The BlackBerry Classic continues to pull in solid reviews since its launch in December. From its near-all-day battery life to productivity enhancers such as the BlackBerry Hub, Blend and Assistant to the triumphant return of the toolbelt, the Classic builds on the strengths that drew people to BlackBerry in the first place.
(Be sure to check out our prior review roundups HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE or skip to the bottom to find links to buy the BlackBerry Classic on ShopBlackBerry.)
“The Best BlackBerry in Years”
PhoneDog’s Cam Bunton calls the Classic “the best BlackBerry in years.” He writes, “It’s giving BlackBerry fans everything they want in an up-to-date and relatively affordable package . . . Overall, the hardware looks and feels high-end . . . [The display is] bright and has great viewing angles . . . For emails, messaging, web browsing and calendar management [the square screen is] fantastic . . . [The] browser speed is very quick . . . Thanks to BlackBerry 10’s intuitive gesture-based system, moving around the phone is as slick and easy as ever . . . The Classic easily got me through a full day on a 100% charge, with some juice left over normally after light to moderate use . . . Overall then, the BlackBerry Classic is everything that BlackBerry users need it to be. It’s a current, up-to-date phone with great build quality and an almost perfect physical keyboard and control system.”
Technology Personalized’s Nimish Dubey writes, “The Classic [is about] the whole ‘real typing’ and productivity experience . . . The first thing that will strike you about the device [is] the classic BlackBerry key layout . . . The finish [won’t] pick up any stains or scratches and well, has a shine that will turn heads. Talking of head turners, the shining BB logo in steel in the center on the back will do so as well . . . The Classic looks as if the ground would have more to fear from contact with it than the device would . . . BlackBerry has returned to its roots.”
“Meant for People who need to get Work Done”
“[The] purpose of the Classic is to bring back the highly sought after QWERTY keyboard in a design that was well-loved by its users, leveraging a modern operating system, which now even has support for Android applications,” writes IndiaToday’s Sahil Mohan Gupta. “In the week we tested the device, it showed impressive battery life . . . The BlackBerry Classic offers sound quality during calls. It maintained strong signals in areas where the iPhone 6 failed . . . [The Classic] is meant for people who need to get work done, especially if the work involves sending a lot of emails or typing a lot on the phone. It’s great at getting work done. Actually, it is one of the best phones in the market for that kind of thing.”
“BlackBerry has gone back to basics with its Classic, an update of the Bold that’s the best physical keyboard yet,” writes The Guardian’s (UK) Samuel Gibbs. “If a phone for emailing with a physical keyboard is the dream, this just might be it . . . The BlackBerry feels solidly built [and] designed to last . . . The keyboard is the real star of the show. It is arguably the best physical keyboard available, complete with shift, symbol and alternate keys, which makes entering text, numbers and punctuation easy . . . The BlackBerry Hub collects all messaging notifications into one place and works better than any other ‘unified inbox’ on any other platform. The BlackBerry is still the best machine for sending simple text to other people . . . The Classic achieves what it sets out to do and is a worthy upgrade for users of a Bold or other older BlackBerry.”
“A Return to Form”
The Economic Times’ (India) Hitesh Raj Bhagat calls the Classic “A return to form,” writing, “[To anyone] desperately holding on to a Bold or Curve, your prayers have been answered! The Classic is, in many ways, a return to form for the company. It draws a lot of inspiration from the Bold 9900 . . . [You] don’t have to use the touchscreen if you don’t want to — you can exclusively use the optical trackpad. The Classic is unmistakably a BlackBerry. But it’s also powered by the latest BB OS 10.3 . . . [The Classic features the] much-loved classic BlackBerry design with 4-row keypad – the best keypad on a mobile device – Android app compatibility, [and a] great price.”
“The BlackBerry Classic, as the name suggests, is the Canadian firm’s return to what it does best: a business-focused smartphone with a physical keyboard,” writes Full-Time Whistle’s David A. Jackman. “It does a very specific job, and it does it very well . . . [F]or some, productivity and communication are still the two things a phone should do flawlessly. This is an unashamed communications device.”
“Provides Everything that Fans of the Company’s Smartphones Want”
“The BlackBerry Classic provides everything that fans of the company’s smartphones want in a larger handset, including the familiar physical keyboard,” writes eWeek’s Wayne Rash. “At first glance, the BlackBerry Classic seems to be just like its much-loved predecessor, the BlackBerry Bold 9900. But, of course, it’s not. Held side-by-side, the Classic is larger in every dimension except thickness. But the larger dimensions improves what BlackBerry already does best, which is to handle text-intensive tasks… It’s easy to get back to the familiar feel of thumb-typing on the sculpted keyboard. I found the physical keys to be much more accurate than any on-screen keyboard.”
“The Classic has been eagerly awaited by BlackBerry enthusiasts and it absolutely hits the mark for that audience, those who care far more about a clicky, physical, full-size keyboard than installing Instagram,” writes TechRadar’s David Nield. “As someone not overly familiar with BlackBerry devices, I found the keyboard and trackpad a refreshing change as far as input goes. The device is solidly built and feels comfortable in the hand . . . The stand-out apps are the BlackBerry Hub and the browser, though there’s plenty to please business users and the security-conscious here too.”
“The Best Enterprise Chops in the Industry”
“The BlackBerry Classic is a quintessential BlackBerry, any way you slice it,” writes the GSMArena team. “With a hardware QWERTY keyboard and navigation buttons, a strictly business appearance and the best enterprise chops in the industry, the newcomer is reminiscent of the Blackberries of old when the mobile world was not all about big touchscreens.”
“The Classic reminds us that BlackBerry is still around and ready to build on its core strengths,” writes the Calgary Herald’s Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla. “With the Classic, it can hold on to its most loyal fans and get them on a more modern smartphone platform . . . If you like physical keyboards, the BlackBerry Classic is a pleasure to use. The QWERTY keyboard is the most responsive and intuitive one BlackBerry’s made . . . The BlackBerry Classic is a whiz at managing e-mails, and even editing documents thanks to the keyboard and touch screen combination. BlackBerry Blend, a companion app that can route messages, BBMs and emails to a connected tablet, PC or Mac, also makes the Classic ideal for businesses.”
Pricing and Availability
BlackBerry is working with carriers and partners to deliver BlackBerry Classic to customers around the world. North American customers can purchase the BlackBerry Classic online today through Amazon.com and www.BlackBerry.com for $449 in the U.S. and $499 in Canada. More availability information here.
*Note that pricing differs per market
