The Legend · September 24, 2014
They called it impossible
When the world demanded taller glass, BlackBerry forged a square — codename Windmere, model SQW100-1. A legend of silicon, steel, and enterprise-grade trust.
Chapter I — The Prologue
In the autumn of 2014, BlackBerry unveiled a device that defied every convention of the smartphone age. Not taller. Not thinner. Square. Inspired by the travel passport — the universal symbol of mobility — the BlackBerry Passport carried a name that promised passage to a world where professionals could see more, type faster, and trust deeper.
Internally codenamed Windmere, FCC-certified as L6ARGY180LW, retailing as SQW100-1 (GSM/LTE) and SQW100-2 (CDMA/LTE), the Passport was not a phone. It was a statement — forged stainless steel, Paratek tunable antennas, and a silicon stack that teardown artists called genuinely high-end.
FCC approved July 30, 2014 · Launched Toronto, London, Dubai · September 24, 2014
Chapter II — The Form
The forged stainless-steel frame doubles as a structural I-beam antenna. Gorilla Glass 3 guards a JDI square panel codenamed Panorama. The capacitive QWERTY keyboard — three rows, touch-sensitive — lets you swipe on physical keys like a trackpad.
"The BlackBerry Passport allows you to work wide with its touch-enabled keyboard and large square touchscreen." — John Chen, Executive Chairman & CEO, BlackBerry
Chapter III — The Silicon
CrackBerry teardowns and FCC filings reveal a motherboard layout echoing the Q10 — Package-on-Package RAM atop the SoC, eMMC 5.0 NAND, and a radio stack built for global LTE Cat 4 deployment.
The heart beats at 2265 MHz — though BlackBerry advertised 2.2 GHz.
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 · MSM8974-AA v3 · 28 nm HKMG · LTE Cat 4 |
|---|---|
| CPU | Quad-core Qualcomm Krait 400 @ 2.2 GHz (measured 2265 MHz) · ARMv7 · 32-bit |
| GPU | Qualcomm Adreno 330 @ 450 MHz · OpenGL ES 3.0 · OpenCL 1.2 |
| RAM | 3 GB LPDDR3 · Samsung K3QF6F60MM-QGCF · PoP atop SoC · 800 MHz bus (rated 933 MHz) |
| Storage | 32 GB eMMC 5.0 (HS400) · ~25 GB user-available · Samsung KLMBG4GEAC or Toshiba 032GE4 (unit-dependent) |
| eMMC perf | Samsung: ~270 MB/s read · ~70 MB/s write (theoretical) · Toshiba 032GE4: ~210 MB/s read · ~66 MB/s write (measured) |
| Expansion | Hot-swappable microSDXC up to 128 GB · UHS-I supported |
| Manufacturer | Japan Display Inc. (JDI) · codename Panorama |
|---|---|
| Type | 4.5″ IPS LCD · in-cell · 1:1 aspect ratio · RGB stripe pixel arrangement |
| Resolution | 1440 × 1440 px · 453 PPI · 24-bit color depth (16.7M colors) |
| Touch | 10-point capacitive multi-touch · Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Viewing | Equivalent content width to a 5″ 16:9 phone · ~60 characters per line in email · ~56.5% screen-to-body ratio |
| Thickness | 9.3 mm body · 9.6 mm at camera bump (per BlackBerry mechanical spec) |
Three rows where rivals had four. The frets are steel; the surface is a trackpad.
