New BlackBerry Phone 2025: Why Classic Models Are Trending & Relaunching

A brand new BlackBerry telephone was imagined to launch in 2021, with the model seemingly again from the lifeless…but once more. No such handset emerged, however that hasn’t stopped a contemporary swell of hype round traditional BlackBerry handsets in 2025.

Many telephone manufacturers and working programs have fallen by the wayside through the years, together with the would possibly of LG and Microsoft’s Home windows Cellphone. BlackBerry has had a storied historical past, from the telephone of alternative for businessmen and ladies to the alternative of name for youngsters chatting on-line, because of the rise of BBM (BlackBerry Messenger).

Quick ahead to 2025, and instantly the well-known model is making waves once more, however why are BlackBerry telephones instantly widespread, how are outdated fashions getting relaunched and do you have to get on board? Let’s have a look.

Is BlackBerry making a brand new telephone in 2025?

In a phrase, no. Don’t count on there to be a brand new BlackBerry telephone anytime quickly or presumably ever.

As alluded to on the high, there was imagined to be a brand new BlackBerry mannequin in 2021, nevertheless it by no means occurred. Extra on that later, however one thing else is afoot with BlackBerry curiosity.

One thing you possibly can contemplate to be a brand new BlackBerry telephone in 2025 (in a method), is through a Chinese language firm referred to as Zinwa Applied sciences, which is reviving outdated fashions by upgrading the {hardware} and software program to pretty fashionable requirements.

The primary is the BlackBerry Traditional (Q20), which will probably be relaunched because the Zinwa Q25 Professional – because it’s 2025 – with the telephone getting a brand new processor, RAM, storage, battery, 4G LTE help and cameras, in addition to getting loaded up with Android 13.

Zinwa says it “will permit customers to benefit from the telephone comfortably in 2025.”

It has a launch date of August and prices $400, or in case you have a Traditional mendacity round, then you should buy a $300 conversion package and do it your self in case you have what it takes.

Zinwa

Zinwa has additionally confirmed that comparable refreshes of the BlackBerry KEYone and Passport are on the way in which, which we assume will probably be referred to as the K25 and P26.

Maybe the rise of hype across the outdated model and telephones will trigger some curiosity in a brand new one to be made by BlackBerry itself, however don’t maintain your breath.

Why are BlackBerry telephones getting widespread in 2025?

There’s a sudden hype for BlackBerry largely on account of a viral pattern on social media.

It seems that some Gen Zs, after recycling numerous different 2000s traits and fashions, have adopted BlackBerry as a brand new go-to cell phone possibility.

The concept being, like fundamental Nokias, is it’s a option to detox from the addictive nature of a full-blown smartphone. Much less doomscrolling, in-app purchases, binging YouTube movies when try to be asleep and such like. It’s interesting to me, and I’m not even near being Gen Z.

Viral TikTok hits embody this under clip from shozie_055 with the caption “POV: you got a blackberry in 2025 bc your iPhone is ruining your life.” and has a whopping 6.6 million views.

There are additionally loads of YouTubers reviewing telephones just like the BlackBerry Traditional in a ‘nonetheless value shopping for?’ method.

It appears to be a follow-on pattern from the ‘flip telephone problem’, the place you ditch your fashionable smartphone for an old-style fundamental flip telephone like the long-lasting Motorola V3 for a time period, or so long as you may. It’s one thing our Cellular Editor tried for per week, albeit not a flip mannequin.

Paradoxically, many of the movies going viral about ditching an iPhone or Android telephone for a BlackBerry have been posted on TikTok, one of many apps we should always arguably all be lowering our display screen time on. It doesn’t even run on a BlackBerry.

Can you continue to use a BlackBerry telephone in 2025?

There’s actually nothing stopping you from utilizing an outdated BlackBerry telephone in 2025, assuming that the machine is in working order and you’ve got a appropriate charger.

You’ll be able to even put your SIM card in it and fake the millennium simply occurred a number of years in the past. The newest fashions are the 2017 KeyOne and 2018’s Key2 (each made by TCL underneath license and working Android).

There was additionally the favored BlackBerry Passport in 2014 – sure, we’ve reviewed many BlackBerry telephones through the years.

Foundry

In order for you a ‘real’ traditional BlackBerry, then look to fashions just like the Q10 from 2013 working BlackBerry OS 10. Or, if you would like a extra old-school possibility, the Curve 8520 from 2009. Each have the long-lasting bodily keyboard, as does the Daring sequence.

One of the vital widespread fashions getting used and re-reviewed once more in 2025 is the BlackBerry Traditional (under), a 2014 mannequin which was the final to supply the really iconic rounded type issue with fashionable specs and options.

Foundry

Nevertheless, it’s value noting that you simply received’t have help for numerous fashionable apps because the working system is now successfully defunct. That features WhatsApp, so when you would possibly be capable of detox from addictive video games and apps, you received’t have these DMs and group chats that you simply possible depend on.

There’s additionally a possible safety threat. Identical to older variations of Android and iOS, the shortage of safety updates means you is likely to be exposing your self to cybercrime.

You would possibly argue that attackers will probably be focusing on working programs with a bigger consumer base, but when BlackBerry utilization begins to extend on account of these viral movies, that can possible catch the curiosity of hackers.

In case you do determine to make use of a BlackBerry (with or and not using a SIM card), keep away from utilizing any banking apps or different high-risk providers, whether or not you could find an app to obtain or entry it through a browser. It’s merely not well worth the threat.

Keep on with fundamental, low-risk apps as a rule of thumb.

