BlackBerry PRIV Android Slider Preorders Open At $699
We kicked the week off with an overdue reveal of BlackBerry's upcoming flagship smartphone, called PRIV. As the week went on, we learned all about what BlackBerry is doing to make PRIV the most secure Android device ever, and just yesterday, we got our first hint of what the phone might cost.
Interestingly, when BlackBerry accidentally let the sale page for PRIV go live yesterday, it was priced at $749. Either the company made a last-minute tweak or that price was simply incorrect, because now that the page has gone live (once again), it's priced at $699.
With the sale page live, we can pore over the list of officially official specs. From the top, PRIV is a 5.3-inch smartphone that implements a curved screen. It also boasts the mammoth resolution of 2560x1440, resulting in a ppi of 540. The phone measures 147 x 77.2 x 9.4mm, weighs 192g, and has 3GB of memory and 32GB of storage as standard (there are no other options.) Of course, it also includes a hardware keyboard, which will undoubtedly be one of the biggest features of the phone.
While Marshmallow is now the latest Android OS, PRIV will ship with 5.1.1. We can't imagine that it'd take too long to see 6.0, but given the huge number of security features BlackBerry is directly responsible for on PRIV, its release shouldn't be quick, either.
At the back of the PRIV is a huge 18 megapixel camera that boasts a number of common features, such as image stabilization, HDR, and auto-focus. It also supports 4K recording at 30 FPS, and 1080p at 60 FPS. At the front is a modest 2 megapixel camera that can record at 720p.
Somewhat interestingly, BlackBerry has decided to stick with the traditional microUSB 2.0 connector, in lieu of USB-C (HTC's just-announced One A9 also sticks to microUSB 2.0). While it'd be nice to have the benefits of USB-C, BlackBerry helps make up for it by packing a huge 3,410mAh battery under PRIV's hood.
BlackBerry also confirms that this phone will not work on Verizon, Sprint, or US Cellular. Your only choices right now would be AT&T and T-Mobile. This is unfortunate to see given that this is a release BlackBerry really should be trying hard to get into the hands of as many people as possible. What is it with companies that want to shoot themselves in the foot?
