Manufacturer BlackBerry Limited
First released November 6, 2015
Related BlackBerry KEYone
Type Smartphone
Form factor Slider
Dimensions H 147 mm (5.8 in)
H 184 mm (7.2 in) (opened)
W 77.2 mm (3.04 in)
D 9.4 mm (0.37 in)
Weight 192 g (6.77 oz)
Operating system Android
Original: Android 5.1.1 "Lollipop"
Current: Android 6.0.1 "Marshmallow"
System on chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
CPU Dual-core 1.82 GHz Cortex A57
Quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex A53
GPU Adreno 418
Memory 3 GB
Storage 32 GB
Removable storage Up to 2 TB microSDXC
Battery 3410 mAh Li-Po non-removable battery
Qi wireless charging supported on (STV100-1),(STV100-2) and (STV100-5)
Data inputs Multi-touch touchscreen, physical keyboard with touchpad
Display
5.43 in (138 mm) AMOLED
2560x1440 pixels, 540 PPI
Rear camera 18 megapixels, 2160p video capture, phase detection autofocus, OIS
Front camera 2 megapixels, 720p video capture
Connectivity
List
Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4/5 GHz
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi hotspot
GPS
Bluetooth 4.1
Micro-USB 2.0
NFC
Website blackberry.com/priv
The Priv is the first BlackBerry-branded smartphone that does not run the company's proprietary BlackBerry OS or BlackBerry 10 (BB10) platforms. It instead uses Android, customized with features inspired by those on BlackBerry phones, and security enhancements. With its use of Android—one of two smartphone platforms that significantly impacted BlackBerry's early dominance in the smartphone industry—the company sought to leverage access to the larger ecosystem of software available through the Google Play Store (as opposed to BlackBerry 10 devices, which were limited to native BB10 apps from BlackBerry World and Android apps from the third-party Amazon Appstore running in a compatibility subsystem), in combination with a slide-out physical keyboard and privacy-focused features.[2]
The BlackBerry Priv received mixed reviews. Critics praised the Priv's user experience for incorporating BlackBerry's traditional, productivity-oriented features on top of the standard Android experience, including a notifications feed and custom e-mail client. Some critics felt that the device's physical keyboard did not perform as well as those on previous BlackBerry devices, and that the Priv's performance was not up to par with other devices using the same system-on-chip. The Priv was also criticized for being more expensive than similarly-equipped devices in its class.[3][4][5]
Development Edit
While BlackBerry was dominant in the early smartphone market, partially due to a large market share within the enterprise and governmental markets, the company had struggled in recent years due to the dominance of Apple Inc. and its iPhone line, and Android devices—primarily by Samsung Electronics.[6] By June 2015, the company's market share in the U.S. consumer market had fallen to 1.2%.[7] Facing a struggling ecosystem for native, third-party software on BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry added a compatibility layer for Android software to the OS, and allowed developers to repackage their Android apps for distribution on BlackBerry World. Later versions added the ability for users to manually install Android app packages. Beginning with the BlackBerry Passport, Amazon Appstore was bundled with BlackBerry 10 to provide an additional source of third-party Android software.[8][9][10] BlackBerry CEO John S. Chen hoped that Amazon's own smartphone, the Fire Phone, would bolster the adoption of the Amazon store and attract more major developers to it, and in turn, BlackBerry's ecosystem. However, the Fire Phone was a commercial failure, which led to BlackBerry's decision to develop an Android phone of its own.[2]
In early 2014, BlackBerry's device head Ron Louks proposed that the company construct an Android device. Company officials, including Chen, showed concerns over the project, as they believed the platform was not secure enough. However, Louks gained support for the project after outlining plans for hardware-based security.[11] At Mobile World Congress 2015, BlackBerry's device head Ron Louks briefly presented a non-functioning prototype of a new, BlackBerry 10 phone that featured a sliding keyboard and a screen curved across both sides, similar to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge that was unveiled during the same convention.[11][12][13] In July 2015, new images of the curved device leaked under the codename "Venice"; unlike the version presented at MWC, it was now shown to be running Android 5.0 "Lollipop" rather than BlackBerry 10.[14] Information about the device's software leaked in August 2015, showing a "stock" Android experience augmented with ports of features and apps from BB10, such as BlackBerry Hub.[15]
