BlackBerry has announced the launch of PRIV, touted as the first-ever BlackBerry smartphone powered by Android in South Africa.

According to the company the new device will be available in South Africa as of next week through operators MTN, Vodacom and Cell C.

A statement issued by the company explains that The PRIV smartphone combines the best of BlackBerry's productivity, security and privacy features with the wide world of Google Play™ store apps.

"PRIV is the epitome of form and function. It has been engineered with the world's finest technology and packaged in an ultra-thin device – including a dual-curved screen, touch and physical keyboards, state-of-the-art 18MP camera, and long-lasting battery – with unique tools that allow users to manage and control their privacy," reads the statement.

The company has highlighted what it calls the seamless merging of key BlackBerry 10 productivity features, including the BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Calendar, into the PRIV. This is said to form part of BlackBerry's cross-platform strategy to provide the user with greater choice of secure solutions.

Other features mentioned include: Full Android App and ecosystem experience, choice between a virtual keyboard or a physical keyboard, 5.4-inch dual-curve OLED display, full-day battery life, 18 mega pixel camera, and powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, with 32Gb on-board storage.

The company has also underlined the device's security features which include: advanced privacy controls, secure hardware, as well as verified boot and secure bootchain.