Finally Blackberry has launched its first Android running smartphone Priv on Thursday in India at the price tag of Rs 62,990. For many years Blackberry is struggled to compete with Apple's iPhone and Google's Android with its Blackberry 10 phone software. The BlackBerry Priv is the ultimate manifestation of “something new.”
Design and Display
BlackBerry Priv features a 5.4-inch AMOLED display with 1,440x2,560 pixels resolution with 540 PPI. BlackBerry Priv comes with an impressive sliding keyboard. The display offers vibrant colours and also consumes less power. The front of the device is simple, with the curved display and below the display there is a front speaker for better audio experience. It is nicely curved from the edges, the Gorilla Glass 4 meeting an aluminium surround with a gentle slope.
The device has the micro-USB port and the headphone jack at the bottom and the top of the BlackBerry Priv has the micro-SD and SIM card slots. The power button is located on the left side and the volume rocker keys are placed on the right with an in-between button. Slide a toolbar from the side to access your calendar, messages and contacts.
Specifications and Software
The smartphone is loaded the Priv with 1.8 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM and It comes with an inbuilt storage of 32GB, which can be expanded further up to 200GB. The specs that it offers under the hood are about six months late. The device functioned properly without any interruptions/Lacks. However, we feel some heating issues after moderate usage.
The BlackBerry Priv runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop operating system and Blackberry is promising a Marshmallow version for the new year. BlackBerry has also integrated its security features in the device to keep users data safe and secure. Android for Work support allows for fast, simple and secure integration with the enterprise environment. The phone also offers seamless integration with Google Play for Work and enables easy access to IT-managed apps.
The email app is also more sophisticated than most; it supports rich-text formatting, such as italics and colors, when composing messages. BlackBerry has also incorporated its Smart Hub feature seen in Z10 and Q10. The user can customise it completely according to their needs and requirements. BlackBerry says you cannot install apps from third-party/ unknown sources.
Camera and Performance
BlackBerry Priv comes equipped with an 18MP rear camera dual LED flash with OIS, PDAF, fast focus lock, dual-LED flash, 1080p video recording at 60 FPS, and 4K video recording at 30 FPS and a 2MP front camera for clicking selfies. The camera is able to produce sharp and vibrant images. However, the images lacked details and distorted when we tried zooming in. The camera app is simple and clean and also offers live colour filters. We were a bit disappointed with the front camera of the smartphone. It is not that great for a flagship device of this price segment.
Along with this, the smartphone users can also keep a check of the app permissions. The smartphone also comes pre-loaded with the DTEK app of the company, which monitors and reports on application access to the microphone, camera, location and personal information, enabling users to be confident that their personal data is being kept private. The Priv sports a huge 3410mAh battery that goes some way towards explaining its hefty 192g weight. BlackBerry promises 22.5 hours of mixed use.
Verdict
The overall build quality of the Priv is fantastic and that’s what BlackBerry’s were known for. BlackBerry has returned to India but is it too late? Only time and consumers can now decide the fate of BlackBerry’s last stand with the Priv in India.
Specifications
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Design and Display
BlackBerry Priv features a 5.4-inch AMOLED display with 1,440x2,560 pixels resolution with 540 PPI. BlackBerry Priv comes with an impressive sliding keyboard. The display offers vibrant colours and also consumes less power. The front of the device is simple, with the curved display and below the display there is a front speaker for better audio experience. It is nicely curved from the edges, the Gorilla Glass 4 meeting an aluminium surround with a gentle slope.
The device has the micro-USB port and the headphone jack at the bottom and the top of the BlackBerry Priv has the micro-SD and SIM card slots. The power button is located on the left side and the volume rocker keys are placed on the right with an in-between button. Slide a toolbar from the side to access your calendar, messages and contacts.
Specifications and Software
The smartphone is loaded the Priv with 1.8 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM and It comes with an inbuilt storage of 32GB, which can be expanded further up to 200GB. The specs that it offers under the hood are about six months late. The device functioned properly without any interruptions/Lacks. However, we feel some heating issues after moderate usage.
The BlackBerry Priv runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop operating system and Blackberry is promising a Marshmallow version for the new year. BlackBerry has also integrated its security features in the device to keep users data safe and secure. Android for Work support allows for fast, simple and secure integration with the enterprise environment. The phone also offers seamless integration with Google Play for Work and enables easy access to IT-managed apps.
The email app is also more sophisticated than most; it supports rich-text formatting, such as italics and colors, when composing messages. BlackBerry has also incorporated its Smart Hub feature seen in Z10 and Q10. The user can customise it completely according to their needs and requirements. BlackBerry says you cannot install apps from third-party/ unknown sources.
Camera and Performance
BlackBerry Priv comes equipped with an 18MP rear camera dual LED flash with OIS, PDAF, fast focus lock, dual-LED flash, 1080p video recording at 60 FPS, and 4K video recording at 30 FPS and a 2MP front camera for clicking selfies. The camera is able to produce sharp and vibrant images. However, the images lacked details and distorted when we tried zooming in. The camera app is simple and clean and also offers live colour filters. We were a bit disappointed with the front camera of the smartphone. It is not that great for a flagship device of this price segment.
Along with this, the smartphone users can also keep a check of the app permissions. The smartphone also comes pre-loaded with the DTEK app of the company, which monitors and reports on application access to the microphone, camera, location and personal information, enabling users to be confident that their personal data is being kept private. The Priv sports a huge 3410mAh battery that goes some way towards explaining its hefty 192g weight. BlackBerry promises 22.5 hours of mixed use.
Verdict
The overall build quality of the Priv is fantastic and that’s what BlackBerry’s were known for. BlackBerry has returned to India but is it too late? Only time and consumers can now decide the fate of BlackBerry’s last stand with the Priv in India.
Specifications
- 5.43-inch Curved Quad HD Plastic AMOLED Display (2560 x 1440, 540ppi) with Gorilla Glass 4
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 64-bit Processor with X10 LTE
- Adreno 418 600 MHz GPU
- 32 GB ROM microSD slot (up to 2 TB)
- 3 GB LPDDR3 RAM
- 18MP with Sony Exmor RS IMX230 sensor / Dual-color dual LED flash / 4K Video
- 2MP with wide selfie mode
- 3,410 mAh (non-removable), Quick Charge 2.0 enabled
- Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with BlackBerry apps
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