It isn't shocking, but BlackBerry has once again disappointed its customers by not bringing the anticipated Nougat update to its first full-fledged Android smartphone -- the Priv. The handset was launched with Android 5.1 Lollipop back in November 2015 and received an update to the Marshmallow version last year.
"We do not have any plans today to bring [the BlackBerry Priv] to Nougat," says Alex Thurber, the general manager of BlackBerry Mobility Solutions, during a recent podcast with BlackBerry fan site UTB Blogs.
Thurber didn't reveal the reason behind BlackBerry's ignorance towards releasing the new Android version. However, it appears that the Canadian company -- just like many other smartphone vendors -- doesn't want to focus on its dated offering. It, instead, would like to support newer hardware and is set to even provide an update to Android Oreo on the latest phone KEYone.
Undistinguished move
BlackBerry's Priv isn't the only 2015 model that is not receiving an update to Android Nougat. The list of officially unsupported devices majorly includes the LG G4, which was launched in April 2015, and the OnePlus 2 that was debuted in August of the same year.
Having said that, BlackBerry is a leading name in the field of enterprise-level security that derives from regular updates. But the company doesn't have plans even to release security updates for the Priv continually.
The Priv was debuted as a hybrid model by BlackBerry, with a curved-edge display and a physical slide-out keyboard. It was powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 808 and had 3GB of RAM -- identical to the LG G4.
Proprietary version on the other hand
Interestingly, the new announcement emerges at the time when BlackBerry is readying its proprietary Android version, dubbed BlackBerry Secure. The new version will be available through a licensing model to vendors. Indian handset company Optiemus is among the first few partners for the custom experience.
Despite the strategy of giving priority to security, BlackBerry needs to push at least two major updates to its Android handsets in the future to stand out in the competition. This would be learnt through the low sales of the Priv.
