The Android-based BlackBerry Priv has finally arrived. The tech community is eager to know whether the new smartphone from BlackBerry is powerful or fascinating enough to put the company on top of the smartphone industry again.
The BlackBerry Priv was officially released on Nov. 6 and was immediately praised by tech analysts. Critics are calling it the best BlackBerry phone in more than a decade. Other reviewers described the phone as the comeback gadget for BlackBerry. Some even went as far as calling it the best Android phone currently out in the market.
In an interview with CNBC, BlackBerry CEO John Chen said, "Priv will be the solution for smartphone users who are learning daily of the lack of privacy they have on their current devices. Priv will be the answer for former BlackBerry users who miss the physical keyboard but need apps."
The BlackBerry Priv sports quite an impressive hardware specs that can rival some high-end devices. The Priv has a 5.4-inch display with 540ppi pixel density. The display sports curved edges that works quite well.
The Priv has an 18-megapixel rear facing camera. For some critics, the 2-megapixel front facing camera is a small disappointment but never hurt the phones overall design and performance.
Perhaps the biggest appeal of the BlackBerry Priv is its physical keyboard. In a market flooded with touchscreen displays, BlackBerry looked back to its roots and designed the Priv with a physical keyboard. Although it might sound like a peculiar design strategy, the Priv's physical keyboard might just be its biggest selling point, according to Venture Beat.