Still looking for that special Father’s Day gift for dear old Dad – or maybe for yourself – how about a BlackBerry PRIV? The official ShopBlackBerry store is running a promo good through Monday, June 20th. In the U.S. store, a new BlackBerry PRIV will run you only $549 USD or in the Canadian site, $749 CAD. That is $100 USD off or $150 CAD off and is their biggest sale to date on the BlackBerry PRIV. This secure Android smartphone, with its slider and infamous BlackBerry keyboard, would put a smile on any father’s face, and you can smile at your savings.
The BlackBerry PRIV combines the security and privacy you have come to expect from BlackBerry and the full ecosystem of Android and all of its apps. Besides those obvious facts, the BlackBerry PRIV has some impressive specifications, although our full review proves that specs are just that, a spec of how a device actually perform in ‘real-life.’ For starters, it does not feel like a $749 flagship device – it has a very plasticity feel to its build, especially the back of the device that slides to provide access to the small BlackBerry keyboard, but for those Android converts that were former BlackBerry lovers, the PRIV might just be the device you are looking to own.
If you are familiar with a Samsung Galaxy S series ‘edge’ device, then you can picture this display on the BlackBerry PRIV. It is a beautiful 5.4-inch QHD AMOLED dual-curved display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, giving the PRIV about 540 pixels-per-inch (PPI). It uses a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core process with a dual-core clocked at 1.8GHz and a quad-core clocked at 1.44GHz. It packs 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage with room to expand 256GB via a microSD card. While it packs Schneider-Kreuznach optics in its 18MP primary camera, along with OIS, Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF), an aperture of f/2.2, and a dual-tone LED flash – pictures are good, but not great. For selfies and video chatting, BlackBerry included a rather small 2MP front-facing-camera (FFC.) The BlackBerry PRIV packs the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS, NFC, a microUSB v2.0 for charging and data transfer, and a non-removable 3410mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0 to give you up to a 60-percent charge in only 30 minutes. Both Qi and PMA wireless charging are optional. There is no fingerprint sensor, but with NFC built-in, you can still make mobile purchases. It measures 147 x 77.2 x 9.4mm and weighs in at 192 grams.