BlackBerry PRIV Review

Performance and Benchmarks

Powering the PRIV is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core CPU (same processor as the Google Nexus 5X and LG V10), Adreno 418 GPU, and 3GB RAM.

Performance is great across the board as it doesn’t choke or crash, and keeps itself cool whether it’s just light tasks or gaming. Overall, a great performer. Take a look at the benchmark scores below:

* AnTuTu – 50,268
* Quadrant Standard – 19,901
* Vellamo – 2,005 (Multicore), 2,023 (Metal), 4,627 (Chrome)
* 3D Mark – 544 (Sling Shot using ES 3.1)
* Gaming temp – 42.2 C

Looking at the numbers, it actually scored better than the V10 and Nexus 5X when it comes to AnTuTu.

Connectivity and Call Quality

The PRIV is packed with connectivity features from 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC. What’s lacking though, like in most high-end smartphones, is dual-SIM support. Call quality is good as voices are loud and clear on both ends. Mobile data is really good too as it was able to detect and latch even to a weak LTE signal.

Battery Life

Providing juice for the PRIV is an above average 3,410mAh battery with support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 and Qi Charging. Even with its high-end specs, it was able to last a whole day of light to moderate usage on WiFi with a little bit of gaming.

On PC Mark, it scored 9 hours and 6 minutes which is good. While in our standard 1080p video loop test (Airplane mode, 50% brightness and volume with headset plugged in) it was able to provide 14 hours of video playback.

Conclusion

After years of being pummeled by other big smartphone manufacturers with their iOS and Android devices, BlackBerry is now striking back by embracing the Android ecosystem and strengthening it with its own features. And representing its first haymaker is the PRIV which packs an impressive display, nice design, powerful specs, great-performing camera, good battery life, and a classic slide-out physical keyboard.

On the downside, the PRIV is expensive at Php45,000, meaning its target consumer are the CEOs, Executives, Managers, and anyone who can afford who are probably still using old BlackBerry devices and are waiting for a worthy upgrade. To conclude, the PRIV is obviously BlackBerry’s best yet. Now let’s just hope they release a more affordable alternative soon like what they did with the BB10-powered Z-Series.

BlackBerry PRIV specs:
5.4-inch dual-curved QHD AMOLED display @ 2560 x 1440 pixels, 540ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core CPU
Adreno 418 GPU
3GB RAM
32GB internal storage
Up to 2TB via microSD
18MP Schneider-Kreuznach rear camera with OIS, PDAF (phase-detection autofocus), and 6-element f/2.2 aperture lens, dual-tone flash
2MP front camera with large 1.75um pixel and f2.8 aperture
4G LTE, 3G HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, EDR, LE
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
NFC
3,410mAh battery
Qi wireless charging
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
147 x 77.2 x 9.4 mm
192 g

What we liked:
* Good build
* Unique design
* Great display
* Great performance
* Good camera
* Good battery life
* BlackBerry features and security
* Good loudspeaker
* Physical keyboard

What we didn’t like:
* Very expensive
* Hefty
* Underwhelming front camera