The Priv is BlackBerry's take on a top-shelf Android smartphone infused with notable BlackBerry advantages, such as the renowned BlackBerry messenger (BBM) and meetings apps; and the Hub, which puts calls, messages, and calendar notifications in one convenient place. But when it comes to privacy and security, the Priv appears to be an impenetrable fortress. Its DTEK app, for instance, audits your security settings for screen lock, factory reset, remote device management, and other functions to uncover and correct vulnerabilities. Like a sentinel, DTEK monitors app behavior and alerts you when they act in a potentially suspicious manner, such as when they attempt to access your location, read contacts' info and send messages. Password Keeper is designed for you to keep your passwords in one encrypted, secure place. There are also a host of hardware- and software-based schemes to protect your information should unauthorized hands get hold of your phone.
The Priv is a stunner. The edges of its dual-curved, 5.4-inch display sweep back in a manner that echoes the sleekness of Samsung's Galaxy S6 edge+. The quality of the quad HD display is excellent and among the sharpest we've tested, presenting photos, videos, web pages, and other objects with more than 500 pixels per inch of detail. Though it's unlikely most users will notice the benefits of those extra pixels in everyday use, they will notice how easy the display is to see in bright light. You can double-tap the display to wake it up as well. The right side of the curved edge has a Productivity Tab. Swiping the tab lets you easily access your calendar, messages, tasks, and contacts. You can also customize the placement of the tab, which side it's on, and even its height. When charging with screen off, the right side of the curved display can show a battery status scale. Hidden under the display is a physical keyboard-rare in a smartphone these days- that slides out vertically in portrait orientation. The physical keyboard can perform an impressive number of tricks with a flick, push, or swipe of your fingers. For instance, you can scroll through screens, messages and Web pages or reposition the cursor by gently flicking, sliding, or double-tapping a finger over the keys. You can set up individual keys to act as long-press shortcuts to core phone functions. For example, you can set up the "M" key to launch the message or Maps app, the "P" for phone, the "C" for calendar or camera, and more. The next-word predictive-text app is nifty and can save you a lot of time and typing once you know how to use it. As you type, it suggests words that might come next, based on what's already in the sentence. For example, type the words "We will" and the words "be," "have," and "not" appear above the physical keyboard. You can "flick" those suggestions up into a sentence without taking your fingers off the keyboard. But sliding out the physical keyboard increases the height of the Priv from 5.8 to a lengthy 7.2 inches. And the physical keyboard keys are actually smaller than those than on the BlackBerry Classic model. All-in-all it is reasonably easy to use. The Priv also relies on finger sweeps and other gestures to help users get around quickly. Sliding your finger up from the bottom of the screen and then pulling to the right will always take you to the BlackBerry Hub, a list of calls, messages, and calendar notifications. Slide your finger to the right again to filter messages-say, by Yahoo or Gmail account. There's also a dedicated mute button on the right side of the phone. The 18-megapixel camera produced very-good-quality pictures including under low-light conditions. It can also record in Ultra HD (2160p) video format, which provides extra clarity when that video is viewed on an Ultra HD TV. Battery life overall is very good, including 20 hours of talk time, 15 hours of LTE data time and 10 hours of WiFi browsing time. The Priv also supports wireless charging which worked effortlessly with the Qi wireless charging pad we have in our labs. But at 6.7 ounces, the Priv is also quite heavy-heavier than many of the smartphones we've tested.
The Priv provides easy access to all its main functions via a highly responsive touch screen, programmable shortcuts, as well as back, home, and recent apps keys. The recent apps key lets you see a stack of screen shots of your most recently used apps. Tap any one of them, and you can jump to that app. Pressing and holding the home key directly launches the Google search, as well as the device search or the Hub, the latter two of which you can customize. You can launch the camera or phone from a locked screen without the need to first unlock the screen. You do this by swiping on the always-visible app icons on the locked screen. The Priv lets you perform Google searches by voice command, and lets you download applications, services, and games, and more from the Google Play Store. Its multi-touch screen lets you zoom in and out of photos or Web pages using two fingers (for instance, your thumb and index finger. It also has a handy on-screen drop-down status bar that alerts you to and takes you to new messages, upcoming appointments, and other items that need your attention, even when your screen is locked. Its Android OS offers better text editing tools and controls for managing data usage, and enhanced voice-activated navigation and dictation.
