BlackBerry Classic is being revived with Android, and it can be yours for $400
TL;DR A Chinese company is reviving old BlackBerry Classic phones with Android.
The main board has been replaced, and so are the cameras, battery, and USB port.
The revived BlackBerry is up for pre-ordering, and the company plans to start mass production by September.
BlackBerry was more than a phone brand. It was a long-running phenomenon that would instantly shape your impression of the person using it as someone important. And so, it isn't surprising to see so many people longing for its revival. While I never owned a high-end BlackBerry (though I always wanted the Torch with a slide-out QWERTY), there is a tiny chance I might be able to do that soon.
That's because a Chinese company is on a mission to revive old BlackBerry devices, with a twist. A brand named Zinwa Technologies is working on resurrecting a limited number of decade-old BlackBerry Classic Q20 devices and installing Android on them. The reborn phone will be sold as Zinwa Q25 Pro.
Zinwa Technologies
To make sure the hardware is compatible with Android, Zinwa is retrofitting the BlackBerry Classic with a new main board, equipped with a more recent MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, 12GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of onboard storage. The Classic's touchscreen also helps avoid any friction with the Android interface.
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Among other changes, Zinwa has upgraded the Q20's original battery by almost 15% and added new cameras, including a 50MP on the back and an 8MP for the front. Meanwhile, the newer chipset brings support for 4G LTE, although the current model does not feature 5G support. The team has also replaced the micro USB port with a newer USB Type-C for faster charging and data transfer speeds.
Based on demos shared by the team, BlackBerry's signature capacitive trackpad runs seamlessly on the revived device. The Zinwa Q25 Pro currently runs on a bare-bones version of Android 13, and there are no concrete plans from the company to update to newer versions, unless there is enough interest to foster development. So, if you're inclined to buy it, ensure you purchase this without expecting long-term support from the company.
However, if all goes well, Zinwa might explore retrofitting other BlackBerry models, including the Passport and KeyOne, the latter of which was among the limited BlackBerry phones that came pre-installed with Android.
The Zinwa Q25 Pro is priced at $400, but the company is also selling a DIY kit to transform your old BlackBerry Classic for $320. Both of these are available on an online store, while the company also sells the camera modules and battery separately.
Zinwa plans to start shipping the Q25 Pro by the end of August to the first 100 backers and aims to go into mass production by mid-September. If you're interested in the project, you can join its Discord channel for more updates on shipping and other models under consideration for refurbishment. Who knows, with Android 16's improved support for physical keyboards, it might be a success.
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