| Layout | 29-key 3-row QWERTY · center spacebar · symbols/Shift via context toolbar on display |
|---|---|
| Touch IC | Synaptics S3501B or S3508A · RMI4 protocol · I²C to SoC · capacitive swipe gestures on key tops |
| Connector | Hirose BM14B(0.8)-24DS-0.4V · 28-pin keyboard FFC · row/column matrix + touch bus |
| Backlight | White LEDs per row · auto-on keypress · left/right anode drive · row cathodes on pins 20/21/24 |
| EMI filter | STMicro EMIF04-1K030F3 · 9-pad BGA between keyboard matrix and PMIC input |
| Gestures | Up/down scroll · flick-to-type · word-delete swipe · fine cursor control · haptic touch feedback on glass |
| Cellular RF | Qualcomm WTR1625L RF transceiver · Qualcomm RF7389 envelope tracking / PA |
|---|---|
| 2G / 3G | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 · EDGE · HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 · DC-HSDPA 42.2 Mbps (Cat 20) |
| LTE | Cat 4 · 150 Mbps down / 50 Mbps up · Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 20 (region/SKU dependent) |
| CDMA SKU | SQW100-2 adds CDMA2000 1x/EV-DO for North American carriers alongside LTE |
| Power Mgmt | Qualcomm PM8941 (front) · Qualcomm PM8841 (rear) · integrated charging for 3450 mAh Li-Po |
| Wi-Fi / BT | Broadcom BCM4339 · dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac · Wi-Fi Direct · hotspot · 802.11r/k · Bluetooth 4.0 + LE · A2DP, HFP, MAP, PBAP, PAN, HID, rSAP |
| NFC | Broadcom BCM20795 MCM · NFC controller + STMicro M24256KB secure-element die · card emulation · BlackBerry Smart Tags |
| GPS | GPS · GLONASS · A-GPS · OTDOA · user-plane & control-plane · preloaded BlackBerry Maps |
| Audio | Qualcomm WCD9320 codec · 4× MEMS microphones · dual bottom-firing speakers on antenna board · 3.5 mm TRRS · FM 76–108 MHz w/ RDS · Natural Sound adaptive call volume · hearing-aid M4 |
| USB | micro-USB 2.0 · charging · USB OTG 1.3 host mode · mass-storage / peripheral attach |
| Video Out | Analogix ANX7808 SlimPort · up to 1080p over USB · DLNA · Miracast wireless display |
| Antenna | Paratek tunable antenna technology · forged stainless-steel I-beam frame radiator · antennas integrated in speaker board plastics |
| SIM | Nano-SIM (4FF) · 1.8 V / 3.0 V · SAR Head 0.51 · Body 1.45 W/kg |
| Accel / Gyro | STM LSM330DC 6-axis combo (on early boards) · LSM303D e-Compass · L3GD20 3-axis gyroscope |
|---|---|
| Proximity | STM VL6180 Time-of-Flight proximity & ambient light sensor |
| Sensor Hub | STMicro Avengers sensor hub IC · aggregates motion, compass, ALS data · 13+ known hardware revisions with differing backlight & amp circuits |
Note: At least 13 hardware revisions (SQW100-1) exist with different display backlight drivers and audio amplifier wiring. Sensors remain STMicro across revisions.
| Rear | 13 MP · 4160×3120 · 5-element f/2.0 lens · 30 mm equiv · OIS + digital EIS · BSI sensor · LED flash · 1080p @ 60 fps · HDR · panorama · burst · face/geo-tag |
|---|---|
| Front | 2 MP (1.9 MP effective) fixed-focus · f/2.8 · 720p video · 3× digital zoom · modules from SEMCO or LG Innotek — 5 factory variants |
| Scanner | BB10.3 Document Scanner · multi-frame capture stitches up to 24 MP flatbed-quality scans of paper/whiteboards |
| Silver Ed. | Later Passport Silver Edition (SQW100-3) swapped front sensor to LGIT for reduced shutter lag · rear module unchanged |
| Battery | 3450 mAh Li-Polymer · 12.92 Wh · 3.8–4.35 V · non-removable · G974280VC604 · 30+ hrs mixed use · 23 hrs talk · 444 hrs standby |
|---|---|
| Playback | Up to 91 hrs audio · 11 hrs video · 14 hrs 2G talk (lab rated) |
| Frame | Forged stainless steel I-beam · plastic back · perforated PMIC/SoC heatshields w/ graphite thermal tape |
| Dimensions | 128.0 × 90.3 × 9.3 mm (5.04 × 3.56 × 0.37 in) · 194–196 g (6.84–6.91 oz) |
| Assembly | Foxconn manufacture · motherboard right-side layout (Q10 heritage) · 13+ PCB revisions |
| Colors | Black · White · Red Limited Edition · Gold · AT&T rounded-edge variant · Silver Edition (2015) |
Four faces of the same legend: the square global retail unit, Ma Bell's softer redesign, the premium Silver refresh, and the internal Android builds that never shipped — but made LineageOS possible years later.
SQW100-1 · Windmere / Wolverine · FCC L6ARGY180LW
The original September 2014 launch unit — square forged-steel frame, sharp corners, plastic back, the full "work wide" statement.
Carrier-exclusive shell · Feb 20, 2015 · $199 / $649
Same Snapdragon 801 motherboard inside — AT&T demanded a gentler exterior. Rounded corners, continuous metal band, softer back. Less boardroom blade, more pocket-friendly.
