Getting a PRIV later this month, what should I know before buying?

[karmainfinity]

Hello all, I plan on buying a PRIV at the end of the month, I have a few questions from veterans regarding what to expect or look out for. We all know, buyers' remorse is one of the worst feelings.

A little background on me: I got my first Blackberry in 2004. I inherited a 6750 and continued getting other models until 2011 when I finally switched to Android. So with 8 years of BBOS experience, and with a great fondness for Blackberry devices, I have returned now that I see a viable, reliable Android product being manufactured.

Please let me know your thoughts, experiences, and tales. I'd love to hear what you all have to say.
@karmainfinity

 

[xxxmerlinxxx]

I've had an ATT Priv since the end of last November coming from a Z30 with BB10. It was a rough start with the device getting a bit hot and getting used to the ins and outs of android. After Marshmallow I decided to do a wipe with the available autoloader. This helped my battery life considerably and fixed a few of my Bluetooth issues I was having in my audi (one of which has returned). Plus getting rid of all those "hey look at that app" sydrome you have when there are actually apps available for your device. Overall, BB10 is still a much easier to navigate OS, Android has all the goodies though. I dont regret buying my Priv at all. My biggest annoyance was not having a very good glass screen protector available due to the curved screen. I tried a few and they were all horrible and hazy compared to any flat glass protector I have installed. I am now using a skinomi screen protector. The OEM slide cases are nice, that's what I am using now but running the phone caseless, that feels the best.

 

[goku_vegeta]

Hello all, I plan on buying a PRIV at the end of the month, I have a few questions from veterans regarding what to expect or look out for. We all know, buyers' remorse is one of the worst feelings.

A little background on me: I got my first Blackberry in 2004. I inherited a 6750 and continued getting other models until 2011 when I finally switched to Android. So with 8 years of BBOS experience, and with a great fondness for Blackberry devices, I have returned now that I see a viable, reliable Android product being manufactured.

Please let me know your thoughts, experiences, and tales. I'd love to hear what you all have to say.
@karmainfinity

The Priv is a very good Android device. However, many Android devices are very good these days.

I've been using the G4 before switching to the Priv and I have to say performance wise they are very similar. The Priv doesn't exhibit much slowdown, it has a battery which has been working very well for my uses and the keyboard has been so refreshing and feels as if I'm back home, in fact I'm typing this message out using the physical keyboard on the Priv (long time BlackBerry user).

However as someone who's been a BlackBerry user since 2010, some things about the Priv might annoy you a little but you get used to it.

I don't keep too many apps on the device and I really enjoy having the option of expandable storage and the Priv is one device that does that when the trend for a while was to get rid of expandable storage.

The bonus is that you get a very similar experience to stock/vanilla Android while having some really nice software additions that enhance the experience. It's all subjective indeed though, but as an android device, all in all the Priv checks off enough boxes for must have features that I don't worry recommending the unit to most, although not everyone needs these additional features.

One annoyance of the Priv for me is the lack of a fingerprint reader. I've gotten so used to it on the iPad (especially now since apps are using it too) that it feels pretty weird to have to manually type in a password, minor gripe though.

Anyway, I'd say if the price is right, go for it. The keyboard alone for me is worth it.

 

[treo_knight]

If you are moving from an existing Android device to a Priv the learning curve will not be too steep. The move from BB10 to Android Is what usually requires some adjustment and patience.

Before you take the plunge I suggest you start using the BlackBerry virtual keyboard on your existing device. Instructions on how to do so are available on the forums. The BB vkb is really good and I rarely slide my Priv keyboard out now. Which brings me to the next point - if you can adjust to the vkb then it may be a better idea to future proof your purchase a bit and maybe get the Dtek 60 which is by far a superior device in all aspects. Having said that I don't see the need to upgrade from a Priv to a Dtek60 as yet.

 

[Matty]

Hello all, I plan on buying a PRIV at the end of the month, I have a few questions from veterans regarding what to expect or look out for. We all know, buyers' remorse is one of the worst feelings.

A little background on me: I got my first Blackberry in 2004. I inherited a 6750 and continued getting other models until 2011 when I finally switched to Android. So with 8 years of BBOS experience, and with a great fondness for Blackberry devices, I have returned now that I see a viable, reliable Android product being manufactured.

Please let me know your thoughts, experiences, and tales. I'd love to hear what you all have to say.
@karmainfinity

Firstly Congratulations on your purchase and Welcome to AndroidCentral! Hopefully you really enjoy your PRIV.

The first thing i would say is upgrade the OS to Marshmallow and update all the Apps. Thats step one. The second thing i would say is, the phone may get hot. Personally, mine doesn't but maybe I'm just not pushing it as hard as other do. I don't have many Apps open and it's normally just texting, e-mails, maybe taking some photos and posting on AndroidCentral

I think the PRIV is a very polarising device. You either love it or hate it. Unfortunately for me, when i buy something locally, there are no returns. So I'm always super careful about what i buy. I think the PRIV performs well. I would say on par with any mid range device out there. So yeah, go for it and hopefully you like it. Don't say you hate it after 2 days. Give it 2-3 weeks and then decide

 

[anon(3641385)]

OP, I don't know what country you live in, or what version of priv you intend buying, or if it will be new, re-furbed/second hand, or whether it's through a telco or factory unlocked and unbranded ..... and these are all quite essential imo, cos performance has differed between the various versions. And not just performance, but also as to heating issues and whether or not there will be wifi re-charging ....

I've got a priv vers 3, asia pac (also CA). It's factory unlocked, unbranded, and works perfectly for my needs. Note, this version does not have wifi charging.

The telephone app, nor the sms (text) native apps are blackberry, they're stock google and they suck ....

I presume you will install the Hub and Hub + .... these are essential bb attributes, so I hope you do.

You'll need to keep posting specific questions for better assistance ....

Also, don't forget that the Mercury will be out very soon, and you may prefer that instead

 

[Morty2264]

The PRIV is a great device! It's the best of both worlds: BlackBerry hardware with Android software. Though I haven't owned one, they're a beauty to hold and behold. I wanted one when it first launched but couldn't afford it! Let us know what you decide!

 

[medic22003]

I've had mine for a year and really like it. It's the first phone ive had that has a pkb. I already found the BlackBerry vkb to be great and have since learned to use the pkb pretty proficiently. The on screen shortcuts that come with the BlackBerry launcher are great and I just recently started using shortcuts on the pkb. I'm on Verizon and have never had any heating or severe battery drain issues. Unless I'm on YouTube or something a lot I generally get a full day and I mean a long day out of the battery. I'd buy another one tomorrow if I needed a phone

 

[Morty2264]

I've had mine for a year and really like it. It's the first phone ive had that has a pkb. I already found the BlackBerry vkb to be great and have since learned to use the pkb pretty proficiently. The on screen shortcuts that come with the BlackBerry launcher are great and I just recently started using shortcuts on the pkb. I'm on Verizon and have never had any heating or severe battery drain issues. Unless I'm on YouTube or something a lot I generally get a full day and I mean a long day out of the battery. I'd buy another one tomorrow if I needed a phone

So glad you are loving it!