BlackBerry is back: 2025’s most unlikely phone trend explained

A new BlackBerry phone was supposed to launch in 2021, with the brand seemingly back from the dead…yet again. No such handset emerged, but that hasn’t stopped a fresh swell of hype around classic BlackBerry handsets in 2025.

Many phone brands and operating systems have fallen by the wayside over the years, including the might of LG and Microsoft’s Windows Phone. BlackBerry has had a storied history, from the phone of choice for businessmen and women to the choice of brand for teenagers chatting online, thanks to the rise of BBM (BlackBerry Messenger).

Fast forward to 2025, and suddenly the famous brand is making waves again, but why are BlackBerry phones suddenly popular, how are old models getting relaunched and should you get on board? Let’s take a look.

Is BlackBerry making a new phone in 2025?

In a word, no. Don’t expect there to be a new BlackBerry phone anytime soon or possibly ever.

As alluded to at the top, there was supposed to be a new BlackBerry model in 2021, but it never happened. More on that later, but something else is afoot with BlackBerry interest.

Something you could consider to be a new BlackBerry phone in 2025 (in a way) is via a Chinese company called Zinwa Technologies, which is reviving old models by upgrading the hardware and software to fairly modern standards.

The first is the BlackBerry Classic (Q20), which will be relaunched as the Zinwa Q25 Pro – since it’s 2025 – with the phone getting a new processor, RAM, storage, battery, 4G LTE support and cameras, as well as getting loaded up with Android 13.

Zinwa says it “will allow users to enjoy the phone comfortably in 2025.”

The device is shipping in September and costs $400.

Zinwa has also confirmed that similar refreshes of the BlackBerry KEYone and Passport are on the way, which we assume will be called the K25 and P26.

Another new BlackBerry-esque phone leaked on Reddit in September 2025. The Zinwa Q27 has the classic BlackBerry-style design, boasting a 3.92-inch display and 31:27, yet boasts more premium specs such as a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 processor and 12GB of RAM, plus a nano SIM card slot.

Perhaps the increase in hype around the old brand and phones will cause some interest in a new one to be made by BlackBerry itself, but don’t hold your breath.

There was also a recent spark of interest via a rumour posted on Reddit. It was speculated that an unnamed UK startup was seeking pre-seed funding to revive the BlackBerry brand to relaunch the Classic as well as other models.

It was posted a few months ago but has now been deleted by the user, though this doesn’t necessarily mean it was wrong or is no longer on the cards. The post included a screenshot of a slideshow presentation, edited because the user’s company had signed an NDA with the rumoured startup.

It could be that they got a lot of heat for this and decided to remove it instead of causing problems. Some rumoured specs for the device included an AMOLED screen, qwerty keyboard, 5G connectivity and Android 15.

Why are BlackBerry phones getting popular in 2025?

There’s a sudden hype for BlackBerry largely due to a viral trend on social media.

It appears that some Gen Zs, after recycling various other 2000s trends and fashions, have adopted BlackBerry as a new go-to mobile phone option.

The idea being, like basic Nokias, is that it’s a way to detox from the addictive nature of a full-blown smartphone. Less doomscrolling, in-app purchases, binging YouTube videos when you should be asleep and such like. It’s appealing to me, and I’m not even close to being Gen Z.

Viral TikTok hits include this below clip from shozie_055 with the caption “POV: you bought a blackberry in 2025 bc your iPhone is ruining your life.” and has a whopping 6.6 million views.

@shozi_055

My phone addiction is getting way too out of hand, I’m trying to take my life back #fypviralシ

♬ original sound – ✨Bree✨Momma Making Money

There are also plenty of YouTubers reviewing phones like the BlackBerry Classic in a ‘still worth buying?’ way.

It seems to be a follow-on trend from the ‘flip phone challenge’, where you ditch your modern smartphone for an old-style basic flip phone like the iconic Motorola V3 for a period of time, or as long as you can. It’s something our Mobile Editor tried for a week, albeit not a flip model.

Ironically, most of the videos going viral about ditching an iPhone or Android phone for a BlackBerry have been posted on TikTok, one of the apps we should arguably all be reducing our screen time on. It doesn’t even run on a BlackBerry.

Can you still use a BlackBerry phone in 2025?

There’s certainly nothing stopping you from using an old BlackBerry phone in 2025, assuming that the device is in working order and you have a compatible charger.

You can even put your SIM card in it and pretend the millennium just happened a few years ago. The most recent models are the 2017 KeyOne and 2018’s Key2 (both made by TCL under license and running Android).

There was also the popular BlackBerry Passport in 2014 – yes, we’ve reviewed many BlackBerry phones over the years.

If you want a ‘genuine’ classic BlackBerry, then look to models like the Q10 from 2013 running BlackBerry OS 10. Or, if you want a more old-school option, the Curve 8520 from 2009. Both have the iconic physical keyboard, as does the Bold series.

One of the most popular models being used and re-reviewed again in 2025 is the BlackBerry Classic (below), a 2014 model which was the last to offer the truly iconic rounded form factor with modern specs and features.

However, it’s worth noting that you won’t have support for various modern apps since the operating system is now effectively defunct. That includes WhatsApp, so while you might be able to detox from addictive games and apps, you won’t have those DMs and group chats that you likely rely on.

There’s also a potential security risk. Just like older versions of Android and iOS, the lack of security updates means you might be exposing yourself to cybercrime.

