Ah, the BlackBerry. Has a piece of technology ever gone from “wave of the future” to “object of ironic nostalgia” so quickly? Although technology enthusiasts and business efficiency gurus embraced the BlackBerry during its early years on the market, the rise of smartphones made this trailblazer obsolete. So, it can be easy to forget that the BlackBerry actually offered some genuinely useful features that users still lack today.
Users who long for the good old days of BlackBerry may not simply be looking at the past through rose-colored glasses. They highlight several key benefits offered by the device, which are harder to obtain these days. While it’s unlikely that the BlackBerry will make a strong enough comeback to unseat its smartphone descendants, it’s worth noting that some BlackBerry features are being integrated into newer smartphone models. The past may be the past, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn a lesson or two from it.
BlackBerry fans miss the keyboard
According to users of Reddit’s /r/blackberry subreddit, the device’s keyboard is one of the features they wish today’s smartphones offered. These users may be grateful to learn that this feature will make a return to modern devices in 2026. However, for many years, it was virtually impossible to find a mainstream smartphone with a physical BlackBerry-style keyboard that didn’t require users to type on a screen.
The specific reasons why someone might miss a BlackBerry’s QWERTY keyboard may vary from user to user. For example, today a mobile device can function as a person’s primary computer. This means they use their phones to type everything from search queries to long emails. Some may find that typing on a traditional physical keyboard, even if small, can be more comfortable than typing on a screen.
The BlackBerry keyboard could also (perhaps surprisingly) serve as a bridge between generations. Many technical users have learned to type on QWERTY keyboards. So this style of keyboard might be the one they are naturally more accustomed to. On the other hand, as younger generations embrace various forms of retro technology (from physical media to miniature digital cameras), a BlackBerry keyboard could offer a welcome slice of variety.
The overall build quality and design of the BlackBerry is something fans are nostalgic for.
On Reddit’s /r/blackberry sub, those who long for the days when BlackBerry reigned supreme complain that today’s typical smartphone is “just a slab” compared to the iconic device that brought mobile digital assistants to the masses. Although the BlackBerry’s design wasn’t necessarily bold or dramatic, its sleek minimalism offered a sense of “character” that some say is missing from today’s smartphones.
Other users also point out that the design of many BlackBerry models offers practical advantages that smartphones often don’t offer. For example, one user explains that the “textured” back of a BlackBerry made it easier to hold. As such, a common problem on smartphones – easily dropping a phone and breaking the screen – was much less of an issue with the BlackBerry.
Although the size of smartphones can also vary somewhat, another Reddit user explains that a BlackBerry can still fit easily in one hand and in any functional pocket. Carrying a smartphone in your pocket is a little more cumbersome.
BlackBerry Enthusiasts Claim BlackBerry Battery Life Was Superior
Some of the most attractive “features” of a classic BlackBerry may also be some of the simplest. When discussing battery life on the /r/blackberry subreddit, users state that the BlackBerry Classic appears to have an average battery life of three days.
This is an area where the BlackBerry could be the big winner. When testing the average battery life of a typical smartphone, tech reviewers found that even the best performers don’t last much more than 24 hours without recharging.
Granted, the gap between the battery life of a BlackBerry and that of a smartphone may be due in part to the fact that a smartphone can technically serve more purposes than a BlackBerry. If a device is used more, its battery will naturally drain more quickly. Either way, not having to constantly search for charging solutions is one of the benefits of the BlackBerry that fans sorely miss in the age of smartphones that need to be plugged in at least once a day.
Some BlackBerry fans miss the LACK of features
We may be cheating a little with this entry. Unlike the others here, this is not a specific feature of BlackBerry devices that some users miss. Rather, it is an absence of unnecessary features.
Today’s smartphones offer undeniable convenience. You can do a lot of things when you have a computer in your pocket. However, some will say that smartphones give us too much to do.
The abundance of apps and features available on smartphones can make it easy to become addicted to a device when you take it out to perform a simple task. You only wanted to check your email, but now you’re scrolling through Instagram, getting into Reddit rage wars, checking how many steps you’ve taken today, and opening stupid dopamine-rewarded gaming apps, all of which drain your time and mental bandwidth.
This was not the case with the BlackBerry. As users of Reddit’s /r/blackberry community explain, the BlackBerry was “a personal assistant in its truest form.” It offered “calls, texts, emails” without “those other unwanted smartphones that trap us and our children in our phones.”
This is perhaps what BlackBerry fans miss the most. A BlackBerry was definitely useful. However, unlike smartphones, it wasn’t as dangerous. If we can’t bring back the BlackBerry entirely, maybe we can at least learn to use our modern devices the same way we used the BlackBerry: only when we need to.
