Although earlier today BlackBerry confirmed the existence of its Android-based Priv smartphone (previously known as BlackBerry Venice), the company didn’t show us any photos of the handset. Thankfully, BlackBerry CEO John Chen made an appearance in a BNN Canada video with the Priv in hand – so we now have the very first official look at the device.

As expected (following all the previously leaked images), the BlackBerry Priv has a large display that’s curved on the sides, similar to the dual-curve screens of Samsung’s Galaxy S6 edge and S6 edge+. John Chen is confirming that the screen is a 5.5-inch one, though he doesn’t say anything about resolution (which is likely 1440 x 2560 pixels). Also confirmed is that the Priv is powered by a Qualcomm processor (probably the Snapdragon 808), and sports a sliding QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard is touch sensitive, just like the keyboard of the BlackBerry Passport, so you’ll be able to use it as a touchpad.

All in all, the BlackBerry Priv is intriguing, and we’re looking forward to testing it. The smartphone should be released before the end of the year, for a price that hasn’t been announced yet. Until more details about it are unveiled, take a look at the Priv below, and let us know if you like what you’re seeing.

P.S.: Is it just us, or does John Chen look a bit clumsy using the BlackBerry Priv?

source: BNN via Droid-life