The BlackBerry trend explained: Return of the physical keyboard phone

Once the height of the mobile market, the humble BlackBerry was a must-have phone, in part for how BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) completely changed the game for messaging on the go, paving the way for the likes of WhatsApp and iMessage. Although the brand is now largely defunct, that hasn’t stopped BlackBerry from having a vinyl-like revival, which has spiralled into a viral trend.

As more people continue to embrace the idea of moving away from traditional smartphones in the hope of having a healthier, less dependent relationship with their tech, the BlackBerry has swooped in as a promise of what could have been if candybar-style phones hadn’t taken off and completely dominated the market.

With all BlackBerry phones now being completely second-hand, however, trying to get your hands on one can be quite an endeavour, but there are plenty of companies looking to fill the gap with their own physical keyboard clone devices. To know more about the BlackBerry revival and better understand the options available to you (if you’re tempted to take the plunge yourself), keep on reading.

Is BlackBerry making a new phone in 2026?

In a word, no. Don’t expect there to be a new BlackBerry phone anytime soon or possibly ever. There was supposed to be a new BlackBerry model in 2021, but it never happened.

While you can keep on scrolling to find out exactly what happened to that phone, you’ll be glad to know that there are options out there for anyone in the market for a BlackBerry-esque experience.

Near the end of last year, the long-awaited Zinwa Q25 Pro came to market, providing an updated reskin of the BlackBerry Classic, effectively giving fans a means of enjoying the traditional BlackBerry design but with more modern components that make it a viable handset in 2026.

The phone also runs Android as standard, so you have access to crucial software such as WhatsApp and Instagram.

Other upgrades include 12GB RAM alongside the MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, and 4G compatibility so you can connect to nearby network signals without issue. Unfortunately, the Q25 Pro is not available in India as a result of the country’s regulations regarding imported tech, which forced the company to cancel and refund all India-based pre-orders.

The company is also planning a similar refurbishing process for the BlackBerry Passport, this time labelled the Zinwa P26, but we’ll make sure to update this section once more information appears.

For an entirely new device, there’s the Zinwa Q27, described as a ‘modern BlackBerry clone’, but it won’t arrive before May 2026, according to the site.

It will have a 3.92-inch AMOLED screen, MediaTek Dimensity 7300 processor and run Android 16. Two other options come in the form of the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite and the Clicks Communicator (below).

Despite being similar in appearance, these two devices have different approaches to usability.

With a promised five years of software updates, the Titan 2 Elite is being positioned as a genuine alternative within the Android phone market, whilst the Cicks Communicator is pitched as a companion device to your main phone, being a distraction-free device that lets you lock in with typing and messaging.

There’s also the Clicks Power Keyboard, which is now available to pre-order for £81/$109 and is ideal for anyone who wants to add a bit of BlackBerry functionality to their phone without swapping to an entirely new device.

Because it connects to your phone via a MagSafe connection, it’s best designed for users of the iPhone 12 onwards, although it can also be used in tandem with the Pixel 10 range of phones.

Why are BlackBerry phones getting popular in 2025/26?

There’s recent 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 clip from shozie_055 with the caption “POV: you bought a blackberry in 2025 bc your iPhone is ruining your life.” and has millions of 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.

Do BlackBerry phones still work?

There’s certainly nothing stopping you from using an old BlackBerry phone in 2026, assuming that the device is in working order and you have a compatible charger.

You can even put your SIM card in 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 revisited in 2026 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 2026

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 them 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, while the upcoming Unihertz Titan 2 Elite will be looking to attract the same audience.

The Clicks range of products is a good shout, especially as it’s just expanded with the reveal of the Clicks Communicator and the Clicks Power Keyboard (below). 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‘, also known as a basic phone, which is 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, 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.

Following mounting attention from media and BlackBerry enthusiasts alike, a blog post (since removed) appeared on OnwardMobility’s blog, 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 2022, 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.

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.