Get a hands-on tour of the BlackBerry Priv as pre-orders go live

BlackBerry Priv is almost here. Photo: Carphone Warehouse

BlackBerry Priv is almost here. Photo: Carphone Warehouse

BlackBerry Priv, the first Android-powered smartphone from BlackBerry, its edging closer to making its official debut. British retailer Carphone Warehouse, which has already begun taking pre-orders for the device, now gives us a full tour of its hardware and features in the video below.

Priv, formerly known as BlackBerry Venice, is a high-end Android device with flagship specifications and a slide-out physical keyboard. We’ve seen a lot of it in recent months thanks to the countless leaks, but none have been as detailed as this hands-on tour from Carphone Warehouse.

Priv “packs everything you love about Android plus many of the features you know and love from BlackBerry into one smooth, sharp device,” Carphone Warehouse explains.

On the retailer’s website, where customers in the U.K. can already pre-order Priv, the carrier confirms the handset’s 5.4-inch curved glass display with Quad HD resolution, a Snapdragon 808 processor, a 3,410mAh battery, and an 18-megapixel rear-facing camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens.

Priv will start at £49 ($76) a month on a two-year contract, which puts it right up there with some of the most expensive handsets available. In comparison, a 64GB iPhone 6s Plus can be had for £44 a month, while the Galaxy S6 is currently just £31 a month.

BlackBerry might have to reduce Priv’s price tag if it really wants to shift large numbers, but as far as the hardware itself is concerned, this is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting Android-powered smartphone, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Carphone Warehouse says Priv will be available in the U.K. on November 6. There’s no word on BlackBerry’s release plans for other markets yet.