

BlackBerry’s upcoming slider has us in a tizzy, and there’s a good reason why
We’re really excited about BlackBerry’s upcoming smartphone, the Priv, formly known as the Venice. We’re just as surprised as you are at that statement, and we swear we haven’t lost our minds. There’s a lot of things that we’re looking forward to when the Priv finally launches this year, and we think that you should be too. Here are five reasons why we’re excited about BlackBerry’s latest smartphone:

BlackBerry knows how to make solid, performing smartphones
While BlackBerry phones have always been a butt of dinosaur jokes in the tech world, there’s no denying that the company knows how to make good phones. Their weird, square Passport was a beautifully made phone even if it did sport an unusual square-like shape. While Nokia may hold the record for tough, almost indestructible phones in the past, BlackBerry is probably a close second – we’ve seen a many a BlackBerry Curve that looked like they went through war zones that still work. Our own BlackBerry Curve is still trucking, though for the sake of our sanity we’ve retired that phone to our cabinet and have decided to embrace the future that is Android. Speaking of which…

The Priv will run Android
A common sentiment even among the tech elite here in the PH is that they’ll gladly use a BlackBerry phone if it used Android as the OS. Well, that’s not going to be a problem with the Priv – from the countless leaks and videos, it looks like the phone will sport Android Lollipop out of the box, which is a godsend for both potential buyers and previous BlackBerry users that left the ecosystem but want to go back to a BlackBerry handset. Honestly, we feel that the Passport would have sold more if only they used Android as their OS.
It has a kick-ass keyboard
There’s something that only BlackBerry is able to do well, and that’s messaging. The company was built on the bedrock of messaging, gaining fame and popularity with their BBM service before iOS and Android caught up. BlackBerry’s able to consistently deliver an amazing messaging experience primarily through the keyboards that they put on their phones, and it looks like the Priv won’t be an exception. The slide-out mechanism may be a throwback to previous designs, but BlackBerry has found a way to enhance that experience even more because the keyboard also acts like a touchpad.
It’ll be more secure than regular Android phones
Aside from that awesome physical keyboard, BlackBerry needs an edge to differentiate their Priv from the thousands of other Android smartphones that are in the market today. It’s not far-fetched to say that the Priv will be more secure than your typical Android smartphone – BlackBerry has a wealth of experience in creating secure smartphones for businesses and governments – the US government has used BlackBerry phones for the longest time, and it’s so secure that even Barack Obama regularly used one, and famously said that “I am not allowed, for security reasons, to have an iPhone.” If the leader of the free world trusts his privacy to a BlackBerry, you can bet your ass that you can too.
It’s a beautiful and powerful smartphone
Obviously a smartphone like the Priv needs to be attractive to the eye to entice customers. That’s not an issue – the Priv has a curved display, much in the same vein as Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge, though the one in the Priv isn’t as pronounced as the one in Samsung’s offering. It’s also set to come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor, a QHD display, 3GB of RAM and an 18-megapixel rear camera with OIS.
Many see BlackBerry’s Priv as a last-ditch effort to win back customers. While that still remains to be seen, if BlackBerry is able to offer this thing at a relatively decent price, they may just have a winner on their hands. The Priv is slated to launch on November in the US.
Read more about the Priv here:
- BlackBerry Venice Handled In New Video
- More Photos of BlackBerry’s Venice Surfaces
- Actual Photos of BlackBerry’s Venice Slider Surface
- New BlackBerry Venice Slider Renders Show Beautiful, Curved Display
- Another BlackBerry Android Phone Image Leaks, Is This The Venice?
Want!!! this is my next phone 😀
Good Luck, if you are outside US unit will not be wireless charging . Battery drains very fast so much for the 3410 mah battery.
let the keyboard go, blackberry. we don’t need it!
Haha…ngayon lang nahimasmasan?
And it’s price is pegged to rival the price of the 32gb Iphone 6s Plus
There is no 32gb iPhone 6s Plus.
bokya si teh. 16 gb, 64 gb and 128gb lang po ang configs!
Rumors point to the price being 750 CAD, so aroung 26-27k here.
kick-ass keyboard? it doesn’t even have a number row! if you’ve used a qwerty w/ numbers like on the Droid4 you’ll know how important it is
go to the CEO of blackberry and make a nonsense complaint….hahahahaha maybe blackberry should hire you and let them see how geek you are!
then go ahead.. by another phone.. not this one.. i think thats the best thing to do…
Try to check the upper cases and you surely find the number keys. That the power of alt
[…] Josh Nieves, Unbox.ph: “There’s something that only BlackBerry is able to do well, and that’s messaging…BlackBerry’s able to consistently deliver an amazing messaging experience primarily through [its] keyboards, and it looks like the PRIV won’t be an exception.” […]
*complain
You’ll
I am rocking a bb passport and it’s damn cool. And I think this upcoming device from a Canadian company will surely a hit for keyboard lovers and to those who prefer productivity as the top priority. Since it’s Android-based device, then I think there’s no doubt that this will become the number one choice for social and gaming access.
PRIV.. infect IS an asskicker…I want this phone !!!! Piss on iphone.
I have the 6S plus and it rocks if you want Android go for the galaxy S6+. I am sending my BB Priv back. I feel cheated. I am in UK and if you are outside US unit will not be wireless charging . Battery drains very fast so much for the 3410 mah battery.
[…] John Nieves, Unbox.ph: “There’s something that only BlackBerry is able to do well, and that’s messaging…BlackBerry’s able to consistently deliver an amazing messaging experience primarily through [its] keyboards, and it looks like the PRIV won’t be an exception.” […]
[…] “There’s something that only BlackBerry is able to do well, and that’s messaging…BlackBerry’s able to consistently deliver an amazing messaging experience primarily through [its] keyboards, and it looks like the PRIV won’t be an exception.” (Unbox.ph) […]
To all UK buyers that are considering the BB Priv, be AWARE unit does not come with wireless charging so will feel cheated. Also battery drains very fast so much for a 3410mah battery. Cannot see this as a comeback for BB in UK.