BlackBerry Priv - user opinions and reviews
- VodacomClerk
- 95w
I've just got the PRIV and I must say it's an incredible device. Beautiful, fast and full of surprises.
It does have stock Android but with a touch of BlackBerry. If you thinking of getting it, just get it!!!
- Priv Fan
- X}Q
AnonD-574998, 21 Aug 2016I Have my Priv since January 2016... no problem until 3 weeks ago.. I'm having something call ... moreDude see this link for solutions http://support.blackberry.com/kb/articleDetail?articleNumber=000038261
It affects most Android 6.0 users as well
- Tareq (Bangladesh)
- u10
Georgie, 23 Aug 2016I have a BlacKBerry, but was told from the end of 2016 one will not be able to use whatsapp on... moreDon't worry, that is for BB10 devices only , not for Android.. go ahead and buy PRIV. Its android with BB sweetness. You will love it.
- Anonymous
- nCf
Georgie, 23 Aug 2016I have a BlacKBerry, but was told from the end of 2016 one will not be able to use whatsapp on... moreNo , its only for BB10 devices, Priv is Android 6.0. Priv is a very good device at the current price point. I got it for a very steep price.
- Ican
- KiP
Georgie, 23 Aug 2016I have a BlacKBerry, but was told from the end of 2016 one will not be able to use whatsapp on... moreIt is for BB10 OS. For android like priv and dtek50 no issue.
- Georgie
- rsx
I have a BlacKBerry, but was told from the end of 2016 one will not be able to use whatsapp on BlackBerry! Is this true for all BB's as I was looking to buy the BB Priv but am now weary
- AnonD-575314
- fwC
AnonD-574998, 21 Aug 2016I Have my Priv since January 2016... no problem until 3 weeks ago.. I'm having something call ... moreTry with an update if not make a factory setting but before this you have to do a back up of all your data (SMS, Call, Gallery.......)
- Anonymous
- ssc
AnonD-574998, 21 Aug 2016I Have my Priv since January 2016... no problem until 3 weeks ago.. I'm having something call ... moreThis is a marshmallow permission thing. Check out in marshmallow help forums..
- starry
- 0wq
I had a dream using Priv and it's on the way from wonderland
I love priv and l love it
- AnonD-574998
- Rf7
I Have my Priv since January 2016... no problem until 3 weeks ago.. I'm having something call Overlay... The Hub needs permission granted... I have done what it says to do... go to settings and temporarily turn off Overlay... doesn't WORK..
I don't have access to my Hub.. emails or Apps... HELP!
- Anonymous
- ssc
Yash, 19 Aug 2016The battery life of my Priv is just worst, I bought it 3 days back, yesterday I charged It to ... moreDude allow the phone to settle. Update all softwares. In a week ur battery will come for 2 days.. Guess u are new to android.
- Anonymous
- 95w
AnonD-414227, 12 Aug 2016Android can not be secured by anyone, even by blackberry. Blackberry's most secured DTEK 5... moreAlready patched by BlackBerry
- Skinnyman
- nEx
I have a Blackberry Classic which I like but always felt that the ideal phone (for me) was something with the screen size of an iPhone 6 or a Samsung S7 but with the physical keyboard and the best BB apps. And then came the PRIV. At first, I was skeptical - the reviews put me off. Overheating, plasticky feel, not very good keyboard. Plus the price. £600 - that's a hard call to make putting it right up there price-wise with the latest from Apple and Samsung. So, having recently bought the wife an S7 and decided that Android had moved on far enough that it was worth ditching the Classic and getting one for myself - but then CPW brought the PRIV down to £399.99 and at that price, it had to be worth a punt. And I'm so glad I did. Forget the name on the top - this is a great Android phone.
Before we go any further, let me address the overheating and other reported issues....
First off - look and feel. I'd been put off by the display dummies I'd seen but this phone in the flesh is superb. While I like the heft and feel of the iPhone 6 (and indeed, the S7), they need to be put in a case to protect them from the inevitable drop(s). The PRIV has a pseudo carbon-fibre, rubberized coating to it which feels really nice in the hand. It's nice and grippy so doesn't feel like it'll head for the floor at every opportunity but it's not so "rubbery" that it feels sticky and uncomfortable. I really like it.
Overheating - when I first got the phone, I spent some time initialising stuff and, just like many of the reports, it got as warm as a very warm thing indeed. Then I upgraded the Android version to Marshmallow and, bingo, all the heating issues have disappeared. I can watch video, listen to music, spend time on social media - it stays nice and cool throughout.
Physical keyboard. I've always been a fan of the BB keyboards and was worried that this was reported to be very different. Well, the good news is that it might be a slightly different design but it works really well. The on-screen keyboard is brilliant (the best soft keyboard I've ever used and soooo much better than the one on the iPhone) and I find myself swapping between the two depending on how I feel at the time. The physical keyboard is easy and accurate - that might not be the case if you've got massive fingers but for the rest of us, it's easy. I also like using it as a track pad and the keyboard shortcuts are really handy.
And so to my impressions of the phone itself - and as you can probably tell, I love it.
I can't help thinking that many of the less complimentary reviews have been from those who can't see past the Blackberry name and just assume that it's old-fashioned and uncool - or from those who are broken-hearted to find that it's running Android and not BB10.
Personally, I don't care. I want a phone that I find easy to use - check. That does the basics like phone calls, browsing, calendar management, email, messaging and notifications in an efficient and un-intrusive way - check. I want something with decent battery life - double check (charged to 100% at 8am this morning, still on 93% at 6pm after a lot of use through the day), and I want something that I can customise to work the way I want it to work rather than have to change the way I work to match the phone - check.
So, is this the perfect phone? Of course not. I need to find a decent Alarm app and I've had to download a proper File Manager - but that's the great thing. Blackberry have created a good-looking, practical and well-made phone. They've taken the best of their apps and ported them to an OS that allows me to build on that starting point and make the phone exactly what I want it to be.
Final note - I teamed this up with the BB leather flip case and that adds some useful features with regard to notifications and battery saving.
Conclusion: I nearly bought an S7 and I'm sure I'd have been happy with it. But I'm glad that CPW brought the PRIV down to a bargain price and let me buy a phone that's every bit as good in most respects (and better in many others) for a lot less
- Oscar
- dWF
Upgraded from my Q10 to the Priv.
One big issue. I a male with what I'd like to think are average size fingers, and I had a hard time typing the top row of the keyboard. The top part of the phone interferes and made it uncomfortable.
Strike one.
Once I got past that, I had another issue. Blackberry Hub. Crashed everytime I tried responding to an email. Updated software. Did a factory restore. Twice. No help.
Strike two.
I didn't wait for strike three as my window for return on Amazon was closing. I sent it packing.
Back to the Q10. Dreaming the Mercury will be better. Keyboard looks to be comparable to the current layouts, and hopefully the software bugs will be hammered out by then.
Until then...
- Greg
- kJ}
At first I was bit skeptical about buying this phone because there are many other Android devices with similar specs available at a lower price. But after I tried this device I fell in love with it. That slide out keyboard is an absolute delight to use. I saw myself typing much faster and comfortably on it. It's undeniably a beautiful device and my opinion to anyone who is still apprehensive about buying it just go ahead and try it you would just love it. Hands down it's one of the best Android device available in the market.
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