An In-Depth Look at the BlackBerry Classic

A closer look at the new BlackBerry Classic smartphone with photos from the device's New York City launch event.

By Al Sacco, Managing Editor, CIO |

The BlackBerry Classic

BlackBerry launched its latest smartphone, the BlackBerry Classic, on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014, in New York City.

Check out our full BlackBerry Classic review.

BlackBerry CEO and His Classic

BlackBerry CEO John Chen shows off the BlackBerry Classic while on stage at a launch event in New York City.

BlackBerry Classic Rear Battery Cover

The BlackBerry Classic's rear battery door is made of textured plastic and is adorned with a shiny silver BlackBerry logo.

BlackBerry Classic Top Panel

The BlackBerry Classic top panel is part of its brushed steel bezel, and it houses the device's wake/sleep button.

Check out our full BlackBerry Classic review.

BlackBerry Classic Bottom Panel

The BlackBerry Classic bottom panel is part of its brushed steel bezel, and it houses two speaker ports and a micro USB charge/sync port.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen and the BlackBerry Classic

BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen uses the new Blackberry Classic smartphone during the launch event in New York City.

BlackBerry Bold 9900, Q20 and Classic

The BlackBerry Classic is modeled after the BlackBerry Bold 9900, which was released in August 2011. However, BlackBerry Q10 was launched in between the two, and it was the first BlackBerry 10 smartphone with a "physical" QWERTY keyboard.

BlackBerry Classic Left Side

The BlackBerry Classic left side is made of brushed steel, and it houses a microSD memory card slot and a nano SIM card slot.

Check out our full BlackBerry Classic review.

BlackBerry Classic Right Side

The BlackBerry Classic right side is made of brushed steel, and it houses volume up and down keys, as well as a mute key that can be used to invoke the voice-controlled BlackBerry Assistant feature.

BlackBerry Classic Memory-Card and Nano-SIM Slots

The BlackBerry Classic has two slots built into its left side, one for a microSD memory card and another for a nano SIM card.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen Says Goodbye

BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen waves goodbye to the crowd at the company's BlackBerry Classic launch event in New York City on December 17, 2014.

Check out our full BlackBerry Classic review.