Why is there so much dislike for the Blackberry Priv?

[bitek]

Long time blackberry user here. Now on priv enjoying android. I started this topic because I read some of comments here and I do not get it why there is so much dislike about blackberry and priv.

I mean this price comparison between between blackberry and other phones is just perplexing. "I can buy two htcs or lgs for blackberry etc" or blackberry has outdated specs with snapdragon 808 etc. I read this stuff all the time.

One thing is that phones are not about stats or even price. It is about experience. People buy apple because of user experience. Specs are second thought.

Same is for blackberry . Sure blackberry can be like all other sheeps making Samsung clones competing on price and keep loosing money.

Or putting snapdragon 810 which makes little difference in real life. I mean will latest angrybirds really run faster on 810 or 808.

Blackberry can be more like apple aiming for user experience and not competing on price.

with blackberry I can type this message seeing entire screen not having half of it taken by virtual screen

This is THE only phone from billions of android phones out there. The only one. If this is not cool then I do not know what it is. And this is not easy to copy. Just look at crappy Samsung physical keyboards for Galaxy.

I can have simple ui with small tweaks instead of heavy colourful customization on a other phones

Blackberry can keep making money on priv instead of losing money on phones like most android OEM's

The point is blackberry is perhaps the best thing that happen to android in many years

Unique,exciting,different product in sea of cheap Samsung/apple knock off which have absolutely no chance of really making a difference

The point is blackberry might have tarnished image because of bad decisions but for sake of android you should be at least open minded and try the phone and stoop judging it without even having opportunity to test drive it.

Finally I rather spend more money and have something unique and see blackberry brining unique

And yes I typed it all on physical keyboard and this was so much better than virtual keyboard.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[dpham00]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

Currently only apple can successfully sell based heavily on the user experience,and not specs. Heck look at the iPhone 6s screen. It isn't even HD resolution. When was the last time you saw a high end Android with a sub hd resolution?

To be fair, the 6s screen looks great to me...

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

I generally agree that the Priv is selling the keyboard experience. That is the differentitation they are going for, especially since most consumers don't care about security.

But, when it comes to things like the SoC only time will tell how well it holds up. Over the course of two years it's easy to see the 808 getting a little overwhelmed by games and other stuff.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

I used BlackBerry devices for 3¾ years, from 2009 to 2012. I had the 9000 and 9700. I did like the devices at that time. I used both so much that I wore the paint off the keys.

However, now that I've used virtual keyboards for almost 4 years, I find that I am able to type more accurately on virtual keyboards.

 

[Aquila]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

I can't speak for everyone, but here's my reasons for not wanting a Priv:

1. The physical design is very unappealing. It is ugly, boxy with a weird curved screen, has at least one extra button, the power button is on the wrong side, it has a logo on the front and a physical keyboard that I have no interest in. And despite all this extra added stuff, it is missing the fingerprint scanner
2. It is very buggy software according to users in the forums and despite going with the 808 (presumably to avoid the heat issues with early 810 chips) it still heats up quite a bit more than the Nexus 6P does with the 810.
3. It is advertised with a heavy emphasis on security but until February that was basically nonsense.
4. Battery life is not as good as other flagships from 2015. Still being on Lollipop isn't helping there.
5. It is overpriced. This is a gateway device and when better phones are cheaper, there is a problem in value proposition.

All that said, I am glad that you like it and I am glad that someone tried something different - I just feel that the execution sucked. Obviously some will disagree, especially with things like design and things like battery life are subjective to usage so YMMV.

On your points, I don't think that the specs suck and I'm definitely not one who wants to see more Samsung clones. My issue here isn't that it is a Blackberry device; my issue is that it is a weak Android device. It very well may be the best Blackberry device ever made - but it is far from the best Android device available. I'm not trying to be harsh here, but anyone not specifically looking for some of the Blackberry-esque features isn't going to think that those features overcome the device's shortcomings.

 

[dpham00]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

The thing with the physical keyboard is that it made me sense with small screens, since small screens are harder to type on. With larger screens, most people don't prefer a physical keyboard. Yes there will always be a niche that prefers it, but they are in the very small minority

 

[bitek]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

I used BlackBerry devices for 3¾ years, from 2009 to 2012. I had the 9000 and 9700. I did like the devices at that time. I used both so much that I wore the paint off the keys.

However, now that I've used virtual keyboards for almost 4 years, I find that I am able to type more accurately on virtual keyboards.

