BlackBerry Phones Resurrected

The iconic BlackBerry Classic models of the 2010s are being revived with the Android operating system, backed by a company from China.

The BlackBerry Classic once made its mark. Photo: Zinwa Technologies .

A Chinese company called Zinwa Technologies is reviving old BlackBerry devices, with a twist. The company is working on reproducing a limited number of the decade-old BlackBerry Classic Q20 and installing Android on the phone.

The revived phone will be sold as the Zinwa Q25 Pro. To ensure hardware compatibility with Android, the BlackBerry Classic is equipped with a completely new motherboard, using the MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal memory. The Classic's touchscreen also helps limit conflicts when running the Android interface.

Among other changes, Zinwa has upgraded the Q20's original battery by nearly 15% and added a new camera system, including a 50MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera. While the current version doesn't have 5G yet, the new chipset brings 4G LTE support. The team has also replaced the micro USB port with a USB Type-C port for faster charging and data transfer.

According to the shared samples, BlackBerry's signature touchpad still works smoothly on the new device. The Zinwa Q25 Pro is running a minimalist version of Android 13, not the latest version 16.

The company says there are no specific plans to update to newer versions unless there is enough interest from the community to spur development, so prospective buyers should consider that this product may not be supported by Zinwa for the long term.

BlackBerry Classic screen equipped with new operating system. Photo: Zinwa Technologies .

However, according to Android Authority , if everything goes well, Zinwa may continue to re-equip other BlackBerry models, including the Passport and KeyOne. Of which, the KeyOne is one of the few BlackBerry models that ever had Android pre-installed.

Eric Migicovsky, founder of the Pebble smartwatch company, shared his Q20 reskin of the X. “The Q20’s Android replacement board fits snugly into the original chassis. The soft-touch back makes it feel like a BlackBerry again,” he wrote.

BlackBerry is not just a phone brand, but also a phenomenon that has lasted for many years. Throughout the 2000s, especially the period 2005-2012, owning a BlackBerry affirmed the value of the user.

BlackBerry is famous for its convenient QWERTY keyboard, which helped perfect what touch-screen phones at the time were not so good at: typing text quickly and accurately. The phone model at that time was often associated with businessmen, politicians , or the financial world, and to this day evokes nostalgic feelings.

The Zinwa Q25 Pro costs $400 , but the company also sells a DIY kit that includes the CPU, RAM, storage, camera, battery, and even the charging port for $320 . Both are available on its online store, and the company also sells the camera and battery modules separately.

Zinwa plans to start shipping the Q25 Pro to its first 100 backers in late August, with mass production expected in mid-September. If you’re interested in the project, you can join their Discord channel for more updates on shipping progress and other models being considered for re-production.

Source: https://znews.vn/dien-thoai-blackberry-duoc-hoi-sinh-post1578027.html