BlackBerry Classic Q20 news: release date set for Dec. 17

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BlackBerry is back in the show with its flagship, the BlackBerry Classic. The new handset is scheduled to be released on Dec. 17. 

As per Gospel Herald, the BlackBerry Classic will be unveiled in special launch parties set in New York City, Frankfurt and Singapore. The device is also up for pre-order in United States and Canada for a retail price of $449. For those who want to tie it up with a contract, IB Times, as cited by Franchise Herald, revealed that carriers US Cellular Network, Verizon and Sprint would not be putting the new handset forward. This is because the BlackBerry Classic, also known as Q20, will only be supporting GSM carriers. In turn, Gospel Herald, with Mobile Syrup as source, reported that Bell Mobility will put it up for $49 along with a 24-month contract. 

The BlackBerry Classic enjoys the best of both new and traditional. BlackBerry chose to stick to its roots and present a device that easily stands out in a showground inundated with touchscreen, keyboard-free smartphones. While its 3.46-inch display is touch-enabled, the handset sports a full QWERTY keyboard and a trackpad. The Canada-based company loaded its new-fangled device with a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor clocked in at 1.5 GHz. It is then complemented with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB storage capacity expandable to 128 GB with a microSD card. 

It comes with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera that can shoot videos at 1080 pixel resolution. It is paired up with a 2-megapixel front shooter. As per Franchise Herald, the BlackBerry Classic, which will run the BB 10 operating system, packs a 2515 mAh battery that can be charged wirelessly. Also, a fun perk that goes with it is the noise-canceling microphones. Gospel Herald, on the other hand, revealed that the new BlackBerry offering will support Android apps through Amazon. As per Uber Gizmo, a white variant will also be made available. It is unknown though, if it will be released alongside the black-colored edition that the company always touted. 

As the official rollout of the BlackBerry Classic reels in, its maker encourages everyone to participate in the celebration by posting tweets that bear the hashtags #INeedMyBB and #BlackBerryClassic. The company will then compile all these tweets and craft them into a mosaic of its hottest handset.