🗣️ This is an open thread. We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments and vote in the poll below — your take might be featured in a future roundup.
Even though the original company is no longer with us, I believe there are two ways to remember the BlackBerry brand. Either you grimace while recalling the final struggle of uninspired Android devices. Or, you’re like me, and smile back at the 2010s and the brand’s heyday with glee.
One of my first “smartphones” was a Curve 8320, and I was a big BlackBerry Passport fan when I reviewed it back in the day. This week, news broke that a Chinese team was plotting its revival with a DIY refurbishment kit that would fast-forward the phone to 2025.
Notably, Zinwa Technologies, the firm behind these plans, already offers an upgrade kit for the Classic Q25 and Q30, complete with an updated mainboard and modern MediaTek SoC with plenty of storage and RAM, an upgraded battery, and a touchscreen that works with Android. Oh, and you get to keep its party pieces — the unique form factor and that physical keyboard.
These two developments got me thinking: although there’s likely a fairly limited market given the might of Samsung, Google, and other big-ticket Android brands, would a modern BlackBerry work in 2025? And, if you believe it will, what would a BlackBerry for the current age need to gain or drop for you to purchase it?
Interestingly, I quite like the idea of using the Classic or Passport as a “dumb” phone — completely unmodified and running the stock wares — to limit my exposure to time-draining apps and platforms. Alternatively, while every other smartphone brand is seemingly chasing AI and slimming down, perhaps a brand that challenges the current trends is just what we need. I’d welcome a full-blown reboot from a firm serious about producing competent modern handsets with that fruity logo. I’m interested to hear your views.
Here are some more questions: Would you buy a BlackBerry if it released a new phone in 2025? What are your non-negotiables?
What OS should a modern BlackBerry run? Android, BBOS, or something else?
Are there any BlackBerry/BBOS features you believe Android OEMs/Android should adopt?
If you previously owned a BlackBerry, what was the last straw that made you join Android?
What was your favorite BlackBerry device, and why?
Which current smartphone maker would make the best modern BlackBerry equivalent, and why? Should they?
Would you like to see the BlackBerry brand make a serious return? 42 votes Yes, I absolutely would. 86 % No, I wouldn't. 14 %
👇 And if you have a specific comment related to your poll choice, or want to answer any of the questions posed above, be sure to have your say in the comments below.
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