​BlackBerry is THE only phone to never be hacked! their security is second to none, I realise they are not to everyones taste but that's an excellent track record none the less.

I think criticism of the keyboard ergonomics is unwarranted... With any mini-keyboard you need to use it for a couple of weeks to build the muscle memory to use it efficiently and effortlessly.

Just tried a demo (dummy model) in a CPW store today and I think it seems like this will be my next phone. I've missed the QWERTY wonders of my HP Pre and Palm 650. Yes it may be slower to type than some of the on screen keyboards but at least I can see where I'm going and still keep typing without making mistakes.

As others have said, I'm going to wait for a bit of a price slash before biting as I'd like to see it sub £30 and would allow my P8 contract to run out a little more before cancelling that. It's a shame you can't port a number out and keep the old sim running.

Just a heads up for anyone still looking for this phone that this deal has recently been posted.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/blackberry-priv-vodafone-10gb-4g-unlimited-minutes-texts-free-now-tv-spotify-sky-2367782

So my current moto G has gotten me vex , so i ordered last night. I will review.

I had a look at the dummy in carphone warehouse, and it's really cheap and plasticky compared to the real thing.

That said, the backing section on the actual phone, which has the rubberised texture, feels a little loose, but then it is basically removable.
I have it in the official blackberry flip case (real Napa leather!) which encases the back of the phone anyway, so I don't really notice.
Thought some people have returned the phone because of the slightly creaky back cover, and report that more recently produced ones have a more secure back with less movement and creak.

Further update: 3 weeks in, still really enjoying the phone. There were some lags creeping in (specifically when exiting google maps navigation), but the first monthly OS update that arrived on Tuesday has massively improved performance and removed the lags. The update was supposed to improve battery life as well, which I haven't seen, but it still lasts a day easy, and I'm used to charging every night.

Camera performance was also improved dramatically with the recent update.

Received mine next day as promised by Mobiles.co.uk, loving it so far. build quality is great, camera isn't the fastest, but not noticeably slower than other phones, and camera quality seems good for a smartphone.

Feels good in the hand, the keyboard is great for accuracy, the on-screen keyboard is still very good for convenience, performance has been fine, no noticable slow-downs.

In summary, I'm pretty happy!

For reference, another good review of the Priv after 2 weeks of use:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/18/blackberry_priv_looks_like_a_keeper/

Back in stock, mine is being delivered tomorrow.

Out of Stock!

i agree. most people still prefer the use of tangible keys. but the price for this still seems high.

Why do you say it's no more secure than 5.1? They applied security updates to the Linux kernel to 'harden' it compared to the default Linux kernel, and enabled encryption by default, complete with a hardware embedded encryption. That's more secure than a standard 5.1 android phone by a significant step! Plus the dtekt app monitors app permissions to help spot any unwarranted rights violations. Yes, app specific permissions in android 6 will be even more secure, but it's already far more secure than 5.1 phones, and will be more secure than the nexus 6 when it gets android M 'soon'

It is actually no more secure than any 5.1 device out of the box and certainly not as secure as the current nexus devices running 6.0 that provide more granular controls.

If you want a keyboard, this is an option but don't buy it because you think it's more "secure" or "private" because it's not.

I was BB through and through until two years ago when I gave up. To expensive, hobbled software compared to Apple or Android and very little support.
This looks great, all the quality of BB with an Android system. However It is so over priced for a market with little to no confidence in the brand. A classic Berry on CPW is £22 a month. The Passport is £27! Way over the top for second rate software. Why not just stack high and sell cheap and get the brand back out there?
It will probably be of a better build quality than most phones as BB's always were. But BB are great at pressing the self destruct button. Just look how they killed off the Playbook which was easily an iPad equal in build but never allowed to reach it's full potential in software.
Like a lot of people I think I will just wait and see.

This would sell well if priced under £250. What are they thinking pricing it so high above iphone and Samsung flagship level (I know the S6 launch price was high too). Love them or hate them Apple have stores where you can go if you have a problem so you pay a high price but at least you have some support and can get a warranty swap etc there and then. The other manufacturers just can't justify the high prices when the after sales is so poor. I think the Priv is only being sold by Carphone Warehouse (I think Mobiles.co.uk is owned by then?) so they will be providing support eg sending your phone off and leaving you with nothing for weeks waiting for it to return.
This time next year Blackberry will not be in the handset business.

there's more security in Android Android 6 phones saying as they allow you control over app privileges.

you'd need to be a bit of a mug to buy this, its not a proper BlackBerry keyboard its some creaky squashed junk by the sounds of it

If next year, the new Nokia makes an Android phone whose keyboard specification is the same as the old Nokia E71 I would buy it in a heartbeat. Best phone qwerty keyboard I have used. Better than the Bold 9000 and BB Q5 of which i have experience.

