Home
Mobiles
Mobiles News
BlackBerry Priv Android Slider Smartphone Confirmed for 2015 Launch

BlackBerry Priv Android Slider Smartphone Confirmed for 2015 Launch

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 28 September 2015 12:25 IST

BlackBerry has confirmed it is launching its long-rumoured Android smartphone. In an earnings report on Friday, the firm confirmed the smartphone would be launched this year, and be called the Priv, a name leaked recently by reliable tipster @evleaks.

BlackBerry Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, John Chen, in the company's latest earnings report confirmed that the Priv Android slider smartphone can be expected to be available late in the calendar year in "major markets in-store and online". The Canadian company also confirmed that it will release more details about the handset in the coming weeks. The earnings report had revealed a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss, and said it expects 'modest' growth for the next two quarters, with a return to profitability by the fourth quarter of the financial year.

(Also see: Everything we know about BlackBerry Priv)

"I am confirming our plans to launch Priv, an Android device named after BlackBerry's heritage and core mission of protecting our customers' privacy. Priv combines the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform," said Chen.

The company also revealed updates for its device roadmap for the year which primarily included Priv Android smartphone. Notably, BlackBerry is pitching its first Android smartphone as a flagship slider device.

"The company will launch a flagship slider device, Priv, which will run on the Android operating system, bringing together the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform," notes BlackBerry.

The Canadian company confirmed that it has added support for Android for Work on the BES12 platform offering "best in class" security for enterprise customers. BlackBerry 10 OS will also receive an update focused on security and privacy enhancements, with version 10.3.3 scheduled to be released in March 2016.

Based on preliminary leaks and rumours, the Priv (or previously rumoured as Venice ) slider smartphone is said to feature a 5.4-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) display, a 1.8GHz hexa-core 64-bit Snapdragon 808 SoC, 3GB of RAM, an 18-megapixel rear camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry Mobiles, BlackBerry Priv, BlackBerry Priv Specifications

Ketan Pratap

Email Ketan

Ketan Pratap is the editor at Gadgets 360 - with over 12 years of experience covering the technology domain. With a breadth and depth of knowledge in the field, he's done extensive work across news, features, reviews, and opinion pieces. But what's truly inspiring about Ketan is how he spends his free time. He's often found gazing at snow-capped mountains from over 20,000 feet while sitting on the hood of his car, taking in the breathtaking beauty of nature. His passion for the great ...More