A sweet new deal for the QWERTY keyboard-equipped and Android-based BlackBerry Priv is now available. While AT&T is currently charging $639.99 and Verizon is charging $720 full price for the BlackBerry Priv, you can pick up the unlocked version of the smartphone for only $299.99 for a limited time.
BlackBerry pleased some of its most loyal users when it abandoned its in-house BB10 OS, which never attracted popular developer support for the more tried and true Android operating system. The BlackBerry Priv was released as an exclusive to AT&T in November, made its way to T-Mobile in January and, most recently, landed on Verizon's network in March.
The BlackBerry Priv has received favorable reviews since its launch, and the company has already delivered its promised Android 6.0 Marshmallow software update for the handset. One of the popular features BlackBerry took from BB10 was its BlackBerry Hub unified inbox, which puts all of your messages from various apps into one convenient place. Samsung is rumored to be adding a similar feature, called Samsung Focus, to the Galaxy Note 7.
AT&T is currently offering the BlackBerry Priv for $639.99, its full price, and Verizon is selling it for $720, but a new deal from eBay has the smartphone on sale for $299.99 for a limited time.
The BlackBerry Priv packs in a 5.4-inch dual curved edge Quad HD AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 by 1440 and a pixel density of 540 pixels per inch (ppi). The smartphone ships with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop but can be upgraded to Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box via an OTA (over the air) software update. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chip and 3 GB of RAM.
The Priv includes 32 GB of internal storage and a microSD expansion slot that will support up to 256 GB microSD cards. It boasts an 18 megapixel rear camera with OIS (optical image stabilization), phase detection autofocus, dual LED flash, ability to capture 4K video and 2 megapixel front-facing camera.
The most popular feature, and what makes this Android smartphone truly a BlackBerry, is of course its familiar physical QWERTY keyboard, which is touch sensitive and also acts as a trackpad for scrolling and fine cursor control. The device's large 3,410 mAh battery will provide up to 24 hours of talk time and 420 hours of standby time.
If you're interested in purchasing the 32 GB unlocked BlackBerry Priv, eBay is offering it for $299.99 for a limited time.
