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A BlackBerry you might actually want just landed on Kickstarter

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Why This Matters

The launch of the BlackBerry-inspired Titan 2 Elite on Kickstarter marks a notable shift in the smartphone market, appealing to consumers seeking a compact device with physical keyboard and modern features. Its blend of nostalgic design and cutting-edge technology could influence future device designs and cater to niche markets valuing productivity and durability. This development highlights the ongoing demand for specialized smartphones amidst the dominance of large-screen models.

Key Takeaways

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.

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When The Verge’s Allison Johnson went hands-on with the company’s Titan 2 Elite phone at MWC 2026, Unihertz didn’t divulge pricing info. But the compact Android phone with a BlackBerry-inspired keyboard is now available for preorder through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign and starts at $489, with a discount for early backers bringing it down to $389. It’s expected to ship as early as June 2026.

The Titan 2 Elite is a smaller and lighter version of Unihertz’s Titan 2 that debuted last June as a modernized version of the BlackBerry Passport. The Titan 2 Elite’s design is more reminiscent of the BlackBerry Bold lineup, but with a slightly boxier design to accommodate a 4.03-inch 120Hz AMOLED display. The Elite also features Android 16 with OS upgrades promised to Android 20, 5G connectivity with dual nano SIMs and eSIM, fingerprint and face unlock, a 4,050mAh battery, and a full QWERTY keyboard that can be used as a trackpad.

It’s not a thin phone by any stretch of the imagination, but it does include an extra button on the side you can customize to launch apps or shortcuts. Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

On the back of the Titan 2 Elite you’ll also find a pair of 50MP cameras with telephoto capabilities, and a front-facing 32MP holepunch camera in the upper left corner of the display.

Unihertz is offering two versions of its modernized BlackBerry. The standard Titan 2 Elite features a Dimensity 7400 processor with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The slightly more expensive Titan 2 Elite Pro, which instead starts at $579 (but temporarily discounted to $479), has a faster Dimensity 8400 processor, a bump to 512GB of storage, and a 50MP telephoto camera upgraded with optical image stabilization capabilities.