In response to the leaks, Chen officially confirmed during a September 2015 earnings call that BlackBerry would release a high-end Android-based device, now known as the Priv (standing for both "privilege" and "privacy"), in late 2015.[16] Chen felt that the decision to produce an Android phone was to help BlackBerry's device business sustain itself, saying that "we have some really committed diehards. I respect that there's a lot of heritage here, a lot of pride. If the math doesn't add up, the math doesn't add up. We could keep the pride and die hungry or we can eat well and not so proud, maybe. So I chose to eat well. It’s good for the company to continue to have a shot at building handsets."[2] He also argued that the decision was meant to "[take] advantage of what the industry can offer", whilst continuing to leverage BlackBerry's "core strength".[17]
BlackBerry promoted certain security enhancements made to the build of Android bundled with the Priv, which include utilizing features of its SoC to embed unchangeable cryptographic keys in the device hardware which are used to validate critical boot components, thus establishing a "root of trust" designed to foil attempts to tamper with the OS.[18][19] Additionally, kernel security enhancements are mentioned. (Provided by grsecurity)[20] BlackBerry also promoted that storage encryption would be enabled by default on the Priv, as well as a general company commitment to timely patch releases for known Android security vulnerabilities, subject to carrier approval.[21][22]
The company stated that BlackBerry 10 devices would continue to co-exist alongside Android-based devices; BlackBerry COO Marty Beard explained that BlackBerry 10 is able to meet "very high-end security needs" that cannot currently be met by Android, while Chen reported that the platform has seen adoption in enterprise and governmental markets. Chen stated that he would consider dropping BlackBerry 10 if his company were able to port all of its security features to Android.[17][23] However, BlackBerry has not released any new BlackBerry 10-powered devices since, and discontinued its BlackBerry Classic in July 2016.[24][25]
Specifications Edit
Hardware Edit
The Priv features a 5.43 in (138 mm), 1440p AMOLED display, which is slightly curved around the horizontal sides of the device. The rear of the device is coated in a "glass weave" material.[3] The screen can be slid up to reveal a hardware keyboard; similarly to the BlackBerry Passport, the keyboard is touch-sensitive and can register sliding gestures across its keys for scrolling, text selection, and autocomplete suggestions.[26] The device's bezel also features dedicated camera and Convenience buttons. The Priv utilizes a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 system-on-chip with 3 GB of RAM, consisting of four low-power Cortex-A53 cores and two Cortex-A57 cores, and includes a non-removable 3420 mAh battery which BlackBerry claims can last for 22-and-a-half hours of "mixed use".[3] The Priv includes 32 GB of internal storage, with the option to expand the amount of available storage using a microSD card up to 2 TB in size. The device features an 18-megapixel rear-facing camera with phase detection autofocus and optical image stabilization, and a 2-megapixel front camera.[27]
Software Edit
The Priv shipped with Android 5.1.1 "Lollipop" a month after Android Marshmallow was launched, using a "stock" user experience customized with additional features and BlackBerry-developed apps. BlackBerry Hub (which originates from BlackBerry 10)[15] aggregates notifications and content from multiple sources and allows for granular management of messages and "snoozing" based off time, location or network availability. Hub can also be accessed alongside BlackBerry Search and Google Search options when swiping from the bottom of the screen.[26] The "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. A progress bar can also be displayed on an edge when the device is charging.[28] An application's home screen widget can be made available from its respective shortcut icon by swiping, which displays the widget as a pop-up window.[29] The DTEK app allows users to view an overview of the security and privacy status of the device based on best practices, and provide notifications when apps attempt to access sensitive information or permissions.[3] 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 (similarly to the BlackBerry Balance features on BB10).[29][30][31][32]
In late-April 2016, BlackBerry began to release an upgrade to Android 6.0 "Marshmallow";[33] along with features added to the core Android platform (which includes a new permissions system, and systems to reduce background activity when the device is not being physically handled to conserve battery power),[34] it adds S/MIME, Slack, Skype, and Pinterest support to BlackBerry Hub, slide input on the physical keyboard, faster autofocus, and 24 fps and 120 fps video recording modes.[33][35]
On September 11th 2017, Alex Thurber, the General Manager of Blackberry Mobility Solutions; told Android Authority, the Priv wouldn’t be receiving the Android Nougat update.[36]
