While many of us expected to see the new BlackBerry Classic launched alongside the new BlackBerry Passport, John Chen left us with just a tease of what we will be seeing “early next year”. The BlackBerry Classic wasn’t showcased at the BlackBerry event a few weeks ago, but CEO John Chen did mention that the handset was in the works and we should see a revamped and redesigned product early next year. Aside from the BlackBerry Classic, Chen is planning to launch 4 more “unconventional” handset in the close future.
Naturally, the new BlackBerry Classic will be featuring a physical QWERT keyboard, with a trackpad and function keys included. We were very pleased by the keyboard on the BlackBerry Passport so we expect no less from the BlackBerry Classic when it will be launched. The BlackBerry Classis will have a 3.46 inch screen above that keyboard, with a 720*720 resolution. The device will be powered by a Snapdragon MSM8960 CPU, backed by 2 GB RAm and 16 GB internal storage. You will be able to expand that storage to 128 GB with a microSD card. The BlackBerry Classic will also feature an 8 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front camera. A 2515 mAH battery should be providing the juice and should actually last well into the second day of mixed use.
According to rumors, an official unveiling of the BlackBerry Classic might happen sometime next month and might even go on sale by the time the holidays arrive, although these haven’t been confirmed. The BlackBerry Classic is aimed at BlackBerry fans who not only appreciate the QWERTY keyboard on the device, but also enjoy all the software and services BlackBerry usually includes in its handsets.
It remains to be seen what kind of new features the BlackBerry Classic will sport, because so far we can only call it a mid-range, but unconventional device. With John Chen as the new CEO of BlackBerry, the company is set on a great course and with the successful BlackBerry Passport launch, it might actually be on its way back to the top. Even though BlackBerry has reiterated the fact that it will be focusing more on corporate and enterprise solutions and software, it still wants to be popular in the smartphone market as well, and rise above the well-known devices of the past few years.