BlackBerry says surgery was needed to bring Android up to its secure standards

Android fans who still desire a physical keyboard will have something to celebrate later this year, because after many rumors, BlackBerry has confirmed it’s ready to release an Android phone. It’s called the Priv, and here’s everything we know so far.

Updated on 10-20-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in further information on the Priv, with new specs, how it improves on Android’s privacy aspects, and the option to pre-register interest.

After officially announcing the BlackBerry Priv, the company acknowledged an outpouring of interest on its blog. It’s obvious that fans want more information, and while BlackBerry isn’t ready to divulge all the details of the Priv, the company did post three images of the phone to whet our appetites.

The images look very similar to previous leaked images, but we now know for sure what the Priv will look like. One thing to note that wasn’t always obvious in prior images is the button placement on the right side. The power button is placed between the volume up and down keys. This will likely add some confusion to current Android users.

It appears that BlackBerry is poised to take advantage of this new-found attention. The company plans on releasing more pictures, videos, and hardware specs in drips and drabs leading up to the official unveiling.
Specs, price, and release

You can pre-register interest in the BlackBerry Priv on the company’s website, but official details on the phone are still limited. We do know it’ll have a 5.4-inch touchscreen with curved edges, a slide-out keyboard, and a 3140mAh battery inside. The camera will feature Schneider-Kreuznach technology.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen has said the Priv will launch later this year, and that the company’s in talks with carriers to offer the phone with a contract. Although he hasn’t give an exact cost, he said the Priv will have a “high-end price,” so expect it to be equal or similar to the $600 Passport.


At the Recode Mobile 2015 conference in October, CEO John Chen emphasised the importance of security, saying that by integrating Android with BlackBerry’s secure stack, it’s, “probably on the same level as Samsung’s Knox.” The Knox system has seen wide approval for use in the Enterprise world, and by the NSA and U.S. government.

After this, BlackBerry has revealed a little more about how the phone will improve on Android’s spotty security. In an official blog post, the company lists four ways the Priv will keep your device safe from hacking or security threats.

Most importantly, it promises to keep on top of newly discovered vulnerabilities, and quickly patch them with software updates — something the rest of the Android community is only just coming around to doing. The BlackBerry Messenger app, already a privacy-orientated messaging platform, will be built-in, and the Priv offers support for other, similar apps designed for business use. It specifically mentions WatchDox, the file sharing app, and SecuSuite for private voice calls.

A mysterious new app called BlackBerry Dtek will be installed, which will be a Priv exclusive, that will monitor the phone and act as an early warning system for potential privacy issues. There are no details yet, but BlackBerry says it’s made for convenience, indicating annoying popups asking for permission to do something should be kept to the minimum.

Finally, the Priv will come with BlackBerry’s Picture Login system, introduced with BlackBerry OS 10.2.1. It’s an usual way of mixing pictures and a simple password to secure your phone, and protects the user from many common ways for hackers to figure out your password. Although no details are offered, BlackBerry says it has “performed extensive surgery” inside Android to improve overall security and privacy.


In late September, inside the company’s second quarter financial results, BlackBerry confirmed it was making an Android smartphone called the BlackBerry Priv, and it’ll be on sale before the end of the year. The news came after a stream of rumors surrounding the device, and news that sales of its BlackBerry phones reached just 800,000, a third of that seen a year ago, and overall sales dropped by half at the same time.