The neat new BlackBerry Classic smartphone is ready to make its debut on Verizon Wireless, launching on Thursday, Feb. 26 online and on March 3 in retail stores.
As its name itself suggests, the BlackBerry Classic aims to appeal to those who love the classic, iconic BlackBerry style that has consecrated the company. The handset has already proved to be quite popular among BlackBerry fans, raising plenty of interest since its debut, and it will soon be available on Verizon Wireless in the U.S.
"Familiar Design and QWERTY Keyboard on the Nation's Most Reliable 4G LTE Network," BlackBerry touted in a new press release on Tuesday, Feb. 24. "BlackBerry loyalists and keyboard fans will feel right at home with the new BlackBerry Classic. The familiar design and iconic keyboard return for those who have 10 minutes to type 10 emails before moving onto their next task. QWERTY fans, this is for you."
As a reminder, the BlackBerry Classic sports a 3.5-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 720 pixels and a dual-core processor under the hood, clocked at 1.5GHz and paired with 2GB of RAM. Other specs include 16GB of internal storage capacity, microSD support for additional memory of up to 128GB, an 8-megapixel rear camera with auto focus and LED flash, and a 2-megapixel front shooter. A 2,500 mAh battery will keep things up and running, delivering up to 22 hours of mixed usage on a single charge, while BlackBerry 10.3 OS will rock the software side, boasting a number of neat features including BlackBerry Assistant.
The BlackBerry Classic also allows users to enjoy both BlackBerry and Android apps, and has a strong focus on productivity to help users get things done. Now joining Verizon's lineup, the Classic will also run Big Red's 4G LTE network for fast Internet speeds.
"Apps are great, but many require a reliable data connection to use them. You shouldn't have to worry about a BBM or text that's stuck on "sending" or a video that spends more time buffering than playing. The BlackBerry Classic runs on the Verizon 4G LTE network and is XLTE-Ready, so you'll be able to get faster peak speeds and greater network capacity than before in cities coast to coast. XLTE is available in over 400 markets," further touts the press release.
As previously mentioned, the BlackBerry Classic is set to go live on Verizon's website on Thursday, Feb. 26, and launch in Verizon retail stores a few days later, on March 3. The handset will retail for $99.99 with a new two-year contract after a $50 mail-in rebate debit card, which takes up to 6 weeks and expires in 12 months. Eligible customers can also purchase the BlackBerry Classic on a Verizon Edge plan. Check out Verizon's announcement for more details.
