BlackBerry Priv Smartphone Review and Comparison

The BlackBerry Priv is a unique smartphone that combines Android with a physical keyboard. It was announced in September 2015.

The phone has a 5.4-inch display and a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels. Its processor is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor, clocked at 1.8 GHz.

The BlackBerry Priv has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, expandable up to 2TB via microSD card. It also features a 18MP camera with optical zoom and a 2MP front camera.

The BlackBerry Priv's specifications make it a solid choice for those looking for a productivity tool. It boasts a 5.4-inch AMOLED display with a Quad HD resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 540 ppi.

The processor is a 1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808, paired with an Adreno 418 GPU for smooth graphics performance.

With 3 GB of RAM, the Priv can handle multiple tasks with ease. The storage is 32 GB, but it's expandable via microSD up to 200 GB, giving you plenty of space for files and apps.

The camera is one of the areas where the Priv falls short, featuring an 18 MP rear camera with OIS and a dual LED flash, but no Schneider-Kreuznach optics are mentioned for the front-facing camera, which is a 2 MP camera.

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, A-GPS, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, and microUSB 2.0.

The battery life is decent, with a 3,410 mAh capacity. The operating system is Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, which may not be the latest version but still provides a solid foundation for productivity.

Here are the Priv's key specifications at a glance:

The BlackBerry Priv features a 5.43 in (138 mm) 1440p AMOLED display, slightly curved around the horizontal sides of the device. This display is a great size for reading and browsing, and the AMOLED technology ensures vibrant colors and deep blacks.

The rear of the device is coated in a "glass weave" material, giving it a sleek and premium feel. I've handled my fair share of smartphones, and this design is definitely eye-catching.

The screen can be slid up to reveal a hardware keyboard, similar to the BlackBerry Passport. This keyboard is touch-sensitive and can register sliding gestures across its keys for scrolling, text selection, and autocomplete suggestions.

A bezel on the left acts as a power button, while two bezels on the right serve as volume up/down buttons separately. The Priv also features a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 system-on-chip with 3 GB of RAM.

Take a look at this: Blackberry Phones with Keyboard

The BlackBerry Priv's design and build quality are a mixed bag. The phone has a 5.4-inch AMOLED display with a Quad HD resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 540 ppi.

The display curves down on the left and right side, similar to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. The curve is a rather useless gimmick, and it seems out of place on a business phone like the Priv.

The phone has a rubbery plastic back that's squishy and deforms when you press on it. This wouldn't be a huge deal for a bargain device, but it's unacceptable for a $700 phone.

The display is a plastic AMOLED display, reminding us a lot of what we've seen from the LG G Flex. For some colors, the display puts out an uneven color and ends up looking dirty or grainy.

The buttons are plastic with a shiny faux-chrome finish, and there are four buttons: Power, volume up, volume down, and a button BlackBerry calls "mute."

The BlackBerry Priv's camera is a mixed bag. It has an 18 MP shooter with optical image stabilization and optics from Schneider-Kreuznach, which is a reputable European company.

The camera app is quite rudimentary, with only a few modes available, including Video, Panorama, and HDR, which is Auto capable. Manual control is limited, with only the ability to change exposure compensation.

Shooting pictures can take a solid second, and it gets even slower with HDR on. To shave off some time, you can change the picture quality from Fine to Standard, but it only helps a little.

The camera app has a frustrating feature: it goes back to default settings each time it's opened, forcing you to turn off the flash every time. This got annoying really fast, especially for someone who shoots without flash most of the time.

Pictures in bright light look quite good, with adequate color saturation and a bit of a boost in HDR. However, lower light situations show the flaws, with processing looking a bit too aggressive, resulting in smudgy photos.

The auto white balancing is sensitive, leading to pictures that are too warm at times. This is also a problem with spot metering, which tends to overcompensate, making surrounding areas either blown out or too dark.

The Priv features a unique keyboard that can be slid up from the screen. It's touch-sensitive and can register sliding gestures for scrolling, text selection, and autocomplete suggestions.

This design is similar to the BlackBerry Passport. The keyboard is a key feature of the Priv, offering a tactile typing experience.