I had all touchscreen z10 and z30 for two years but after two years of using all touch I find physical keyboard much better. You should try it for a week. Your would be surprised

I can't speak for everyone, but here's my reasons for not wanting a Priv:

1. The physical design is very unappealing. It is ugly, boxy with a weird curved screen, has at least one extra button, the power button is on the wrong side, it has a logo on the front and a physical keyboard that I have no interest in. And despite all this extra added stuff, it is missing the fingerprint scanner
2. It is very buggy software according to users in the forums and despite going with the 808 (presumably to avoid the heat issues with early 810 chips) it still heats up quite a bit more than the Nexus 6P does with the 810.
3. It is advertised with a heavy emphasis on security but until February that was basically nonsense.
4. Battery life is not as good as other flagships from 2015. Still being on Lollipop isn't helping there.
5. It is overpriced. This is a gateway device and when better phones are cheaper, there is a problem in value proposition.

All that said, I am glad that you like it and I am glad that someone tried something different - I just feel that the execution sucked. Obviously some will disagree, especially with things like design and things like battery life are subjective to usage so YMMV.

On your points, I don't think that the specs suck and I'm definitely not one who wants to see more Samsung clones. My issue here isn't that it is a Blackberry device; my issue is that it is a weak Android device. It very well may be the best Blackberry device ever made - but it is far from the best Android device available. I'm not trying to be harsh here, but anyone not specifically looking for some of the Blackberry-esque features isn't going to think that those features overcome the device's shortcomings.

1. This is personal preference. Personally I find priv to mean business when you look at it

2. Sure. Like any phone it will have issues. Look at apple or Samsung. They do release phones with bugs,some updates brick phones all together. My phone does not heat up unless I play intensive games.

3. I do not understand your point here. I am not sure what you mean.

4. If you look at online reviews you will find ones complaining about battery and praise the battery life. Software issues will get worked out. The point hardware wise battery is massive. Software can be optimized but size of batter cannot be changed

5. This is like saying BMW is overpriced because you can get Honda doing the same thing. It has 4 wheels and it drives. So why to bother buying BMW for the price of two Hondas. If hint: it is the experience

 

[Laura Knotek]

I really believe that the speed and accuracy of my typing would suffer if I were to use a physical keyboard again. I use SwiftKey, and I'm able to type faster and more accurately using it than I was able to do on devices with physical keyboards.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

5. This is like saying BMW is overpriced because you can get Honda doing the same thing. It has 4 wheels and it drives. So why to bother buying BMW for the price of two Hondas. If hint: it is the experience

The difference is that the BMW has much better specs than the Honda. The specs are what make the user experience.

 

[Aquila]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

5. This is like saying BMW is overpriced because you can get Honda doing the same thing. It has 4 wheels and it drives. So why to bother buying BMW for the price of two Hondas. If hint: it is the experience

I'm perfectly okay with agreeing to disagree on all but this one point because I feel like you misconstrued what I was saying. I am saying that there are BETTER devices available, carrier unlocked for less - and in most cases much less. Examples: Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Moto X Pure, Note 5 (Verizon version works everywhere), etc, etc. So the Priv is the worst experience of that list of devices and the most expensive. The analogy doesn't work. I'm not arguing that there are cheaper devices that a customer could settle for. I'm saying that there are much better devices that cost less than the device that is overpriced (Priv).

Device	Price	Ranking
Nexus 6P	$499	1
Samsung Galaxy Note 5	$696	2
Moto X Pure Edition	$399	3
Nexus 5X	$349	4
Blackberry Priv	$699	5

Aside from the Note 5, the devices here follow a general trend of becoming less expensive as their ranking goes down. Add in some other devices that beat out the Priv, like the G4, V10, Nexus 6, etc, etc. and the same trend is there. So to change up the analogy, assuming very similar options, would you rather buy the BMW for at retail price or a used Honda that costs 40% more than the BMW? When better is cheaper the value proposition is upside down. That was what I was trying to get across in bullet #5.

Long story short, a $700 mobile device needs to be PHENOMENAL (I think the note 5 is overpriced by a lot too) and this device is sub par. A modern flagship needs to be carrier agnostic, have an awesome physical design and have software that rocks the house. This is a cool first try, but it is definitely not the end-all and needs a lot of work for the next generation.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

I don't really dislike the Priv. Just don't think it has enough going for it to spend $700 on the phone, especially when flagships like Moto X Pure and Nexus 6P are considerably cheaper.

