BlackBerry finally makes its first Android phone, but the keyboard it’s famous for remains intact
Yes, BlackBerry has made an Android phone. The Finnish manufacturer used to jostle with the likes of Apple, Samsung and Nokia at the very top of the mobile phone tree, but it utterly failed to keep pace with the smartphone revolution, lurching from crisis to crisis refusing to shift from the boxy, physical keyboard designs and its own operating system.
However, after being approached by Android, BlackBerry decided to have a go at making its very own phone that made the most of both the Android ecosystem and the Google Play store while retaining BlackBerry’s security features and of course that physical keyboard. The result is the BlackBerry Priv.
BlackBerry has gone for a 5.4-inch, slightly curved, 2560 x 1440 resolution touchscreen that is a real beauty. The colours are fantastic, it is incredibly sharp and the subtlety of the curves means that you don’t lose anything off the side of the screen. It is responsive and altogether one of the best we’ve seen.
The rear of the device is encased in a tensile weave with a rubbery feel. Usually a phone at the price of the Priv, £559, would sport a metal and glass finish, but there is method to BlackBerry’s madness. The weave provides a tonne of grip, enabling the user to hold it confidently and, more importantly, slide out the physical keyboard with only one hand. Although it doesn’t feel premium, the unique design and elegantly curved screen gives the Priv a distinctive and attractive look.
The keyboard was clearly non-negotiable for BlackBerry. It is one of its unique selling points and is synonymous with the brand. However, it has dragged it into the 21st century. It is fully capacitive, meaning that running your finger vertically along the keyboard scrolls up and down a webpage. It is also extremely sensitive, but with a bit of practise you should be able to comfortably navigate the screen with your keyboard. You can also set up hotkeys and assign apps to certain letters so you can, for example, load up Facebook just by tapping the F key or even use a button to act as a camera shutter. This aspect contains a lot of subtle functions that really make this a keyboard for the modern smartphone user.
The cameras are a mixed bag. The rear-facing camera is excellent, taking gorgeously sharp 18MP images with OIS and dual-fl ash for enhanced low-light photography. On the other hand, the front-facing camera is a thorough disappointment. It has a paltry 2MP and despite going in the same direction as HTC by using large pixels, it still produces grainy pictures with some peculiar colouring. The disparity between the two cameras is quite surprising and selfie fans will be left extremely frustrated with the quality of the images. However, if you are into photography then with the rear-facing camera you are in for a treat as this challenges the Sony Xperia Z5 in terms of sharpness.
BlackBerry has always taken security extremely seriously and has ensured this isn’t compromised in the Priv. One of its headline features is DTEK, an app that keep tabs on any potential security flaws or privacy breaches. DTEK looks at all aspects of your phone, such as your lockscreen, encryption and operating system, and decides if they are a security risk or not, prompting you to alter your settings to make it as secure as possible. It also tells you when and where certain apps have accessed your details so you can decide if, for example, your flashlight really needs to know your location.
There are plenty of excellent aspects of the Priv. It is striking, unique and has that multifunctional keyboard that BlackBerry fans loved. Whether this phone is the one to turn BlackBerry’s fortunes around will be interesting to see in the coming months.
Verdict
Blackberry has kept true to its values and added great Android functions. Definitely worth considering.
Technical specs
Operating system - Android 5.1 Lollipop
Processor - Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 1.8GHz hexa-core
Memory - 32GB storage / 3GB RAM
Dimensions - 147 x 77.2 x 9.4 mm
Weight - 192g
Display size - 5.4-inches
Display resolution - 1440 x 2560 pixels (540 ppi)
Front camera - 2MP
Rear camera - 18MP
Connectivity - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
Expansion slot - microSD up to 200 GB