- Zinwa Q25 revives BlackBerry Classic with modern hardware and software
- Original screen and keyboard remain in this updated 2025 Android phone
- Q20 Conversion kit and full Q25 handset both expected to ship in August
Chinese company Zinwa Technologies is preparing to bring back the BlackBerry Classic (also known as the Q20) with updated internals under the name Zinwa Q25 (because we’re in 2025).
The phone will feature new hardware while maintaining many of the original iconic components, including the 720×720 touchscreen, physical keyboard, LED notification light, and outer shell.
This project aims to blend the nostalgic BlackBerry form factor with modern smartphone capabilities.
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(Image credit: Zinwa Technologies)
Upgraded internals
Fortunately, inside, Zinwa is replacing the original internals with a MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, 12GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and 256GB of UFS 2.x storage. The battery is also getting an upgrade to 3,000mAh, and the camera system includes a 50MP rear sensor and an 8MP front-facing camera.
The Q25 will run Android 13 out of the box, but there are no plans to upgrade to Android 14 or later. That said, Zinwa does plan to provide regular updates to address bugs and add minor features.
The company will ship the Q25 with NFC, USB-C, a headphone jack, MicroSD card support, and a single SIM slot. The modem in the new motherboard supports all global 4G LTE bands, making the phone compatible with most networks worldwide.
In an interview with the YouTube channel Returning Retro (which you can watch below), Zinwa said the updated trackpad will function like the original, acting as both a cursor and directional pad, depending on the mode selected.
The Zinwa Q25 will be available fully assembled for $400 or as a $300 conversion kit for users who already own a BlackBerry Classic and prefer to retrofit it themselves.
Both the kit and the completed device are expected to ship in early August 2025.
Zinwa has also confirmed it is working on similar refreshes of the BlackBerry KEYone and Passport, with future models possibly named K25 and P26 respectively.
Via Notebookcheck
BlackBerry Classic “resto-modding” Update #2: Prototype demo, LTE bands, & project schedule. – YouTube
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