Main reasons I never seriously considered the Priv:

(1) Don't need or really want a physical keyboard or slider.
(2) lacks dual front speakers
(3) unimpressive camera and battery life
(4) questionable build quality
(5) price

 

[bitek]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

I'm perfectly okay with agreeing to disagree on all but this one point because I feel like you misconstrued what I was saying. I am saying that there are BETTER devices available, carrier unlocked for less - and in most cases much less. Examples: Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Moto X Pure, Note 5 (Verizon version works everywhere), etc, etc. So the Priv is the worst experience of that list of devices and the most expensive. The analogy doesn't work. I'm not arguing that there are cheaper devices that a customer could settle for. I'm saying that there are much better devices that cost less than the device that is overpriced (Priv).

Device	Price	Ranking
Nexus 6P	$499	1
Samsung Galaxy Note 5	$696	2
Moto X Pure Edition	$399	3
Nexus 5X	$349	4
Blackberry Priv	$699	5

Aside from the Note 5, the devices here follow a general trend of becoming less expensive as their ranking goes down. Add in some other devices that beat out the Priv, like the G4, V10, Nexus 6, etc, etc. and the same trend is there. So to change up the analogy, assuming very similar options, would you rather buy the BMW for at retail price or a used Honda that costs 40% more than the BMW? When better is cheaper the value proposition is upside down. That was what I was trying to get across in bullet #5.

Long story short, a $700 mobile device needs to be PHENOMENAL (I think the note 5 is overpriced by a lot too) and this device is sub par. A modern flagship needs to be carrier agnostic, have an awesome physical design and have software that rocks the house. This is a cool first try, but it is definitely not the end-all and needs a lot of work for the next generation.

Sorry but your comment has fanboy written all over it. I have never seen anyone comparing priv to 5x. I am not sure where nexus 5x is better. I mean for less money I can get Asus zenphone with 64gb dual Sim card and 4gb of ram. So by your definition zenphone is better than priv but in reality is garbage phone no matter it's low price. Believe me I tried it. Nexus 6p is not really cheaper either. . Priv has sd card and nexus 6p does not. So be remotely comfortable with this phone only 64gb version would suffice. I popped in 128gb sd card to my priv phone. Try to do it on nexus. Sorry but your comparisons are lame. Only phone I would take from your list is note 5 because I find it unique with the stylus. Finally nexus phones are good but I rather pay extra to see innovation and cool new products than buy google subsidized phones. I like competition. But it is just me I guess. Couple hundreds $$ make little difference for me I guess. I am not on budget.

 

[Aquila]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

Sorry but your comment has fanboy written all over it. I have never seen anyone comparing priv to 5x. I am not sure where nexus 5x is better. I mean for less money I can get Asus zenphone with 64gb dual Sim card and 4gb of ram. So by your definition zenphone is better than priv but in reality is garbage phone no matter it's low price. Believe me I tried it. Nexus 6p is not really cheaper either. . Priv has sd card and nexus 6p does not. So be remotely comfortable with this phone only 64gb version would suffice. I popped in 128gb sd card to my priv phone. Try to do it on nexus. Sorry but your comparisons are lame. Only phone I would take from your list is note 5 because I find it unique with the stylus. Finally nexus phones are good but I rather pay extra to see innovation and cool new products than buy google subsidized phones. I like competition. But it is just me I guess. Couple hundreds $$ make little difference for me I guess. I am not on budget.

Let's try to keep this from getting personal. The 5X has better software and design, both of which are very important to me. The Asus Zenfone 2 does suck a lot compared to flagships, I had one - that's not the argument I'm making. I don't like SD cards so I won't miss them; I bought the 64GB Nexus 6P. My argument isn't that I am cheap, it is that the Priv's features, design and quality does not surpass devices much cheaper than it - let alone justify any sort of a premium. I am not on a budget either, I buy several devices a year and the Priv would not have been one of them because it is not an attractive option - at any price, but certainly not for over 140% or even 200% of better choices.

Look, you came into an Android forum asking why people don't like the Priv. We're trying to explain it. It is a subpar device at an extremely high price. Do you want to know what the complaints are or do you want to try to sell people on the Priv or do you just want to argue with people? If you're going to make things personal we're going to have a very short conversation. There's nothing wrong with you liking certain features and other people liking other features. In my very first comment I said that I am glad that you like your decision. I was under the impression that you were trying to understand why people disagreed, not to insult the majority of people who do disagree.

 

[bitek]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

Let's try to keep this from getting personal. The 5X has better software and design, both of which are very important to me. The Asus Zenfone 2 does suck a lot compared to flagships, I had one - that's not the argument I'm making. I don't like SD cards so I won't miss them; I bought the 64GB Nexus 6P. My argument isn't that I am cheap, it is that the Priv's features, design and quality does not surpass devices much cheaper than it - let alone justify any sort of a premium.