The shorter, shallower key on the left can only be used as a mute button. It doesn't have the same functionality as the Passport's key, which called up the assistant.

The keyboard is a thoughtful addition to the Priv's design, providing a more traditional typing experience in a world of touchscreens.

The BlackBerry Priv shipped with Android 5.1.1 "Lollipop", but that's not all - it also came with a unique user experience customized with additional features and BlackBerry-developed apps.

The Priv's user experience was heavily influenced by BlackBerry's own operating system, BB10, and included a feature called BlackBerry Hub, which aggregates notifications and content from multiple sources and allows for granular management of messages and "snoozing" based on time, location or network availability.

BlackBerry Hub also integrates with Google Search, allowing you to access it alongside BlackBerry Search when swiping from the bottom of the screen.

The Priv's "Productivity Edge" feature allows a tab to be shown on either the left or right curve of the display, which can be dragged out to display an agenda screen.

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A progress bar can also be displayed on an edge when the device is charging.

The DTEK app provides an overview of the security and privacy status of the device based on best practices, and gives notifications when apps attempt to access sensitive information or permissions.

The Priv also integrates with the pre-existing Android for Work suite, which allows personal and work-oriented data on a device to be segregated.

In late-April 2016, BlackBerry released an upgrade to Android 6.0 "Marshmallow", which added features like S/MIME, Slack, Skype, and Pinterest support to BlackBerry Hub, and enabled slide input on the physical keyboard.

Regular security updates for the Priv ended in December 2017, although out-of-band updates would still be released in case of critical vulnerabilities.

There is ongoing unofficial development work to port Android 11 to the Priv, using LineageOS 18.1 as a base.

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The BlackBerry Priv was a smartphone that simply couldn't compete with its Android counterparts.

One major issue was its price, which was set at $699 - a whopping premium compared to other high-end Android devices.

The Priv's keyboard was a major selling point, but it wasn't enough to justify the high cost.

With a 3.18 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, the Priv was no slouch in the performance department.

However, its camera was lacking, with a 18-megapixel sensor that couldn't quite keep up with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S6.

The Priv's battery life was also a concern, with some users reporting that it only lasted a day with moderate use.

The BlackBerry Priv has its own set of limitations when it comes to social media apps. You can try accessing Facebook and other social media apps, but they might not work perfectly due to the outdated Android 6.0 operating system.

Most Google Play apps are still compatible, so you can try installing them to see if they work for you.

YouTube support is available, but you can also access it via Google search engine if you prefer.

Related reading: List of Google Play Edition Devices

The BlackBerry Priv's performance is on par with other devices that use the same 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808 processor.

You can expect similar performance to the Nexus 5X, which also uses this processor.

The 3410mAh battery is another area where the Priv shines, offering similar specs to the Nexus 6P and matching its performance in our tests.

However, the Nexus 6P will have an edge in standby time thanks to Marshmallow's Doze mode.

The Priv's processor is a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808, clocked at 1.8 GHz, and paired with 3 GB of RAM and an Adreno 418 GPU.

This combination delivers smooth performance, with no major issues doing everyday tasks or gaming.

The device handles general web browsing and media consumption without a hitch, and gaming is also handled well.

Most users will be working with the built-in Hub and productivity tools, which are snappy and responsive.

As BlackBerry continues to refine their Android iteration, the performance will only improve, making the Priv an even more capable device.

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The BlackBerry Priv was a game-changer in the world of Android smartphones.

It was announced on September 25, 2015, and released on November 6, 2015.

The Priv was a high-end device with a 5.4-inch touchscreen display.

It was the first phone to feature Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box.

The phone's design was a major departure from BlackBerry's traditional QWERTY keyboard layout.

The Priv's specs included a 3,410 mAh battery and a 18 MP camera.

It also featured a fingerprint reader and a USB-C port.

The phone's software was highly customizable, with a range of themes and widgets available.

The Priv was a significant improvement over previous BlackBerry devices, with faster performance and a more intuitive interface.

It was a bold move by BlackBerry to release an Android device, but it paid off in the end.

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