The first Android BlackBerry device is seeing a sales slump globally, with only 600,000 units sold in Q4 2015.
BlackBerry Priv, the first Android powered device by the company, is witnessing slow sales volumes globally, with only 600,000 units sold in Q4 2015, as against a company projection of 850,000 units. The BlackBerry Priv, which was first made available in India at a price tag of a whopping Rs 62,990, has even seen a major price drop since its launch in January 2016. The Priv now costs anywhere between Rs. 48,949 (Amazon.in) – Rs. 55,489 (Flipkart) in India.
But, the smartphone’s high price tag, accompanied by the not-so-popular BB features, was what contributed to its global sales slump. An anonymous AT&T executive told CNET that mostly loyal BlackBerry users bought the Priv and could not adjust to its Android operating system. This led to a lot of users returning the device to the carrier. The AT&T executive added, “The BlackBerry Priv is really struggling.”
It is also a strong possibility that BlackBerry will be launching 2 more Android BB smartphones this year. In an Interview with The National, BB CEO John Chen confirmed that two mid-range Android smartphones will launch this year. Although Chen did not splurge many details about the devices, he said that one of the smartphones will have a physical keyboard, while the other will be an all-touchscreen device.
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Adamya Sharma
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