BlackBerry's upcoming 'Classic' smartphone looks like this
BlackBerry had no part in the torrent of mobile news that erupted at last week's IFA tradeshow, but new leaked images remind us the company's got a fresh batch of smartphones in its pipeline, too. Originating from the Weibo account of a reseller who occasionally gets hold of prototype devices, the pictures reportedly show the upcoming BlackBerry Classic (aka Q20), due to launch sometime in November. Announced at Mobile World Congress earlier this year but kept away from the cameras, the Classic appears to be significantly bigger and squarer than its predecessor, and brings back the physical navigation keys and trackpad of handsets past.
From a hardware perspective, the images show stereo speakers and external nano-SIM/microSD card drawers, in addition to the overall design. The leaker also reports the Classic's camera has more realistic color reproduction than the Q10, it's thinner than the old-school Bold 9900, and that their handset is running the unreleased 10.3 OS update (build 10.3.1.209, to be exact). Apparently, the keyboard also feels a little better to use than those of the Q10 or Bold 9900, which should please BlackBerry loyalists if true. It certainly looks like it'll offer a better typing experience than the strange BlackBerry Passport recent leaks suggest will also arrive before year's end, anyway.
