Blackberry’s First Android Device, the Blackberry Priv
The Blackberry Priv stands for “privacy” and “privilege” and it’s worth $700. Instead of using the BlackBerry mobile OS, this newest phone from BlackBerry is the first among the Canadian company’s devices to run on Android.
Personally, this is an exciting phone despite the skepticism on the Blackberry Priv because it one of the few phones that fulfills Android’s which is to provide a big diversity of hardware choices. This latest smartphone carries the tradition of what Blackberry got known for – the QWERTY keyboard and encryption.
Physical QWERTY Keyboard
All Android phones provide the option of using a QWERTY keyboard on the smartphone’s glass screen but only Blackberry Priv boasts of a real, physical keyboard as part of its hardware. The advantage is it doesn’t decrease the amount of viewable space on the screen while typing – you get to look at the whole screen when you’re typing out a message. The only disadvantage is the keyboard swipe used to auto-complete a suggested word. Maybe Blackberry might provide an innovation in future software updates. And, you could still use the Priv without ever needing to slide the keyboard out.
Keyboard Tricks
With the BlackBerry Priv, you can set up long-press single key shortcuts to all kinds of stuff from the homescreen. You can “just type” to search from the homescreen too. There are shortcuts to scroll to the top or bottom of lists. You can slide your finger over the keyboard to scroll. You can double tap on it to turn on a cursor mode, so you can slide your finger around to position the cursor. You can swipe down when you’re typing to get fast access to a big list of symbols.
Security
BlackBerry’s security can’t be matched, that’s a known fact. Everything on the Blackberry Priv is locked down with BlackBerry’s robust proprietary encryption. And this QWERTY Android smartphone will also receive monthly security updates from Google much quicker than most Android phones, as the updates won’t need to go through your carrier’s software approval process.
Blackberry Priv Main Specifications and Price
Screen: 5.4-inch 1440 x 2560 pixel display
Processor: Dual-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A57 & quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53
Memory: 32 GB, 3 GB RAM
Camera: 18 megapixels
OS: Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)
Price: $700
Blackberry Priv Full Specifications
NETWORK
Technology: GSM / HSPA / LTE
BODY
Dimensions: 147 x 77.2 x 9.4 mm (5.79 x 3.04 x 0.37 in)
Weight: 192 g (6.77 oz)
Keyboard: QWERTY, Capacitive touch 4-row BlackBerry keyboard
SIM: Nano-SIM
DISPLAY
Type: AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size: 5.4 inches (~71.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution: 1440 x 2560 pixels (~540 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch: Yes, up to 10 fingers
Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Curved edge screen
PLATFORM
OS: Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop)
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808
CPU: Dual-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A57 & quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Adreno 418
MEMORY
Card slot: microSD, up to 200 GB
Internal: 32 GB, 3 GB RAM
CAMERA
Primary 18 MP, Schneider-Kreuznach optics, optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
Features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
Video: 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps
Secondary: 2 MP, 720p
SOUND
Alert types: Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker: Yes
3.5mm jack: Yes
COMMS
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth: v4.1, A2DP, EDR, LE
GPS: Yes, with A-GPS
NFC: Yes
Radio: No
USB: microUSB v2.0 (SlimPort 4K)
FEATURES
Sensors: Accelerometer, altimeter, gyro, ToF proximity, compass
Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM, BBM
Browser: HTML5
Java: No
– Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
– Fast battery charging: 60% in 30 min (Quick Charge 2.0)
– Optional Wireless Charging (Qi/PMA-enabled)
– MP3/WAV/eAAC+/FlAC player
– MP4/H.264 player
– Photo/video editor
– Document viewer
BATTERY
Li-Ion 3410 mAh battery