Rogers has begun taking pre-orders for the upcoming BlackBerry Classic. The move comes just days after BlackBerry kicked off pre-orders in the U.S. and the U.K. ahead of the handset’s mid-December launch in those markets, but Rogers hasn’t confirmed when the Classic will be available in Canada.
Rogers isn’t making a big deal out of the Classic — perhaps unsurprisingly — but those visiting the carrier’s BlackBerry page will see the banner above that highlights some of the handset’s biggest selling points, such as its square touch screen, “amazingly fast” web browsing, and its battery life.
The banner also points out the Classic’s keyboard and navigation keys, which are what sets the device apart from other BB10 handsets. The Classic is essentially a BlackBerry Q10 — they’re both identical on the inside — but it brings back those classic menu buttons that long-time BlackBerry users have become accustomed to, and combines them with a touchscreen and the latest BB OS.
BlackBerry is hoping that the handset can convince users who are still clinging onto their Bolds and Curves to finally upgrade to one of the company’s latest offerings.
Official Classic pre-orders began last week in the U.S. and the U.K. via BlackBerry.com, and the handset will begin shipping in those markets in mid-December. Rogers hasn’t confirmed when the Classic will be available in Canada yet, or how much it’ll cost — but its upfront price in the U.S. is $499.