Look, you came into an Android forum asking why people don't like the Priv. We're trying to explain it. It is a subpar device at an extremely high price. Do you want to know what the complaints are or do you want to try to sell people on the Priv or do you just want to argue with people? If you're going to make things personal we're going to have a very short conversation. There's nothing wrong with you liking certain features and other people liking other features. In my very first comment I said that I am glad that you like your decision. I was under the impression that you were trying to understand why people disagreed, not to insult the majority of people who do disagree.

I do not take anything personally. I am just saying that
people should be open minded not criticize blackberry because of its name. You still do not get it. Company like apple can charge what they charge because they took risks and offer superb experience not necessary specs.

I like companies that take risks. Not companies that play safe and simply copy apple designs and yes your phone looks like a giant iPhone. It really does.

Point is 6p is not better or cheaper than priv and priv is well worth the money. Also one comment you made tells me you never actually had priv in hand. Priv has pretty much stock android with very little changes.

 

[Aquila]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

I do not take anything personally. I am just saying that people should be open minded not criticize blackberry because of its name.

I agree with you on that. I don't have any animosity towards BlackBerry as a company. I personally do not like the Priv and was trying to explain why I feel it is lacking. Your original statement that the experience is more important than the specs is 100% correct and one of the arguments that is commonly made against Samsung devices. The Priv is an interesting idea that was, in my opinion, executed poorly. That doesn't mean they can't make another version this year that works out the bugs and provide a better experience that will make it compelling against the competition in ways other than differentiation.

 

[anon(394005)]

It's really simple for me, I just don't care for a physical keyboard on a phone. So as soon as I see that about a device I move on. Others may love it and I can understand why, but for me it holds no value.

 

[anon(50597)]

It's a slider and I don't want a slider. If they make an affordable slab phone I may be interested.

 

[libra89]

I love the idea of the priv but not the look. I have nothing against bb but the look and the price tag is not the business for me. Also not a fan of the look of the rumored Vienna.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Almeuit]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

Sorry but your comment has fanboy written all over it. I have never seen anyone comparing priv to 5x. I am not sure where nexus 5x is better. I mean for less money I can get Asus zenphone with 64gb dual Sim card and 4gb of ram. So by your definition zenphone is better than priv but in reality is garbage phone no matter it's low price. Believe me I tried it. Nexus 6p is not really cheaper either. . Priv has sd card and nexus 6p does not. So be remotely comfortable with this phone only 64gb version would suffice. I popped in 128gb sd card to my priv phone. Try to do it on nexus. Sorry but your comparisons are lame. Only phone I would take from your list is note 5 because I find it unique with the stylus. Finally nexus phones are good but I rather pay extra to see innovation and cool new products than buy google subsidized phones. I like competition. But it is just me I guess. Couple hundreds $$ make little difference for me I guess. I am not on budget.

Exactly the point though.. You say for your money the extra storage is worth it along with the keyboard. Which that's fine if it is but if someone simply doesn't want extra storage and doesn't want to cough up extra money.. Then these points don't really apply to them. You asked in your original post as to why some think the way they do against BB and people are simply answering. It doesn't make them wrong.

I personally don't see the need for a physical keyboard or extra storage on a phone. My 32 GB Nexus 6P is not even close to full so adding in 128 GB isn't necessary for me. So the two points you point out here aren't appealing for me to spend a few hundred more. For you they may be and that's cool but since you asked why we think the way we do.. Well.. That's my 2 cents and that's all I can write about. I know plenty of others (even friends) who utilize 128+ GB on their phone and that's great.. They get what they need.

And no I'm not being a "fanboy" as you stated earlier since I've tried many phones before settling on Nexus. In fact this is my first one. Before that I tried LG, Asus, Samsung, HTC, Apple, etc. I'm not saying I'd never try a BB either... I just don't see why I'd go for it at that high of a price when I have other alternatives.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Re: why so much dislike for blackberry

I do not take anything personally. I am just saying that
people should be open minded not criticize blackberry because of its name. You still do not get it. Company like apple can charge what they charge because they took risks and offer superb experience not necessary specs.

I never have and never will criticize a device because of the company that makes it. I was a BlackBerry user at one time.

If BlackBerry made a device with similar specs and a similar price as the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Moto X Pure Edition, LG V10, etc., which did not have a physical keyboard, then I would consider it.