BlackBerry CEO John Chen today confirmed that BlackBerry Priv Android smartphone will launch by the end of 2015 in major markets in-store and online, along with the FY Q2 2016 earnings. The BlackBerry slider running Android was initially called BlackBerry Venice and the Priv name was revealed earlier this week.
BlackBerry also said that it is still committed to supporting BB10. The BlackBerry 10.3.3 update will be released in March 2016, said the CEO. According to earlier rumors, the BlackBerry Priv will packs a 5.4-inch (2560 x 1440 pixels) Quad HD display, Hexa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 Soc, 3GB RAM, 32GB of internal memory, which is expandable with microSD, 18MP rear camera with dual LED Flash, OIS, PDAF, 5MP front-facing camera and 4G LTE connectivity.
Regarding the upcoming BlackBerry Priv, John Chen, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BlackBerry, said:
…At the same time, we are focused on making faster progress to achieve profitability in our handset business. Today, I am confirming our plans to launch Priv, an Android device named after BlackBerry’s heritage and core mission of protecting our customers’ privacy. Priv combines the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform.