The rumored square BlackBerry is real. The Canadian phone maker this week unveiled the 4.5-inch Passport smartphone, which ditches the standard rectangular shape for a square setup.

"We've been living in a rectangular world for quite some time and know it's a great ergonomic design that drives content, media consumption and quick communications. However, the rectangle has become a de facto approach to smartphone design, perhaps limiting innovations," BlackBerry said in a blog post.

The company said the Passport offers the same viewing space as a 5-inch phone, "but offers an even better viewing experience because of the screen's width." Current rectangular smartphones show about 40 characters per line, while the BlackBerry Passport will show 60.

"No more worrying about portrait or landscape modes, and no; you aren't missing anything," the company said.

The device seems to be geared more toward business clientele. BlackBerry pointed to use cases such as architects and mortgage brokers who could look at full designs and schematics on the go, easier navigation of Web-based trading platforms for those in finance, and a keyboard that takes up less screen real estate for those who need to get writing done.

That keyboard will be virtual, BlackBerry said; no physical keys here. But the company had no other details about the phone's specs, or information about a release date or cost.

Reports of the BlackBerry Passport first emerged in March with rumors about a phablet-sized device, codenamed Windermere.