Rumors tip that the BlackBerry Priv will likely be released on November, right before the start of the holiday season. The Priv is the BlackBerry smartphone that will either make or break the company's future in the smartphone industry.
Christian Today reported that the BlackBerry Priv will reportedly launch before the holiday season, although BlackBerry is yet to announce a specific date. Once it goes on sale, the flagship will have a price tag of US$500 to US$600.
The report further identified Blackberry Priv's features. The new BlackBerry smartphone's edge over competitors would be its sliding keyboard. The keyboard has a slim design that makes it easy to be accessed.
It is also reported that the Priv will come with an Android OS, becoming the first Android BlackBerry smartphone. It is not yet certain whether the device will run on Android 5.1 Lollipop or the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
The BlackBerry Priv's 18MP rear camera is also expected to have 4K video recording capability. The upcoming flagship is believed to focus on securing data since the company puts great emphasis on security. A security feature called the BlackBerry Safeguard will likely accompany the handset.
According to a report by Latin Post, leaked images of the BlackBerry Priv confirm its rumored specs. The Priv will house a Qualcomm 64-bit Snapdragon 808 processor and an Adreno 418 GPU. The leaked photos showed the Priv showcasing a 5.5" curved-edge display and a 5MP to 8MP front snapper. It will also reportedly come with 4GB of RAM, a microSD card slot, and three variants based on internal storage: 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB.
The BlackBerry Priv is believed to be BlackBerry's last attempt to remain in the smartphone market, reported GeekSnack. It could either make or break the company's smartphone business. It was reported that the BlackBerry Passport did not make too many sales as was expected. If the BlackBerry Priv is fails to exceed five million sales in 2016, it would be the end for BlackBerry in the manufacture of smartphones.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen revealed the meaning behind the BlackBerry Priv's name. Priv stands for both privilege and privacy, two things that the smartphone seeks to offer its customers.
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