This BlackBerry Passport running Android could be yours soon, if you have a fat wallet

Since last year, we’ve seen several good attempts to resurrect the charm of old BlackBerry devices without the burden of an operating system that’s no longer maintained or supported. The momentum continues in 2026, with at least three brands launching their phones with a physical QWERTY keyboard. However, all of these options, including the Clicks Communicator, the UNIHERTZ Titan 2 Elite, and the newest Minimal Phone 2, share an identity only inspired by BlackBerry. However, if you want a phone that’s actually a BlackBerry — albeit without the OS, a bunch of small brands and enthusiasts already have retrofits on offer. One of them is close to making their second BlackBerry model available soon.

Zinwa Technologies, a Chinese brand, has been selling DIY kits along with a BlackBerry Classic refurb running on Android for over a year now. The company has also been working on restoring the BlackBerry Passport for almost a year now, using various permutations and combinations of hardware that would work. Finally, the momentum is coming closer to fruition, with the brand now announcing pre-orders for the device.

Zinwa revealed the news on its Discord server, noting that the fully assembled Passport-inspired model, which Zinwa calls P26, will be ready for pre-orders starting later this week, i.e., on October 3. Meanwhile, shipments start around late October.

There are no disclosures around the price of the device yet, but the brand already sells a P26 DIY kit for $620 (shipping excluded), so there’s a good chance you would be paying $700 or even more for the finished product. That’s definitely more than all of the products we listed above, but you’re likely paying a collector’s fee for the relic and the authentic BB keyboard.

From the DIY kit, we also have a good idea of this Passport-resurrect’s specifications. You’ll get a MediaTek Helio G99 SoC paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That chipset means you’ll miss out on 5G, but that’s the price of reviving old tech. It has a 3,900mAh battery, and the USB port has been swapped for USB-C. It also gets a new 50MP camera on the back and an 8MP shooter on the front, while retaining the 3.5mm headphone jack from the original design.

In terms of software, the DIY kit still runs Android 14, and buyers of the assembled model will likely get that soon. In another video, the brand showcased the touchpad embedded in the keyboard working well (since the Passport lacked a dedicated capacitive trackpad), so don’t expect that to be a hiccup.

If you’re determined to get one, make sure you track Zinwa’s online store for updates, starting October 3, especially as there would be limited stock.