BlackBerry Priv quietly launched as pre-orders go live

The BlackBerry Priv is a pivotal release for the now-struggling company and John Chen anticipates that the unconventional handset will have a big role in deciding the company’s smartphone division’s future. Although the Canadian company has not yet officially announced the BlackBerry Priv, a sliding-keyboard Android phone, the first of its kind, the device is somehow already official. BlackBerry Pre-orders went live today at Carphone Warehouse, who coincidentally were the ones to first reveal actual photos and specs about the BlackBerry Priv as well as open a newsletter for those interested in the handset. UK customers can now go to the website and place their pre-order, as the retailer estimates November 3 shipping dates for most orders.

Although odd that the BlackBerry Priv release date went by without an official announcement, the pre-orders are valid and the retailer is indeed accepting them early. Unfortunately, only UK citizens can pre-order the BlackBerry Priv for now, but those in other areas of the world can sign up to receive updates about availability at BlackBerry’s official website. Although no information about when the handset  would be released on a wider scale has been released, it is likely that we see the handset in the U.S. by the time Black Friday comes around.

The BlackBerry Priv has already been fully demonstrated and revealed in a couple of hands-on videos, the latest of which comes from Carphone Warehouse and you can watch it below. The hands-on offers up a polished-looking device that is more appealing than any of the previous videos or photos lead on. The BlackBerry Priv in the video is most likely a finished, retail-ready unit because it looks polished, clean, neat and rather unconventional.

Although the BlackBerry Priv price is expected to be around $650 unlocked, the handset offers great value for the money. Besides sporting the unique design that incorporates a sliding QWERTY keyboard that in itself is a trackpad at the same time, it also dons excellent specs and a software experience that nobody has ever seen before. Although Android5.1.1 Lollipop is the base operating system that provides users with Google services, BlackBerry will ship the BlackBerry Priv with its personal selection of software utilities (dubbed DTEK) that focus on securing your phone and your privacy at the same time – same as with all BlackBerry handsets.

Under the hood, the BlackBerry Priv sports a Snapdragon 808 CPU, 3 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage, a 3,410 mAh battery, 4G LTE, 5.4-inch QuadHD resolution AMOLED panel with a 540 ppi, 18 MP camera with dual-tone LED flash on the rear and a 2 MP camera on the front. The measurements of the BlackBerry Priv are 147 (184 opened) x 77.2 x 9.4 mm, which place it in the larger department. Although it’s not too large, it’s certainly heavy weighing 192 grams. Are you going to pre-order?