They do, but then when I called in the local shop they hadn't had stock and weren't yet able to order it in. They were talking to the blackberry rep trying to find out when they were going to get stock in.

The Carphone Warehouse still have it in stock sim free by the looks of it.

Blackberry Priv? No thanks. I'm not a Balckberry perv.

I think the dissappearance of the keyboard coincided with the rise of a certain fruit-based black slab, and nobody will lose their job for trying to make their products the same as the one that's currently selling millions. If the iphone doesn't have a feature, then it's assumed people are happy to live without it, see removable batteries, upgradeable memory, IR blasters and so on.
You're probably right from the business side of things, directors are going to ask for the shiny iphone, unless they have real security in place, in which case Blackberry gains some traction based on reputation.
To be brutally honest, I don't think Blackberry have done enough marketing on this phone, so the mixed reviews won't be helping the cause, I'll bet a lot of directors etc aren't even aware of it's existence, and they're already releasing details of the next android phone!

But yeah, success or not, the price is likely to drop significantly at some point, as all non-iphones do, though currently the online store has sold out of the first wave and is now awaiting new stock, Amazon has also sold out, so there does seem to be a groundswell of interest that may delay the inevitable price drop?

So its a bit like Triggers broom then?

I agree the keyboard is pretty unique these days. I'm surprised as the HTC Desire Z had a great design but I think the manufacturers got caught up in trying to make their phones as thin as possible even though maybe customers are not fussed by this? Personally I'd rather a better battery than a thin phone.
Selling Blackberry on the security merits is a good niche and we're all constantly told about this bug and that bug but you know what 95% of people don't care about that.
All phones drop in price form their launch price but generally what will happen is they'll start at £500 and eventually drop as low as £250-£300 then disappear from sale. The Blackberrys of late start high and keep dropping, the Z10 was one example. I think that was around £500 on release but instead of disappearing from sale they went on and on and you could (probably still can) get them for around £100 which suggests they simply didn't sell and there was loads of stock around. Rightly or wrongly I can see the same happening with this handset.
I work as a business mobile contract reseller and smaller companies with smaller mobile accounts are not interested in security they just want the latest iphones for the bosses and maybe some cheaper Androids for the others. Larger businesses where the decision is made by the finance director or IT manager will be looking for value for money and more often than not are influenced by the salesmen/women in the company who will be asking for iphones. If they are not influenced by the end users desires then this will be because they are looking more at cost. They will then be asking me for suggestions. I could say the Blackberry Priv is £466 (ex vat) or the iphone 6S is £449 (ex vat). 3 months down the line when a handset has an issue they will come to me for help. If they chose Blackberry I will say we'll speak to the supplier, get a returns authorisation completed, send the handset off and you'll get it back in a week or 2 weeks time. If they choose an iphone I'll say get the user to book an appointment at their local Apple Store and they will resolve it, or send it to me and I will do it and get it or the replacement back to them them within a day or so. This same scenario also occurs with Android handsets too but if they use Moto Gs they are inexpensive so easy to have a spare one so the user is not without a handset.
I don't think I'm alone here, most resellers will be looking for an easy life. I'd never recommend a business spends a load of money on these when they will be half the price in a few months time.

Delighted about this, hope it comes to 3 mobile, I've been using a Z10 for the past 2 years amazing phone I've become a slave to blackberry, feels so much smoother than when I use my iPad or son or wife's I phone will be interesting to read the reviews :smiley: good spot

Loved my Z10 - it got run over by a van once and survived! (Well, needed a new LCD etc)
Temporarily on a 4S and I reallyyy miss the BB Hub.

I'm strictly a PAYG man, can't say I'm tempted by the £600+ price tag. Awaiting the next price drop, but might grab the Z5 if it drops before this :smiley:

I've used the phone a little and know someone who tested the device. it wasn't ready for testing when sent but received updates during that time. that ars review night have been before the updates.
it's a solid phone and the software is just fine. it all works just like any other android. I'll be getting it as my upgrade as to us it felt like a solid and premium device. ran like one too.
the screen was fine also! i didn't see any problems in the short time i used it

An awesome phone to own :-) HOT

Biggest gripe with Samsung's keyboards is that the keys do not directly interact with the phone's software; rather, the hardware keys simply press down on a hidden virtual keyboard that is placed on the screen directly underneath the physical keyboard, and it's that hidden virtual keyboard that is responded to by the software. So it doesn't offer a smooth typing experience.

Then obviously there's the issue of losing screen space, and thirdly the Samsung keyboards look and feel extremely cheap.

The only other alternative is the Samsung Galaxy S6 with the keyboard or the Note version of the same.





Personally, I don't like either option. It amazes me that there are no keyboard cases available for any phones other than the cheap rubbish ones that make the phone in the case about an inch thick.

