BlackBerry’s first foray into the world of Android devices comes in the form of the upcoming BlackBerry Priv. Originally introduced in September, the lure of the device will reportedly be a melding of Android with traditional BlackBerry security and productivity features. Now whether or not users will care is another question entirely, but that’s the strategy that BlackBerry has opted to go all-in with.
Now we’ve already seen some official shots of the BlackBerry Priv surface over the past few weeks (see above), but derStandard over the weekend published new photos which provide our closest look yet at the hardware BlackBerry is hoping might keep it from abandoning the smartphone market altogether.
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The photos below are reportedly of a pre-production unit. Still, it’s a good bet that not much will change from a design perspective before the device ultimately launches in a few months.
Here’s a close-up view of the Priv’s keyboard. “The keyboard is integrated via a slider mechanism on the lower side,” derStandard writes. “It gives a very sturdy impression. The little gap between keyboard and the actual body, however, tends to accumulate dust and dirt.”
A little side view photo action here. For those curious, the two larger buttons on the left and right are volume rockers while the smaller button in the middle reportedly activates the device’s notification center.
And a look at the rear facing camera with dual-tone LED flash.
Spec wise, the BlackBerry Priv will likely sport a 5.4-inch quad HD display, an 18 megapixel camera, 3 3GB of RAM, a hexa-core 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808 processor, and 32GB of storage. For those who need a bit more space, not to worry, the device comes equipped with a microSD slot. The front-facing camera, meanwhile, features a 5 megapixel sensor.
derStandard adds that the Priv will run Android 5.1 and has a rather impressive display. On the negative side of things, the publication writes that the material on the back has a very rubbery feel and is “far from premium.”
Make sure to hit the source link below for even more first-hand impressions of the Priv, including some sample photos taken with the device.
Now all that said, we also have some pricing information to divulge.
phoneArena over the weekend published a report indicating that BlackBerry’s upcoming Android-based flagship will be sold in China for 3999 Yuan, the equivalent to about $630. While it remains to be seen how the device will be priced in the U.S., note that the average selling price on all BlackBerry smartphones last quarter checked in at just $240. In other words, it’s a safe bet that BlackBerry is not only positioning the Priv as a premium device, but will be pricing it accordingly.
As for when the Priv might show up in stores, well, that remains open to speculation. The latest rumblings from the rumor mill have suggested that a full product introduction is slated for November ahead of an anticipated launch window sometime during Q1 of 2016.
