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BlackBerry Classic Hands on, Photo Gallery and Video

BlackBerry today launched BlackBerry Classic, which is purely meant to entice die-hard BlackBerry fans. BlackBerry Classic makes no bones about the intended audience. In fact, if you own BlackBerry Bold, you can avail an extra discount of 4,500 INR on Classic. We got to spend some time with the BlackBerry Classic at the launch event today and felt kind of nostalgic remembering times when owning a BlackBerry has a socially acceptable panache.

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BlackBerry Classic Quick Specs

  • Display Size: 3.5 Inch  IPS LCD, 720 X 720 pixels resolution,  294 PPI, Gorilla Glass 3
  • Processor: 1.5 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon
  • RAM: 2 GB
  • Software Version: BlackBerry 10.3.1 OS
  • Camera: 8 MP
  • Secondary Camera: 2 MP
  • Internal Storage:  16 GB
  • External Storage: 128 GB using MicroSD card
  • Battery: 2515 mAh (Non – Removable)
  • Connectivity:  HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS,  Micro USB 2.0

Design, Build and Display

The BlackBerry Classic follows and improves upon the classic BlackBerry Bold design. The metal around edges and the textured back which lends good and productive grip, are mere details as the prime attraction here is the Qwerty keyboard, trackpad and navigation bar south of a square 3.5 Inch Display.

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We can only agree to how substantial and meaningful the Classic moniker feels on this phone. The keyboard works well with good feedback and is very efficient to use. Speaker grills are present on the bottom edge along with MicroUSB port.  The right edge comes with volume rocker and a hardware key to active BlackBerry Assistant. Power key is present on the top. The BlackBerry Classic is a nicely build, ergonomic and premium looking smartphone.

The square display with 720 x720 pixels is sharp and a very useful if you wish to need to browse through loads of emails and web pages through your day, but for everything else like watching videos, YouTube, etc, the square form factor doesn’t work very well. There will be black strips flanking your video and you won’t get to switch to landscape mode.

Processor and RAM

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BlackBerry Classic is powered by 1.5 GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 processor with Adreno 225 GPU. This doesn’t sound like much in present world, but again, it is good enough for intended usage. The chipset is paired with 2 GB RAM. We didn’t find any hint of lag on the device in our initial testing. We expect the same to hold true in the long run.

Camera and Internal Storage

The rear camera has an 8 MP sensor with LED flash and can be used to record full HD videos. Again, photography enthusiasts can do much better than Classic at this price point. If you compare it to other 8 MP shooters, the BB Classic camera is a pretty good.

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By default, you can shoot 1:1 aspect ratio images. You can also switch to 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio. Colors and low light performance were pretty impressive.

Internal storage is 16 GB and there is option for up to 128 GB MicroSD expansion, which should be good enough for all including productivity oriented enterprise users.

User Interface and Battery

BlackBerry Classic is running the latest BB10.3.1 OS and the feature list also includes a digital personal assistant, BlackBerry Assistant. You can download apps from Amazon App Store, or side load other Android apps on this phone. Multitasking is smoother. You can use extensive gesture features to swiftly access apps, swipe between home-screens, toggle settings and to reach BlackBerry Hub.

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Battery capacity is 2515 mAh. This also plays its part in making Classic heavier (177 grams). The battery capacity seems good enough if you compare it to other BlackBerry phones. We will comment more on how long this lasts after we have spent some more time with Classic.

BlackBerry Classic Photo Gallery

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Conclusion

All said and done, BlackBerry Classic is meant for BlackBerry loyalists and Enterprise users. It’s good to see BlackBerry returning to its root, rather than trying to allure Android fan base. If you are among the intended consumers, you will love BlackBerry Classic, but for everyone else, other Android options will be more appealing.

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Deepak Singh

The Author spent a significant chunk of his formative years resisting technology. He now keeps an eye on where the world is heading to, and drives a passive pleasure from this indulgence. His passion to write, learn and improve drives him each day. When his day ends, he enjoys the pleasant languor and detoxifies with family. You can connect with him on and Twitter