If it ticks the boxes for you then thats great, by all means go ahead and buy it. I just dont think its worth anywhere near the price its marketed at. I would honestly rather buy an LG G4 over this.

Sounds pretty awful all round according to this review...

Good

BlackBerry's Android distribution sticks very close to stock Android. It mostly only adds extra features, and those extra features can be turned off.
A MicroSD slot.
Tap to wake! Just double-tap on the screen and it will wake up.
Bad

This device isn't worth $700.
The tiny keyboard is cramped, flat, and unpleasant to type on.
The camera is gray and colorless.
It has a scratchy, friction-filled sliding mechanism.
It features a spongy back material that feels like a plastic frame with a rubber skin wrapped around it.
Like other flexible PAMOLED displays, some colors show a dirty-looking "grain" pattern instead of a solid color.
Android 5.1.1. BlackBerry pushes the "privacy" angle, but shipping with an old version of Android means it's missing Android 6.0's great privacy features.
The hardware "mute" button doesn't mute the phone.
Ugly

A phone with an awful hardware keyboard? Nope, not buying that at any price.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/blackberry-priv-review-android-fixes-the-os-but-the-hardware-cant-compete/

It has some functionality, i.e. displaying charging/battery status while the rest of the screen is off, but I'd say it's more a design/handling choice.

Check out the camera comparisons on the arstechnica review - it's doesn't inspire confidence. As the review says, it just seems to be way overpriced for what it is.

Why do you need a curved screen? Thats not in any way beneficial is it?

The same contract on Mobiles.co.uk costs £25 more than this phone. you can get the priv cheaper if you don't mind going with less data, but 3GB is my minimum, so this is still cheaper.

As for the flex in the back, it would bother me too much, especially as I'll likely put in in a case, and to be honest the flex would absorb some of the energy of a drop. Besides, the iPhone 6 had bendgate, yet cost more and still sold a ton.

Android 5.1.1 plus a hardened linux kernel.

The keyboard is as big as most other blackberry keyboards, the one on my curve was tiny, but I've still never found a virtual keyboard anywhere near as good to use.

If you're not a fan of physical keyboards, then you're not likely to want this phone...

Rubbish camera, old chipset, no radio, ugly design, poorly made. Z5 Premium beats this hands down.

The £100 off iPhone voucher doesn't, the generic £10 does though

You can get the Z5p for the same price if not cheaper. Priv ships with android 5.1, great for security eh? A tiny physical keyboard for fingers the size of babies, ill pass thanks. Youre paying £559.99 sim free or £700+ on contract. For that id at least expect a premium build and feel.

Does the code from the iPhone deal work on this?

I think criticism of the keyboard ergonomics is unwarranted... With any mini-keyboard you need to use it for a couple of weeks to build the muscle memory to use it efficiently and effortlessly.

This is a great device and to be honest, the physical keypad is just fantastic. For those who've not had a Blackberry before will most likely vote this cold, or fail to understand, what the fuss is all about. I've owned many Blackberry phones along with Samsung, and the quality and feel of Blackberry is always very good and now with this Android operating system on the phone means Blackberry are back in the phone market.

I do, however, accept that Blackberry phones don't hold their value and I suspect by Christmas, these will be available around £250 on eBay much like the Blackberry Passport.

I want this phone so much

Watch "BlackBerry Priv - unboxing and first look" on YouTube - https://youtu.be/IkMhQbYto2Y

Just tried a demo (dummy model) in a CPW store today and I think it seems like this will be my next phone. I've missed the QWERTY wonders of my HP Pre and Palm 650. Yes it may be slower to type than some of the on screen keyboards but at least I can see where I'm going and still keep typing without making mistakes.

As others have said, I'm going to wait for a bit of a price slash before biting as I'd like to see it sub £30 and would allow my P8 contract to run out a little more before cancelling that. It's a shame you can't port a number out and keep the old sim running.

Really want this but can't justify it just yet! Heat added tho

looks cool

could be going back to blackberry and leaving the iPhone after seeing this handset!

What a name 'Priv' no wonder it's going down hill.

​BlackBerry is THE only phone to never be hacked! their security is second to none, I realise they are not to everyones taste but that's an excellent track record none the less.

Finally they create something worthy

No fan of BlackBerry before this handset, but I think it's a great device. The keyboard as a track pad is a work of genius. Very nice handset.

Going to buy this device outright after the first big price drop as I have a sim only contract. Good price for what it is though! Have some heat!

had a look at the nexus 6p and it felt and looked cheap in the 02 shop .

I am really keen on the blackberry but i will wait until its free and £31

you can put keyboard onto s6 edge plus

Please, if anyone can find it cheaper, let me know otherwise I'll be ordering!

The only other option I found with decent internet was on EE with 5GB for £37.50 with £10 up front (£50 cheaper than Carphone Warehouse) which is £910 total or <£15 per month for the contract when you take off the phone price.