Now that AT&T’s exclusivity of the BlackBerry Priv has expired, we are beginning to see the Waterloo company’s first Android-powered smartphone make its way on over to other carriers here in the US. It is slated to come to T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint. T-Mobile has announced that they will begin carrying the smartphone on January 26th, next Tuesday. It’ll be available for $0 down, but it will cost $720 full retail. So you can choose to either pay the full amount up front, or $0 down and $30/month for 24 months. Of course with JUMP! On Demand, it’ll cost you $0 down and $34/month for 18 months. Still a pretty expensive smartphone, when you think about it.
The BlackBerry Priv is one of the most secure Android smartphones available, if not the most secure. And that all comes from BlackBerry’s history of privacy and security on their own platform. BlackBerry has shown, with the Priv, that not only can they create a near stock Android smartphone, but also deliver updates pretty quickly. BlackBerry has already delivered the January security update to the BlackBerry Priv. Which is pretty impressive for a company that just released their first Android-powered smartphone. The Priv is also the only smartphone currently available with a physical keyboard. Something that some want, but many have gotten used to not having. Still a nice feature to keep around.
On January 26th, the BlackBerry Priv will be available both in T-Mobile stores but as well as on their website. T-Mobile customers, as always, will be able to use the Priv in over 140 countries as they would in the US. Although there will be slightly slower speeds, with the exception of Mexico and Canada, where you will get the same 4G LTE speeds you’d get within the US. Customers also can take advantage of Binge On, Music Freedom and a bevy of other Uncarrier features that the company have announced in the last few years. If you haven’t already, you should definitely check out our review of the BlackBerry Priv, especially if you need some help in deciding whether you should buy the smartphone or not.