BlackBerry PRIV Launches in the Philippines, BlackBerry's First Android Smartphone |
Last December 3, BlackBerry officially launched in the country their first ever Android-powered smartphone, the BlackBerry PRIV.
The much awaited and highly regarded BlackBerry PRIV is the latest device from the Canadian phone maker and their alpha unit in the Android world. The PRIV stands for privilege and privacy, it has the BlackBerry's DNA in terms of productivity and security while running on the world's most popular mobile ecosystem. That being said, below are the four major security foundations of the PRIV:
- Advanced Privacy Controls - the PRIV is preloaded with an exclusive BlackBerry app called DTEK, it monitors and reports the access made by a certain application, in turn, users can take action when they feel their privacy is at risk
- Secure Hardware - the PRIV is made using a manufacturing process called BlackBerry's hardware root of trust that injects cryptographic keys into the hardware itself
- Verified Boot and Secure Bootchain - security keys are embedded in the system that verifies whether the device is tampered or not from hardware to the application level
- Fully supported on BlackBerry's EMM Solution - the PRIV can be integrated with BlackBerry Enterprise Service 12 allowing users to manage cross-platform solution and application
the PRIV's slide out touch-enabled physical keyboard |
The BlackBerry PRIV display measures 5.4 inches diagonally having WQHD resolution that translates to a pixel density of 540 PPI. In addition, the screen is curved on both sides, typically similar to those handsets from a Korean brand. What separates it from the rest of the competition is the capacitive physical keyboard that slides out from its 9.4mm thin body, which is really amazing considering other phones without keyboard has similar thickness.
Related: BlackBerry Classic Launched Locally For Php20,990
On the inside, it is powered by 64-bit hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor having four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.44GHz each plus two Cortex-A57 cores clocked at 1.8GHz each combined with 600MHz Adreno 418 graphics. It has 3GB of RAM to ensure smooth multitasking and 32GB of on board storage, which can be further expanded via micro SD card up to 2TB. There is also 3,410mAh battery that can last for a day with a mixed usage and standby time of up to 176 days.
The BlackBerry PRIV is not just for work and productivity, it is also serious about its multimedia capabilities. The camera on its back is equipped with an 18MP BSI OIS sensor with Phase Detect Auto Focus (PDAF) for faster focus lock and accompanied by a dual LED flash for more enhance photo color balance. It can also record 4K videos at 30fps and 1080p videos at 60fps. Meanwhile, the front camera has 2MP sensor with features like Selfie Panorama and 720p video recording.
See Also: BlackBerry Unveils the BlackBerry Passport in the Country, Yours for Php35,790
The PRIV will be available starting this mid-December through MemoXpress, the BlackBerry's exclusive partner in the country, for a retail price tag of Php45,000. For more information, you can visit http://www.blackberry.com/PRIV
BlackBerry PRIV specifications:
- GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
- HSPA+: 850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz
- FD-LTE: 700/800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2300/2600MHz
- TD-LTE: 2300/2500/2600MHz
- Nano SIM
- 5.4-inch Wide Quad HD (2560x1440) dual curved dispay, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection
- Slide out 4-row capacitive physical keyboard
- Dimensions: 147mm (184mm open) x 77.2mm x 9.4mm
- Weight: 192 grams
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
- 1.82GHz dual core Cortex-A57 CPU + 1.44GHz quad core Cortex-A53 CPU (hexa core), Adreno 418 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808 chipset
- 3GB LPDDR3 RAM
- 32GB internal storage, expandable up to 2TB
- 18MP OIS BSI f/2.2 auto focus main camera with dual-tone LED flash, Schneider-Kreuznach optics, 2160p video recording at 30fps
- 2MP secondary camera, 720p video recording
- Multimedia player
- FM Radio
- 3.5mm audio jack
- GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- NFC
- Micro USB 2.0
- Bluetooth v4.1 LE and EDR
- Sensor: accelerometer, light, proximity, hall, gyroscope, active monitor, altimeter, time of flight
- 3410mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery, supports Quick Charge 2.0
- Price: Php45,000