You might argue that attackers will be targeting operating systems with a larger user base, but if BlackBerry usage starts to increase due to these viral videos, that will likely catch the interest of hackers.

If you do decide to use a BlackBerry (with or without a SIM card), avoid using any banking apps or other high-risk services, whether you can find an app to download or access it via a browser. It’s simply not worth the risk.

Stick to basic, low-risk apps as a rule of thumb.

Where to buy a BlackBerry phone in 2025

While you can’t just walk into your phone network’s store and buy a BlackBerry, there are plenty of ways of getting hold of one.

You might even have an old one lying in a drawer or cupboard, but if not, you can easily source one from the likes of eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted or CeX.

Most can be bought for £/$10-50, so now is a good time to list it and make some money if you don’t want to join this trend.

Is there an alternative?

If things like the security risks or lack of supported apps put you off using an old BlackBerry, you do have other options.

As mentioned earlier, you can order the Zinwa Q25 Pro (an upgraded Classic with Android 13 and new hardware) but it will set you back a cool $400.

If you want a physical keyboard, Clicks cases are popular. And if you’re trying to reduce your screen time, then you can use apps like Opal and Forest.

Another option is to buy a modern ‘dumb phone‘, which are a good balance of nostalgic, simple and secure.

What happened to the new BlackBerry in 2021?

In short, it never got launched; at least not under OnwardMobility’s steam, not anymore. But what happened?

A new BlackBerry Android phone was originally slated to arrive in “the first half of 2021”, according to OnwardMobility’s initial 2020 press release on the subject. However, a year on from that initial window, no such ‘Berry had materialised.

In late July 2021, the company announced its “Pre-Commitment Program“, offering fans and businesses a means of providing input on the development process of the first 5G BlackBerry, as well as the opportunity to gain early pre-order access once the phone was ready for its debut.

While the program’s sign-up page didn’t reveal any additional information about when the phone would actually be ready for release, it did provide some insight into OnwardMobility’s progress, with the development of their device already underway at the time, but a final engineering design or specs and features had not yet been locked in.

In light of legacy BlackBerry devices officially losing software support on 4 January 2022, attention quickly turned back to OnwardMobility and the apparent radio silence the startup had slipped into after mid-2021, leaving fans completely in the dark about the progress of its debut device and when to expect it.

Checking in on 5 January 2022, the company’s website was stagnant; still only making mention of a 2021 release, with no new posts or activity in months, covering both the site and its social channels; making a “when” increasingly look like an “if” in the eyes of hopeful BlackBerry fans.

Following mounting attention from media and BlackBerry enthusiasts alike, however, a new blog post (since removed) appeared on OnwardMobility’s blog just a day later (6 January), entitled “Contrary to popular belief, we are not dead.”

In the post, OnwardMobility acknowledged the absence of any public-facing communication and vowed to deliver “more regular updates starting this month that will clarify and answer many of your questions,” concerning the development of its debut device.

With regards to the silence up until this point, the post’s opening paragraph stated, “2021 was truly a challenging year to launch a new phone, much less one with the high expectations we set and the fact that we want to get it right,” citing unspecified delays that prevented the company from shipping its debut smartphone in 2021, as had originally been promised.

Even with OnwardMobility’s seemingly renewed commitment to bringing its debut device to market, however, it turned out that BlackBerry (the company) had other plans, not long after.

On 10 February, CrackBerry’s Kevin Michaluk described the project as “dead as of yesterday,” stating that numerous sources had verified that OnwardMobility’s efforts had sunk.

BlackBerry (the company) had chosen to cancel OnwardMobility’s license (preventing it from using the BlackBerry name), a move that itself had followed on from the Canadian company selling off the last of its mobile patent portfolio, reportedly to the tune of US$600 million.

This loss of the BlackBerry branding, paired with the difficult and protracted timeline with which OnwardMobility was having to deal with were all ap[apparently contributing factors in its decision to abandon the project. Less than a week later, the company announced that it was shutting down entirely, with its website being replaced by a single statement (pictured below), thanking fans for their support and lamenting the decision to shut up shop.

The only part of the original announcement that hinted at the specs of the phone stated that “there is an absolute need for a secure, feature-rich 5G-ready phone that enhances productivity.”

That’s still pretty vague but suggests that BlackBerry – the company (after ceasing to produce its own phones, BlackBerry focused on becoming a viable cybersecurity brand) – was likely involved at the software level, as it was with TCL’s licensed phones.

While the cancellation of the OnwardMobility license was something of a surprise in the saga, the preceding trend of BlackBerry selling off its catalogue of patents was nothing new.

Over the years, the company had been busy shedding its mobile patent portfolio, with 90 sold to Huawei as of mid-2021, though admittedly that’s a drop in the ocean compared to the purported total haul of 38,000 patents it was at one point in possession of.

“Feature-rich” perhaps means that the new BlackBerry was meant to be an all-singing, all-dancing high-end device, unlike the KeyOne or Key2. 5G phones don’t need to tout the latest, most powerful Snapdragon chipsets, but it could’ve helped the new BlackBerry garner more staying power with buyers. The KeyOne, in particular, runs pretty slow today and was not well future-proofed.

OnwardMobility’s intended device apparently took a lot of cues from 2015’s BlackBerry Priv; the last phone BlackBerry itself made, and also the first BlackBerry to run Android.