BlackBerry Classic Release Date September 2014? Q20 Smartphone Video Leaked, 'Old-School' Features Return

By Daniel Distant, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The BlackBerry Classic release date is imminent, according to reports, with some even putting the date as Wednesday, Sept. 24. Canadian telecommunications company BlackBerry Limited, formerly known as Research in Motion, could launch the BlackBerry "Q20" Classic alongside their BlackBerry Passport or wait until later this year to unveil the device.

Photos and video of the BlackBerry Classic have been leaked on weibo.com and show that the smartphone's dimensions are about 5.11 x 2.83 x .35 inches (130 x 72 x 9 mm). The 8-minute video showcases some of the features and design of the device.

BlackBerry Limited has not commented on the leaked photos and videos except to say that the device will be "crafted from premium materials and designed for reliability and durability." Reports point to a Sept. 24 release date alongside the BlackBerry Passport, though sites like Geeky-Gadgets.com and others have speculated that the device may not be unveiled until November or even early December, just in time for a holiday release.

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The BlackBerry Classic is said to come with an aluminum frame, a rectangular shape with rounded edges reminiscent of the BlackBerries that initially took over the smartphone market in the mid 2000s, and a QWERTY keyboard. It will also have the previous old-school "belt" of function keys — the call, menu, trackpad, back and end buttons will all be close to the screen, according to MobileSyrup.com.

The new smartphone is expected to have a 3.5-inch display with a 1440 x 1440 resolution and a 582 ppi, although some rumors have pointed to a 720 x 720 resolution with 291 ppi. The handset will also reportedly have a dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, a microcard SD slot for a potential extra 64GB, and a 2515 mAh battery cell. Reports have varied on the phone's camera, with both an 8MP and 13MP rear camera being speculated upon.

As for software, the BlackBerry Classic will allegedly run BlackBerry 10 OS 10.3.1. It has Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth and NFC capability.

The BlackBerry Q20 Classic will reportedly cost $235 with a 2-year contract. To see the leaked video, click below.