Where do you buy smartphones now, and how is the BlackBerry Priv?

I need to get a new phone. I just came to terms with the startling realization that the entire phone marketplace has changed drastically; apparently the gold standard 2-yr contract with a subsidized phone is now a thing of the past. So, my first question is, since they aren't giving you a discount tied to a contract, is there any reason why you should still buy the phone through your carrier? If not, where do you recommend buying a phone?

I checked Amazon but honestly I find it difficult to find what I want on there often, because of a lack of organization mainly. For example, you can't simply select an option to show all the phones they have that are compatible with a specific carrier.

I also am still sort of hesitant when I see that "sold by some bullshit company you have never heard of and fulfilled by Amazon" crap - it makes me worry that I will end up with some black market / counterfeit / stolen product.

Next question - any thoughts on the BlackBerry Priv? I like the idea of this phone, BlackBerry security mixed with Android OS, and am considering it, but I'm curious to hear some opinions about it. Also, I can't seem to figure out what the deal is with GSM (AT&T / T-Mobile) vs CDMA ( Verizon / Sprint ) for this phone. If you look online, you can find this for $400 or $500 which is a lot less than the ~$650ish that the carriers are charging to buy through them - but only the GSM variant.

The only place I can find the CDMA variant is directly through Verizon, and they are asking $720 for it! What's funny is blackberry.com sells the GSM version, but not the CDMA! How does that make sense?

Are you looking at new? Or are you OK with used? Check out swappa.com if so.

I was in the same boat as you. I wanted to upgrade my personal Verizon phone but given that they don't cut any deals anymore, I put it off and bought a Moto X 2k13 from the web. When that crapped out, I used swappa to score a used S5 which I have been using since the beginning of the year.

Definitely only considering brand new devices.

I bought my last 3 phones off of Amazon.com

I Buy my phones from whatever site has the deal on the device Im looking for via slickdeals.

As for the priv.. I wouldnt buy one for 1/2 price.

MS has a get a 950 when you buy a 950XL might not be a bad deal as you could always sell the one you do not want. each phone also comes with 1 year of office 365 free

I've used the BlackBerry Priv extensively, so I can weigh in.

The main reason to get one is if you're a fan of hardware keyboards -- it's really good at that. That and the keyboard serves as a sort of trackpad for scrolling and moving the text cursor.

If you don't use the keyboard, it's still a good-but-not-mind-blowing Android phone. Brisk performance, spiffy screen -- just a so-so camera.