WATERLOO — BlackBerry will launch its much-anticipated Classic smartphone at an event in New York on Wednesday.

Chief executive officer John Chen will unveil the new phone at Cipriana, an Italian restaurant in New York's financial district.

The Classic will run on the BlackBerry 10 operating system, but it brings back features that made the company's older Bold phone one of its most popular devices.

Those features includes a physical keyboard, and a "belt" row of function keys, including call, menu, track-pad, back and end buttons.

The phone, which is larger than the Bold and has a 3.5-inch display, is designed to appeal to business users, especially those who mainly use their phone for typing emails.

BlackBerry announced plans for the Classic in February.

In an open letter to customers on the Inside BlackBerry blog in October, Chen said the phone reflects the adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

He said the company recognizes that "a lot of you continue to hang on to your Bold devices because they get the job done, day in and day out – just like you."

"We get it, and we've got you covered," he said.

The Classic's launch comes almost three months after BlackBerry unveiled the Passport, its large, square-screened device.

BlackBerry started take pre-orders for the Classic last month.