One of the high-end phones from BlackBerry launched as an Android phone, the Priv, will now stop receiving critical security updates from the Canadian company. And for those who are still using the Priv or even a BlackBerry 10 device, the company has announced a trade-up program to be able to upgrade their device to BlackBerry KeyONE, which could be at a discounted price.
However, for those using Priv, if there is any serious security vulnerability detected, BlackBerry will still continue to provide software support. It has also been confirmed by BlackBerry that they stand by the warranty obligations on the devices without any deviations.
For the record, the BlackBerry Priv was launched in the Indian market for a hefty Rs 62,990, last year, sports a 5.4-inch dual-curved WQHD Plastic AMOLED display. The processor on this phone is the hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808. The clocking speed of the processor was quite low at 600MHz. With 3GB RAM and 32 GB internal memory, it would have been considered a top-end device way back in 2016. The phone has a microSD card provision that can carry the storage up to 2TB. The 3.5 mm audio output jack is also part of the spec which has since become an extinct feature, particularly in the high-end smartphones.
The unique feature that the Priv model came with was the BlackBerry keyboard that slides from below. It was meant to be a nostalgic addition to the phone to appeal to the die-hard BlackBerry fan and retain the physicaly QWERTY keyboard. Apart from these, the Priv’s camera setup consists of an 18MP sensor, that is dual-flash Schneider-Kreuznach certified, in the rear. The operating system installed on the Priv was the Android Marshmallow version 6.0 and the battery 3410mAh that boasts of 22.5 hours of life on a full charge.