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Verizon to begin pre-orders for the BlackBerry Priv on March 3rd, launch phone on March 11th?

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By Alan Friedman

Updated: Feb 29, 2016, 10:18 PM

Verizon VP confirms that BlackBerry Priv pre-orders will begin on Verizon March 3rd

A tweet by Verizon executive Jeffrey Nelson in response to an inquiry, seems to confirm that the carrier will start pre-orders for the BlackBerry Priv on March 3rd. The Android powered slider would then be launched on Big Red's network on March 11th. The handset, BlackBerry's first Android powered smartphone, is currently priced in the neighborhood of $740 on AT&T and $720 from T-Mobile.

The Verizon variant of the Priv passed the FCC on Christmas Eve, nearly two months after pictures of a Verizon branded Priv surfaced on social media. By the time January rolled around, there was talk of a March launch for the Verizon branded BlackBerry Priv.

To refresh your memory, the BlackBerry Priv features a 5.4-inch AMOLED screen with a 1440 x 2560 QHD resolution. This works out to a 541ppi pixel density. The Snapdragon 808 SoC is under the hood carrying a hexa-core 1.8GHz CPU and the Adreno 418 GPU. 3GB of RAM is inside along with 32GB of native storage. A 2TB capacity microSD slot is available for those seeking additional memory. An 18MP camera adorns the back of the phone and includes OIS. A 2MP front-facing camera handles selfies and video chats. Keeping the generator humming is a 3410mAh battery, and Android 5.1 is pre-installed.

We still expect Sprint to add the BlackBerry Priv to its lineup, which would make the device available on each of the four major wireless carriers in the U.S.

source: @JNels via Crackberry

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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