Hands-on with the BlackBerry Priv: in pictures

The Priv costs $699 from BlackBerry, and $249.99 on AT&T for a two-year contract in the US. The company said there are more US carriers to come, but not to Verizon any time soon.

The phone slides open, revealing gracefully a physical keyboard -- a relic of the pre-turn-of-the-decade BlackBerry days

The phone packs a 3,410mAh battery, which in testing can last a full day without charge.

The phone boasts a stunning 2,560x1,440 resolution at 540 pixels-per-inch (sharper than an iPhone Retina display),

The backlit slide-out keyboard is wide and rubberized, making it comfortable to use.

The Priv comes with a good 18-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera capable of taking 720p high-definition video calls.

The rear-camera comes with a dual-flash: one with bright white and the other with warmer tones, which makes skin tones and natural shades look better.

The back of the phone looks particularly ugly when the phone's keyboard is extended, showing off its grey, metallic backing

The little red notification light is back, used to notify the user of a new message or missed call. It's useful as it alerts the phone owner without having to periodically check the screen for notifications.

Despite strong security additions, such as disk encryption and regular monthly patching, there are notable omissions from the phone's hardware, such as no fingerprint sensor.

The battery life is better than most comparable phones. They say slow and steady wins the race, but often it takes more than a second to perform basic tasks, like opening apps.

It's thin at just over 9 millimeters, and 192 grams, or slightly heavier than an iPhone 6, which, size for size, is proportionally about the same, considering the Priv is wider, taller, and thicker.