Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Poor Priv sales could spell the end of BlackBerry’s mobile division

By

blackberry-priv
Ted Kritsonis/Digital Trends
Priv, an Android phone with a physical keyboard, isn’t a big seller — but that may be because it’s made by BlackBerry. The company bet it all on the smartphone, but it looks like loyal customers wanted a device running BlackBerry’s operating system, rather than Android.

An unnamed AT&T executive said BlackBerry’s first Android phone isn’t doing so well, and is seeing a lot of returns., according to Cnet. The news may not be so surprising, but what’s interesting is that it’s coming from an AT&T executive. AT&T has been a close ally of the telecommunications company, and the comments may mean it could be difficult for BlackBerry to find a carrier to sell its future devices.

Recommended Videos

“The BlackBerry Priv is really struggling,” a “high-level executive” told Cnet. “We’ve seen more returns than we would like.”

Related

And reasons revolve around BlackBerry customers struggling to switch from BlackBerry OS to Android — but that’s not the only problem. BlackBerry marketed the phone as a high-end device, and even priced the Priv higher than the iPhone 6S at $700.

“There isn’t much volume growth in the premium segment, where Apple and Samsung dominate,” the executive reportedly said.

But we knew that already — BlackBerry CEO John Chen admitted it himself when he said the Priv was “too high-end a product.”

““The fact that we came out with a high end phone [as our first Android device] was probably not as wise as it should have been,” Chen said.

Two rumored midrange Android products are reportedly in the works, and they could be BlackBerry’s last chance at reviving its mobile division. But if people are clamoring for smartphones running BlackBerry 10, it’s unclear if Android phones will generate any profit. Chen said the company has no plans to release a handset running the BB10 operating system.

And it’s no joke that the Priv and the two rumored Android smartphones are BlackBerry’s last hope — Chen said in October that the company would “think twice” about staying in the smartphone business if it cannot generate a profit in 2016.

Analysts expected the company to sell at least 850,000 devices in the first quarter of 2016, but BlackBerry fell short of expectations by only selling 600,000 handsets, the company reported in April.

BlackBerry did not respond for comment.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Julian Chokkattu
Julian Chokkattu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
BlackBerry will provide cybersecurity for future Jaguar Land Rover vehicles
jaguar land rover and blackberry expand tech partnership

In 2018, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and BlackBerry announced a partnership that would see BlackBerry tech used in future JLR vehicles. The original scope of the partnership included a next-generation infotainment system, but now the two companies have expanded it to include other new tech.

A BlackBerry press release said the company would provide JLR with artificial intelligence (A.I.) and machine-learning tech for future vehicles. BlackBerry was light on details about how this tech would be used, only noting that "predictive software maintenance" and "cybersecurity threat protection" were among the possible applications.

Read more
BlackBerry Key2 LE: Everything you need to know
The BlackBerry Key2 LE is back home at Verizon, but only for business types
BlackBerry Key2 LE Hands On

The BlackBerry Key LE is a lower-cost version of the Key2, doing away with some of the more high-tech features seen on the expensive sister phone, and cutting costs by using different materials for the body, to create a more affordable but still distinctly BlackBerry smartphone.

You can check out our Key2 LE review to learn more about what it's like to live with the phone, but in the meantime, here are all the technical specs, details, and availability options.
Updates
The BlackBerry Key2 LE is available to buy at Verizon, but only to business and enterprise customers, according to reports. Verizon's selling the Key2 LE for $450 without a contract, or for $100 if you sign up for a two-year plan. The phone does not show up on Verizon's non-business store, so there does not seem to be the option to buy the phone for this price without a business plan.

Read more
How to turn off call forwarding on iPhone and Android
A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus, showing the camera.

If you’re mysteriously missing calls on your iPhone or Android smartphone, it may be because call forwarding is activated on your line. In that case, all your incoming calls could be going somewhere else.

Call forwarding shouldn’t typically be active unless you’ve specifically turned it on, but another person or app may have done so without your knowledge. And since call forwarding is a carrier feature, it could still be enabled on a line you inherited from someone else, even if you’ve swapped their SIM card into your phone or transferred it to a new account.

Read more