Pictures of the BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) Classic recently leaked on the web. CEO John Chen first unveiled the Classic smartphone with QWERTY keypads back in June. The phone is being designed keeping BlackBerry loyalist in mind, who would not give up their smartphone preferences and habits.
Classic for BlackBerry loyalist
Weibo published the images of the Classic smartphone from BlackBerry that is similar to BlackBerry Bold smartphones based on OS 7. The leaked images show the device along with other similar handsets including BlackBerry Q10, BlackBerry Bold 9900, as well as BlackBerry Porsche Design P’9981.
Classic is supposed to sport a trackpad, menu and a back button along with dedicated keys for answering and rejecting phone calls. Other specifications of the phone include a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 SoC, 2GB of RAM, and a 3.5” display unit with 1:1 ratio. The OS is reportedly BlackBerry 10.3.
The architecture of the phone will cater to the needs of smartphone users who cannot find physical keyboards anymore. Most users today are now more comfortable with virtual rather than physical keypads.
The phone is expected to launch in November, and is expected to cost less than BlackBerry Passport, which is expected to be launched on September 24th.
BlackBerry Passport getting all attention
Meanwhile, BlackBerry Passport is hogging most of the limelight for its unique design and business features. The Canadian smartphone maker is the launching the business phone in Dubai. During the event, which is to be held on September 24th in Dubai, London and Toronto, BlackBerry will launch the Passport globally just like it did for the Blackberry 10 and BlackBerry Z10 handsets. There are no further details over the features of the phone, but media have been invited to the event to “see the bigger picture.” The new smartphone is said to have a 4.5-inch square display, which can accommodate 60 characters per row, more than any square handset available.
Another reportedly notable feature of the phone is its QWERTY keypad, which constitutes three rows for alphabets, and a virtual row is displayed on the screen for typing numbers. The company entered into a partnership with UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) under which the company will drive ahead a recent Government’s initiative started by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE.
