The new BlackBerry Classic launched in the Philippines

Microsoft jumped the gun when they went from Windows 8 to 10, skipping a number. BlackBerry is taking a step forward by taking a step back, launching the BlackBerry Classic. Going back to basics with the DNA that made BlackBerry the global company that it is today, the BlackBerry Classic combines the familiarity of the BlackBerry experience and the power of today’s technology. The smartphone is specially built for maximum productivity that thrives on the speed and accuracy of the classic BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard.

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The BlackBerry Classic is an upgrade, but still familiar to the BlackBerry Bold 9900. The BlackBerry 10 browser is said to be among one of the top mobile browsers for web fidelity. The screen has been expanded to 3.5 inches with 294 dpi HD resolution. With mixed use, the battery lasts for up to 22 hours.

The smartphone is built with a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of local storage (expandable by up to 128GB via SD), and 2MP front- and 8MP rear-facing camera.

For the software side, the device comes with BlackBerry 10 OS 10.3.1, a fresh look at the time-tested BlackBerry OS. It comes with BlackBerry Blend, BlackBerry Assistant, BlackBerry World, Amazon Appstore, and BlackBerry Hub. The Blend brings messaging and content from your smartphone to your computer and tablet. The Assistant is the brand’s first digital assistant that can be used with voice and text commands to help users manage work and personal emails, contacts, calendars. BlackBerry World and Amazon Appstore provide access to essential productivity apps and popular Android apps and games. The BlackBerry Hub is one-stop place to manage all your conversations in practically every app in your smartphone.

The BlackBerry Classic feels as personal as a smartphone can possible be. Besides the popular BlackBerry Trackpad, you can navigate the screen using the touchscreen. Font colors can be customized from app to app, regardless of whether that app is native to BlackBerry.

The smartphone will go on sale starting on February 5. BlackBerry has partnered with MemoXpress for distribution. The BlackBerry Classic will be available on the above dates through 22 retail locations of MemoXpress across major cities and municipalities in the Philippines at a suggested retail price of P20,990.