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BlackBerry Priv briefly goes up for pre-order: $749 unlocked [update: shipping Nov 6]
Update: The listing is live again. As it turns out, the phone will start shipping November 6th. Click here for more details.
It’s happening! Well, sort of. BlackBerry’s much-hyped Priv will launch officially very soon. But the price tag might curb your enthusiasm.
BlackBerry listed the Android-powered Priv in its official store a few hours ago, though apparently the listing was a mistake, as it was removed soon after.
The listing included the full spec sheet of the slider, which, after the several hands-on Priv impressions that leaked so far, reveals no major surprises. (Via Droid-life.)
| Software | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop |
| Size | 147 (184 opened) x 77.2 x 9.4mm |
| Weight | 192g |
| Model Number | STV100-1 |
| Processor | Qualcomm 8992 (Snapdragon 808 Hexa-Core, 64 bit) Adreno 418, 600MHz GPU |
| Memory | 3GB Low Power RAM 32GB Flash Hot-swappable MicroSD slot (up to 2TB) |
| Display | Curved 5.43” 2560 x 1440 resolution 540 DPI WQHD Plastic AMOLED High Brightness Mode for Outdoor Readability 24-bit color depth 16:9 aspect ratio Corning Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Rear Camera | 18MP Auto-Focus Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) Phase Detect Auto Focus (PDAF), Fast focus lock HDR 6-element f2.2 lens Back Side Illumination (BSI2) Stacked Sensor Dual Colour, Dual 2 mm2 LED Flash – Enhanced photo color balance 4k Video Recording: 30 fps, 1080p HD video recording at 60 fps, 6DOF video stabilization combined with OIS for incredibly smooth video 4x digital zoom Continuous & touch to focus, face detection, image stabilization Panorama, Burst, Live Filters Multi-Frame Low Light Enhancement |
| Front Camera | 2MP Fixed-Focus, f2.8 Large 1.75um pixel size Image & video stabilization 720p HD video recording 2x digital zoom Wide Selfie Mode (also known as Selfie Panorama) Multi-Frame Low Light Enhancement |
| Notification | Tone, vibrate, on-screen or LED indicator; notification options are user configurable |
| Buttons | Volume Up/Down, Mute, Lock(Power On/Off) |
| Keyboard | Physical Sliding Keyboard Contextual auto-correction Contextual next word prediction Personalized learning engine |
| Headset | 3.5 mm stereo |
| Ports/Connectivity | USB 2.0 Connector with SlimPort enabled NFC |
| Charging | +5V DC / 1.3A AC power adapter, OMTP Compliant QC2.0 Enabled – Compatible with QC2 Chargers Dual mode Wireless Charging capable for Powermat (PMA) and Qi |
| Battery | 3410 (typ) 3360 (min) mAh 4.4V 680 Wh/L integrated non-removable battery Fast charge enabled Mixed Usage: Up to 22.5 hours |
| Networks | FD-LTE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 17, 20, 29,30 HSPA+ 1, 2, 4, 5/6, 8 Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE |
| WiFi | 802.11 b/g/n for 2.4GHz 802.11 a/n for 5GHz 802.11 ac for 5GHz 4G Mobile Hotspot Wi-Fi Direct 2×2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.1 Low Energy (LE) |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Gyroscope, Time of Flight (ToF) Proximity, Ambient Light, Altimeter, Activity Monitor |
| SIM | Nano SIM card (4FF) Supports 1.8V and 3.0V cards |
BlackBerry pulled out all the stops for its first (and potentially last) Android device. Fast processing package, curved Quad HD display, promising camera and, a beefy battery – the Priv checks a lot of the right marks. On top of that, you get that iconic sliding physical keyboard, which is guaranteed to boost your typing experience, and a range of security features built by BlackBerry on top of Android.
All this goodness comes at a price. The BlackBerry Priv is listed at $749 unlocked, with US support including only AT&T and T-Mobile. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Priv won’t make it to Verizon or Sprint, but if you wanted it unlocked, you will need to pay up. BlackBerry clearly targets the affluent segment of business-folk, but we’re sure that quite a few Android enthusiasts were looking forward to a more approachable price.
According to the pulled listing, the BlackBerry Priv will begin shipping in the US from November 16. As for the pre-order start, it may be as soon as tomorrow, if you believe the ads that MobileSyrup spotted in Canada.
What say you? Does the high price of the BlackBerry Priv put you off?