BlackBerry Z10 Initial Review
The BlackBerry Z10 is finally here in the Philippines! BlackBerry launched their newest mobile device in a press/blogger event earlier this morning in Whitespace Makati. The device banners flagship specifications, a brand new sleek design, and the QNX-based BlackBerry 10 operating system. We were able to spend some hands-on time with it earlier and we just wanted to quickly chime in and share with you guys our thoughts.
BlackBerry Z10 Spec Sheet
- 1.5GHz Krait CPU Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon Chip Set
- Adreno 225 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB Internal Storage, expandable via microSD up to 64GB
- 4.2-inches capacitive touchscreen 1280×768 resolution (~355ppi)
- 8.0-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, and BlackBerry 10 Camera software
- Can record video 1080p@30fps with video stabilization
- 2.0-megapixel front-facing camera
- WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS with AGPS Support
- 3G, HSPA+, LTE
- 1800mAh Battery
- BlackBerry OS 10
Hardware: Sezziest BlackBerry Ever
The BlackBerry Z10 is a major milestone and achievement for BlackBerry. Not only is it their first BlackBerry 10 device, it’s also their best looking one to-date. The front glass panel comfortable flows into the metallic frame. There are no physical buttons on the display which makes it look even more elegant. The back plate is made from some sort of rubberized material which is reminded us a lot of the BlackBerry PlayBook. Also it’s worth noting that the 4.2-inch form factor is perfect for one-handed use as well making it compact and easy to bring with you. In short the BlackBerry Z10 is a sleek and gorgeous looking smartphone that users would be proud to have in their hands.
Controls, buttons, and ports are in their usual places. Volume rocker with a mute key is on the right, the microUSB and miniHDMI (yay) is on the left, and the power lock and audio jack are on top.
BlackBerry also was able to deliver a pretty good display. The 4.2-inch screen boasts of a 1280 x 768 resolution, which comes out to around 355 pixels per inch. That’s actually a lot more pixels crammed per inch compared to a lot of other flagship smartphones. From the short time we were able to play around with the Z10 we definitely felt the difference while comparing it to previous BlackBerry models.
BlackBerry OS 10 is Dope!
The main selling point of the BlackBerry Z10 though is the new software, BlackBerry 10. The new operating system has tons of new features and we’ve detailed them already in our initial article announcement post. What makes BlackBerry 10 stand out is that it’s mostly gesture based. It might not be intuitive but those tired and bored with iOS and Android will definitely get a kick out of using the Z10. That’s how we felt during our hands-on.
In terms of transitions and animations, the BlackBerry Z10 unit we used was mostly lag free but there were several instances when it lagged a bit, noticeably with some of the apps and during multi-tasking.
What we loved the most about BB10 though was definitely the predictive keyboard. Truly one of the best typing experiences we’ve ever had on a touchscreen device. BlackBerry deserves mad props for how they were able to optimize the intuitive nature of the keyboard. Other than the prediction we also liked how the keys were properly sized and spaced which made it very easy to navigate and type.
We will review this by hook or by crook
The BlackBerry Z10 deserves a comprehensive review. For a V1 operating system it has so much potential and promise that it would be an injustice for any tech blog/site not to give it the proper time it deserves. Regardless if BlackBerry PH sends us a review unit or if we have to buy one, we’ll make sure we do a full review.
The BlackBerry Z10 launches in the Philippines on March 19 with a price tag of Php29,990. All three carriers will be offering it on their postpaid plans.
