;
Just spent a few days with the new BlackBerry Z30 with 5-inch screen available at TELUS, Rogers and Bell for $129 on a two-year contract.
What's new about it? Well there are good things and some disappointments.
I like the larger 5-inch screen, pleasing BlackBerry fans wanting a big screen to run the very efficient BB OS 10.2, easier on the eyes and thicker fingers. But it's the same HD resolution as the Z10 making font look less sharp (as it has to stretch its sharpness over a larger screen area.) The screen is not as bright at max setting as the Z10, a reason I believe the Z30 combined with its non-removable larger battery, will work about 20 per cent longer on one charge.
It has a woven carbon fibre back with a semi hard surface for better grasp. Nice.
The camera is the same, with Spartan but sufficient control setting to get good pictures. It can still be fired by simply touching the screen on where you want to focus, the easiest way to shoot a smartphone securely with one hand. The camera excels in macro and document shooting but becomes average in challenging lighting.
The biggest improvement on the new BlackBerry 10.2 OS is the Priority Hub, which brings up the most recent and favoured messages from your social and email contacts. This saves even more time on an already fastest 'business' phone.
The three Natural Sound speakers, one on top and two below, make this business phone a top-notch portable media boom-box player that can walk the walk for movies and music. Surprise, surprise!
Will iPhone, Android and Windows Phone users switch to the Z30? I doubt it, as for the same money, other 5-inch screen competitors have sharper screens (most folks will not notice) a lot more apps and better cameras. If you already have the Z10, I would hang on to it. Yes, it's a bit slower than the beefed up Z30, but it's definitely a one-handed phone and sharper for small type reading. Older BlackBerry model owners will appreciate the Z30 for its sleek design, edge to edge slightly countered glass edge and big screen.
Now I wonder. Would BlackBerry's fortunes have improved if it had launched the Z30 before the ill-fated Z10? We will never know. But at least BlackBerry now offers a choice of four styled phones for every budget and typing style on a very productive and multitasking capable OS. Too much too late?
The Z10 is still my favourite phone, when massively typing assignments are called for, with its unique touch flick up typing system. Fast typing becomes even easier on the larger Z30.
There is no comment yet for "New BlackBerry Z30 will please big BB screen lovers"
Post a Comment