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

The likely successor to the 'flip phone challenge'. CHRIS MARTIN & ALEX WALKER-TODD report

- CHRIS MARTIN & ALEX WALKER-TODD

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.”

It has a release date of August and costs $400 (around £297), or if you have a Classic lying around, then you can buy a $300 (around £223) conversion kit and do it yourself if you have what it takes.