SQW100-3 / SQW100-4 · Dallas / Oslo · FCC L6ARGV160LW
August 2015 premium refresh — not just a color swap. Expanded stainless steel, rubberized diamond-texture back, larger keyboard chin, smoother keys, LG Innotek front camera for faster shutter.
Internal only · AAA / AAB / AAC build labels · NOT FOR SALE
Before the Priv, BlackBerry ran native Android on Passport hardware in the lab. Dozens of prototypes surfaced (documented by Guizmox, Balika011, LPC Wiki) — black, white, and Silver shells from Android 4.4.2 through 5.1.
AAA596 (Android 5.0.2, Mar 2015)AAC014 white Passport (Jul 2015)Why it matters today: prototype boot images + eMMC research enabled community ports — LineageOS 18.1 via eMMC swap (Balika011), Clean R2 BB10 ROM (FerreirAPABLO), xtwk.Harpocrat flavor.
BlackBerry pulled the Android Passport shortly before Silver Edition launch — screen aspect ratio and app ecosystem weren't ready. The Priv (Nov 2015) became the first retail Android BlackBerry instead.
| SQW100-2 | Planned CDMA2000 / EV-DO + LTE Verizon variant — launch cancelled; test units handed to carrier, none known in collector circulation |
|---|---|
| HW revisions | 13+ SQW100-1 PCB spins — different backlight drivers & audio amps; sensors & SoC stack unchanged |
| Unreleased | Porsche Design P'9984 (Keian) · Verizon CDMA prototype — among rarest BlackBerry hardware |
| Kernel | QNX Neutrino 6.6 microkernel · process-isolated drivers · upgradable to 10.3.3 |
|---|---|
| Android | Amazon Appstore preloaded · Android 4.3 APK runtime (sideload) · Trend Micro app integrity scan |
| Productivity | BlackBerry Hub · Docs To Go · Remember notes · Story Maker video editor · Spreadsheet/Slide editor |
| Assistant | BlackBerry Assistant (10.3) · voice + typed commands · calendar, dial, BBM, device settings |
| Desktop | BlackBerry Blend · USB/Wi-Fi tunnel to macOS/Windows · Hub, SMS, files on desktop |
| Browser | WebKit-based · desktop-class page rendering · 1440 px square viewport shows full sites without horizontal pan |
At a Glance
BlackBerry 10.3 → 10.3.3 · QNX Neutrino 6.6 · Document Scanner · Assistant
Amazon Appstore · Android 4.3 APK sideload · BlackBerry World native
Synaptics touch IC · 29 keys · flick typing · USB OTG host
LTE Cat 4 150/50 Mbps · HSPA+ 42 Mbps · GSM quad-band · NFC BCM20795
Chapter IV — The Citadel
The Passport was built for CIOs who still believed endpoints matter. Every boot verified. Work and personal worlds separated at the filesystem. BES12 managed it all from a single console — iOS, Android, and BlackBerry 10 alike.
Chain of trust begins in immutable Boot ROM on the SoC, verified by an EC 521 public cryptography key. Each stage signs the next:
BB10 runs on QNX Neutrino — only the microkernel and process manager hold root. Drivers, radios, and apps run as isolated processes:
Logical separation of Work Space and Personal Space on a single device — separate encryption keys, apps, network policies, and file stores:
BlackBerry Enterprise Service — unified EMM for BB10, iOS, Android (incl. Samsung KNOX), and Windows:
Enterprise messaging hardened at the protocol level:
On-device security tooling and data protection:
| VPN | IPsec/IKEv2 · SSL VPN · per-app VPN in work perimeter · BlackBerry MDS legacy support |
|---|---|
| Certificates | Mutual TLS · SCEP enrollment · MS ActiveSync cert-based auth · smart card reader support (via Bluetooth) |
| Compliance | FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography modules · Common Criteria EAL4+ (platform) · HIPAA/SOX-ready architecture |
| Activation | BES12 activation via QR code, enterprise Wi-Fi, or USB · anti-theft protection · compliance state monitoring |
| Auditing | Device event logging to BES · IT policy violation alerts · application inventory reporting |
Chapter V — The Editions
Black for the boardroom. White for the clinic. Red Limited for the collector. Gold for those who already had everything — plus the 2015 Silver Edition with expanded steel.
Black
White
Red Limited
Gold
Photography
Official product shots, hands-on captures, and high-resolution photography.
The Codex
Official manuals and our technical reference — hosted right here.