closet BlackBerry fans alike? We’ll have to wait and see.
Blackberry Classic
Blackberry Classic 15
Touchscreen and touchpad -- you choose how to scroll with the Classic.
Blackberry Classic 1
It's all business with the Classic, taking many design cues from the Bold.
Blackberry Classic 2
It's nevertheless a wonderfully attractive phone.
Blackberry Classic 3
The rear features a wonderful textured rubber surface that makes it easy to hold with one hand.
Blackberry Classic 4
At 10.2mm deep, it's not the thinnest phone, or the lightest.
Blackberry Classic 5
The volume rocker and camera buttons are located on the device's side.
Blackberry Classic 6
The nanoSIM and microSD card slots are located on the alternate side.
Blackberry Classic 7
It's a nice phone to hold. Feels solid and well built. There's no creaks to speak of.
Blackberry Classic 8
It's about the size of a hand, and well, it's quite a hefty device too at around 180g.
Blackberry Classic 9
The QWERTY keyboard is the most striking feature, but the screen's a wonderful addition too at 720x720.
Blackberry Classic 10
The rounded edges makes the phone easy to handle and slip into a pocket.
Blackberry Classic 11
There's a 2MP camera up front to satisfy any narcissistic tendencies.
Blackberry Classic 12
The buttons are engulfed in stainless steel rim which gives the phone a premium look and feel.
Blackberry Classic 13
Nostalgia? Only the good kind.
Blackberry Classic 14
The Gorilla Glass 3 screen is quite reflective, but luckily the screen is bright enough to use in bright light.
