This isn't a new Blackberry smartphone – it's a hybrid combining new components with a popular ten-year-old device, and it's already available for purchase.
This unusual endeavor was undertaken by the Chinese company Zinwa Technologies, whose website allows you to order the final product – the BlackBerry Q20 Classic with a new motherboard featuring a Mediatek Helio G99 processor, 12 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of internal storage. The modified phone is being sold under the name Zinwa Q25 Pro, and in addition to the aforementioned features, it's also enhanced with a 50MP main camera, an 8MP selfie camera, a 3000mAh battery instead of the original 2515mAh, and a USB-C port compatible with modern chargers. The Zinwa Q25 Pro is equipped with an NFC chip, LTE connectivity, the Blackberry trademark physical QWERTY keyboard, and a full-featured touchscreen, and will run Android 13 as the operating system. Due to the experimental nature of the project, Zinwa isn't promising any system updates at this time—unless the Zinwa Q25 Pro sells well.
The finished Zinwa Q25 Pro smartphone is available for pre-order for $420 (approximately €360), and those interested in DIY can purchase a kit of the new components for $320 (€275) and install them into their existing smartphone according to the instructions. The modified device is still in production, after which you will be able to choose the colour of your smartphone. Orders will begin shipping in September of this year, and if the project generates sufficient interest, Zinwa plans to upgrade other popular BlackBerry smartphones, including the BlackBerry Passport and BlackBerry KEYone.
photo: Zinwa
