The BlackBerry Priv is the first BlackBerry smartphone to be powered by a non-BlackBerry operating system and this is none other than the most popular mobile OS in the world – Android.
The handset came with Android Lollipop out of the box but has since been updated to the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It is also expected that BlackBerry will avail Android Nougat update to those already using this pricey handset.
Speaking of pricey handsets, the BlackBerry is, without doubt, an expensive piece of gadget. With an asking price of $649 for an unlocked variant, it means the handset sits in the same category with the likes of iPhone 6S and Samsung Galaxy S7, but for a company that it trying to attract a new following in the smartphone market, this has proven to be too high a price.
To make amends, BlackBerry is running a limited offer that ends on the last day of this month. With the offer, the BlackBerry Priv is now available at a huge discount of $150, meaning you can now get the phone for just $499. This is good news for anyone who has been looking to get their hands on a flagship BlackBerry handset, but this might be a way for the company to clear the stock as it looks to start shipping the new BlackBerry DTEK50.
For $499, you will be getting a great handset that comes with features such as a 5.4-inch QHD display screen with a resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels. Like Samsung, the BlackBerry Priv skipped the use of the last year’s flagship chipset from Qualcomm – Snapdragon 810 – and instead went for a slightly older chipset in the shape of Snapdragon 808. Still, this handset delivers the best performance thanks to other features such as RAM of 3GB as well as 32GB of expandable storage. The back of the handset has an 18MP snapper and you also get a decent battery unit of 3410mAh.