The BlackBerry Priv is one of the most talked-about devices of 2015 and the company has a new teaser video in store to highlight the quality build of its first Android smartphone.
BlackBerry is renowned worldwide for its highly secure smartphones aimed at the business segment, but the company has been having a tough time in recent years. Once at the top of the food chain, BlackBerry has eventually started bleeding customers and losing significant ground to rivals on the smartphone market and has been trying to make a comeback for years now.
The Canadian OEM made significant efforts to keep its head above the water, working on all fronts where it thought it could improve its offerings to keep up with the competition. The company even ditched its iconic QWERTY keyboard and went all-touch a while back with the Z10, trying to join the trend in a bid to stay relevant, but it still lagged behind rivals despite its best efforts.
A notably tweaked BlackBerry 10 (BB10) OS did not make a big enough difference either, nor did the BB10 smartphones. The BlackBerry Passport stirred somewhat greater interest compared to other BlackBerry attempts, but didn't exactly fly off store shelves either. The main interest with the BlackBerry Passport was its odd design, as the handset sports a square-shaped form factor, but otherwise the handset failed to restore BlackBerry to its old glory days.
After several notable attempts that didn't really catch on, BlackBerry decided to go for a bolder challenge and went all-in with its BlackBerry Priv, one of the most hyped smartphones of 2015.
The BlackBerry Priv arrived as the company's very first Android smartphone and is currently the only one in the OEM's lineup to run a rival OS. While many were intrigued simply by the idea of having Android power a BlackBerry, the BlackBerry Priv actually has plenty of strong suits.
In addition to the new choice of operating system and a great focus on security, the BlackBerry Priv also boasts a neat design that promises both quality and durability. The handset looks and feels sturdy yet elegant, and BlackBerry now wants to highlight the great build of the device.
"Made from premium materials, PRIV is the epitome of form and function," BlackBerry touts in the description of a recent video posted on Christmas Eve. "Not only does it pack a ton of power under the hood, the PRIV remains remarkably thin and sleek."
The video shows how everything comes into place in terms of internal components, from display panel to screws, from chips to keyboard and everything in between, so the BlackBerry Priv takes its final form and comes to life as the powerhouse it claims to be.
While the video is just a bit longer than half a minute, it does manage to give a glimpse into the assembly process and the multitude of parts that make up the BlackBerry Priv hardware.
So far, the BlackBerry Priv has stirred plenty of interest, but its hefty price tag is seen as a major limitation for its success. BlackBerry recently confirmed that it sold just 700,000 Priv units in the third quarter of this year, but an expected price drop for the BlackBerry Priv in February 2016 should significantly increase sales. Demand for the smartphone already intensified as of late, boosting the company's shares, and things are looking up.
Moreover, the imminent BlackBerry Priv launch on Verizon should help boost sales as well, but it remains to be seen. In the meantime, check out the video below to get a better idea of the BlackBerry Priv design and build.
