The BlackBerry Passport was weird even by 2014 standards. It was unusually wide, almost square, and paired a 4.5-inch 1440 x 1440 display with a physical QWERTY keyboard that could also respond to touch gestures. One-handed use was awkward and videos looked strange on the square screen, but documents, spreadsheets, email, and websites had far more breathing room than on most phones of its era.
More than a decade later, that oddball design is getting another chance. Zinwa Technologies has opened preorders for the P26, a modernized BlackBerry Passport that keeps the original shell, touchscreen, and physical keyboard while replacing the aging internals with a new motherboard and Android 14.
The complete phone costs $420, with shipments expected to begin in late October 2026. It is not an official BlackBerry revival, and these are not brand-new phones either. Zinwa is taking used Passport shells in good condition, installing its P26 motherboard and replacement components, then selling the result as a complete Android device.
The strange parts of the Passport are still here
The P26 keeps the original 4.5-inch square display and its 1440 x 1440 resolution. More importantly, Zinwa has retained the physical QWERTY keyboard, which can also double as a capacitive trackpad for scrolling and other gestures. Inside, Zinwa has fitted a MediaTek Helio G99 alongside 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS storage. Android 14 comes with Google Mobile Services, while connectivity includes dual-SIM 4G LTE and VoLTE.
A new 3,900mAh battery replaces the original cell, while USB-C supports 33W charging. There is also a 50MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie camera. The 3.5mm headphone jack and notification LED remain, although there is no NFC, 5G, or microSD expansion. Zinwa is also selling the P26 as a DIY motherboard upgrade for people who already own a Passport.
Zinwa has already tried this with another BlackBerry
Zinwa previously gave the BlackBerry Classic similar treatment with its Q25 project, keeping the original chassis and keyboard while replacing the motherboard and moving the phone to Android. It also used the Helio G99 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
One Q25 owner praised the keyboard, battery life, and call quality, while regular Android apps worked as expected. The experience was not completely polished, though, with complaints about touchscreen responsiveness, the SIM tray, and the condition of the reused shell.
