BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) has announced that it held an early launch of its highly anticipated Android-powered smartphone, Priv, in the Philippines.
The device was set to launch officially in mid-December, but the company decided to hold an early launch in the Philippines, which is one of the biggest markets for Blackberry products. Priv will be sold by the company’s exclusive partner in the Philippines, MemoXpress. Blackberry made the announcement through a press release on its website.
Blackberry Priv will cost ₱45,000, equivalent to about $995. According to the press release, the device is Blackberry’s flagship device that was designed to operate on Android OS, but still maintain the core drives of the company, such as security and customer data privacy. It is the company’s first ever device to run on Android OS. Blackberry also strived to include its famous Blackberry keyboard with both a physical slide keyboard and a touch keyboard. The aim was to provide users with the interface they love from the company while adding innovation and new functions for the best user experience.
The company also included high-end features such as an 18-megapixel camera and long battery life from the 3410 mAh battery. It also features a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor to ensure the smooth running of the device. Another unique feature of the device is the high pixel density clocked at 540 PPI, allowing the best display quality. Priv also features 32 GB of internal storage and an expandable capacity of up to 2 TB.
Blackberry also incorporated its software to bring its Blackberry Enterprise software so that its customers can enjoy the services and security that the company offers. Blackberry claims that the device users will not have to worry about any issues because Priv will receive regular updates for the Blackberry software as part of keeping bugs at a minimum.
Blackberry claims that the device performs seamlessly with the Android OS and that it is a good strategy for the company by providing a choice of the OS. However, the firm highly regards its Blackberry 10 operating system and will maintain regular updates as part of its strategy to enhance privacy and security.