The Priv supports both types of AT&T's "4G" network (LTE and HSPA+), allowing fast streaming, downloading, and uploading of high-definition videos and other large files. The fast network also facilitates better Web browsing experiences. The WiFi connection provides another way to access the Web, e-mail, and other Internet-based content, without using your data plan allowance. The Priv supports Near Field Communication (NFC), a short-range wireless communication technology that allows the phone to read "smart" tags, or other items that have NFC capability in them. Though the technology is not yet widely deployed for mobile phone users, it could ultimately allow you to pay by phone at the register.
MESSAGING: The physical keyboard was reasonably easy to use. The virtual keyboard was very easy to use. In addition to its touch-sensitive keys, convenient shortcuts, and predictive text capabilities mentioned above, the keyboard has an advanced voice command feature that supports text fields, allowing you to dictate e-mails, text messages, Tweets, and other normally typed forms of communication. But this model doesn't have preset text messages, nor does it allow you to create custom presets. Excellent e-mail readability and attachment capabilities. This phone allows you to create and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets out of the box, which can come in handy when working on the go. The Priv also supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for work e-mail. When connected to Windows or Macintosh computers, this phone can appear on the computer as another drive. You can then transfer data to and from your phone as you could on a regular drive.
PHONE: We tested this phone under a variety of conditions to simulate environments ranging from the quiet indoors to noisy roadsides. It had very good voice quality when talking, good when listening. Battery life, overall is very good, including 20 hours of talk time. This phone has a very good mixture of controls and features for making and taking calls. Its voice command allows you to conveniently dial numbers from your phone book by speaking the name, without the usual training. You can also dial numbers by pronouncing the digits. It has Bluetooth for wireless hands-free voice communication. This model can simultaneously be on a phone call and an Internet-based connection over the cellular network. Can be used internationally. Ringer is not easy to mute. auto answer doesn't work with headset.
MULTIMEDIA: The 18-megapixel camera produced very-good-quality pictures when photos were taken under well-lighted conditions. The camera also performed very well under low-light conditions. Camera has a flash, autofocus, and can record HD video. Its touch focus feature lets you override the autofocus by tapping on any subject on the screen. The camera's optical image stabilizer improves your chances of taking better handheld photos under low-light conditions. Its face detection comes in handy when you're snapping pics of babies, toddlers, or other fussy subjects. You can also snap a still picture at any moment while shooting a video. The camera took decent 1080p video at 30fps, probably adequate for casual use such as uploading to the Web. Though at 60fps, the quality was noticeably worse. The Priv can also record in Ultra HD (2160x3840) video format which has benefits when viewing on an Ultra HD TV giving you extra clarity. The front-facing 1.9-megapixel camera allows easy self-portraits, and can support video chats. It can also record at 720p.
The music player has the capabilities and controls of a typical stand-alone MP3 player, including an equalizer, music shuffle and repeat controls and options for sorting music by album, artist, etc. This model also supports Bluetooth stereo headsets, and can download music over the phone network. Its Bluetooth data support enables the phone to wirelessly share pictures, contacts, and other files with compatible printers, computers, and mobile devices.
GPS navigation capability provides spoken turn-by-turn directions and automatic re-routing. The Priv supports the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA). This lets the phone connect via WiFi to share content with other compatible certified devices such as a TV, printer, and computer. Its supports SlimPort, which allows you to connect to an HDMI-capable external display, such as a TV, to show your photos or videos (cable sold separately). The Priv can act as a mobile hotspot for up to five WiFi-enabled devices. It has 32GB of built-in memory, and supports memory cards of more than 128GB. Its memory capacity is beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. But the memory card is hard to access. And the battery is non-removable.