The place to purchase a BlackBerry telephone in 2025

Whilst you can’t simply stroll into your telephone community’s retailer and purchase a BlackBerry, there are many methods of getting maintain of 1.

You would possibly even have an outdated one mendacity in a drawer or cabinet, but when not, you may simply supply one from the likes of eBay, Fb Market, Vinted or CeX.

Most could be purchased for £/$10-50, so now is an effective time to listing it and make some cash should you don’t wish to be a part of this pattern.

Is there another?

If issues just like the safety dangers or lack of supported apps put you off utilizing an outdated BlackBerry, you do produce other choices.

As talked about earlier, you may order the Zinwa Q25 Professional (an upgraded Traditional with Android 13 and new {hardware}) however it can set you again a cool $400.

In order for you a bodily keyboard, Clicks instances are widespread. And should you’re attempting to cut back your display screen time, then you should use apps like Opal and Forest.

An alternative choice is to purchase a contemporary ‘dumb telephone‘, that are steadiness of nostalgic, easy and safe.

Clicks

What occurred to the brand new BlackBerry in 2021?

Briefly, it by no means acquired launched; a minimum of not underneath OnwardMobility’s steam, not anymore. However what occurred?

A brand new BlackBerry Android telephone was initially slated to reach in “the primary half of 2021”, in accordance with OnwardMobility’s preliminary 2020 press launch on the topic. Nevertheless, a 12 months on from that preliminary window, no such ‘Berry had materialised.

In late July 2021, the corporate introduced its “Pre-Dedication Program“, providing followers and companies a way of offering enter on the event means of the primary 5G BlackBerry, in addition to the chance to achieve early pre-order entry as soon as the telephone was prepared for its debut.

Whereas this system’s sign-up web page didn’t reveal any further details about when the telephone would really be prepared for launch, it did present some perception into OnwardMobility’s progress, with the event of their machine already underway on the time, however a closing engineering design or specs and options had not but been locked in.

In mild of legacy BlackBerry units formally dropping software program help on 4 January 2022, consideration shortly turned again to OnwardMobility and the obvious radio silence the startup had slipped into after mid-2021, leaving followers utterly at the hours of darkness in regards to the progress of its debut machine and when to count on it.

Checking in on 5 January 2022, the corporate’s web site was stagnant; nonetheless solely making point out of a 2021 launch, with no new posts or exercise in months, masking each the positioning and its social channels; making a “when” more and more seem like an “if” within the eyes of hopeful BlackBerry followers.

Following mounting consideration from media and BlackBerry lovers alike, nevertheless, a brand new weblog submit (since eliminated) appeared on OnwardMobility’s weblog only a day later (6 January), entitled “Opposite to widespread perception, we’re not lifeless.”

Within the submit, OnwardMobility acknowledged the absence of any public-facing communication and vowed to ship “extra common updates beginning this month that can make clear and reply a lot of your questions,” in regards to the growth of its debut machine.

Almost about the silence up till this level, the submit’s opening paragraph said, “2021 was really a difficult 12 months to launch a brand new telephone, a lot much less one with the excessive expectations we set and the truth that we wish to get it proper,” citing unspecified delays that prevented the corporate from delivery its debut smartphone in 2021, as had initially been promised.

Even with OnwardMobility’s seemingly renewed dedication to bringing its debut machine to market, nevertheless, it turned out that BlackBerry (the corporate) had different plans, not lengthy after.

On 10 February, CrackBerry’s Kevin Michaluk described the venture as “lifeless as of yesterday,” stating that quite a few sources had verified that OnwardMobility’s efforts had sunk.

BlackBerry (the corporate) had chosen to cancel OnwardMobility’s license (stopping it from utilizing the BlackBerry title), a transfer that itself had adopted on from the Canadian firm promoting off the final of its cellular patent portfolio, reportedly to the tune of US$600 million.

This lack of the BlackBerry branding, paired with the troublesome and protracted timeline with which OnwardMobility was having to cope with have been all ap[apparently contributing elements in its resolution to desert the venture. Lower than per week later, the corporate introduced that it was shutting down completely, with its web site being changed by a single assertion (pictured under), thanking followers for his or her help and lamenting the choice to close up store.

The one a part of the unique announcement that hinted on the specs of the telephone said that “there’s an absolute want for a safe, feature-rich 5G-ready telephone that enhances productiveness.”

That’s nonetheless fairly imprecise however means that BlackBerry – the corporate (after ceasing to provide its personal telephones, BlackBerry centered on turning into a viable cybersecurity model) – was possible concerned on the software program degree, because it was with TCL’s licensed telephones.

Whereas the cancellation of the OnwardMobility license was one thing of a shock within the saga, the previous pattern of BlackBerry promoting off its catalogue of patents was nothing new.

Through the years, the corporate had been busy shedding its cellular patent portfolio, with 90 bought to Huawei as of mid-2021, although admittedly that’s a drop within the ocean in comparison with the purported complete haul of 38,000 patents it was at one level in possession of.

“Characteristic-rich” maybe signifies that the brand new BlackBerry was meant to be an all-singing, all-dancing high-end machine, not like the KeyOne or Key2. 5G telephones don’t must tout the newest, strongest Snapdragon chipsets, nevertheless it might’ve helped the brand new BlackBerry garner extra endurance with consumers. The KeyOne, specifically, runs fairly gradual in the present day and was not properly future-proofed.

OnwardMobility’s meant machine apparently took loads of cues from 2015’s BlackBerry Priv; the final telephone BlackBerry itself made, and likewise the primary BlackBerry to run Android.