UPDATE: Pre-order page emerges again. Initial price revised.
No glitz and no glamour for the BlackBerry PRIV or maybe someone accidentally let the cat out of the bag too early. We’re not too sure since the manufacturer made their pre-order site live for awhile before removing the page. Well at least we know 3 things; the price, when it’ll ship and its internals – whoops.
The confirmed spec sheet has listed that the device carries an OLED QHD (2560 x 1440) 5.4-inch dual-edged screen and the brain of the whole package is a Hexa-core Snapdragon 808 with an Adreno 418 handling graphics. It also states that there will be 3GB of RAM, together with 32GBs of internal memory; expandable up to 2TB (when the card exists) through microSD.
Do note that the price has been changed to US$ 699
On the rear there’s an 18-megapixel Schneider-Kreuznach sensor with Phase Detection Auto Focus, dual-flash LEDs and also OIS. There’s apparently a 2-megapixel shutter up front as well but there was no mention on the website when it was live.
A 3,410 mAh battery will power up the Android BlackBerry PRIV (sorry, it was so weird saying that) and they promise 22.5 hours of mixed usage but if you run out quickly there’s fast charging features to save you. The PRIV, which stands for privacy/privilege will weigh in at 192grams and be 9.4mm thick.
At RM 3,200 2,966 (converted from USD), this could be one of the most expensive consumer Android devices out there – even surpassing the launch price of the BlackBerry Passport in Malaysia (RM 2,399). Will this redeem the Waterloo based company? Or will it make them continually struggle to hit revenue targets? Well, if they don’t sell 5 million units of the PRIVs, John Chen might pull the plug on the ailing brand.
