BlackBerry just this device the wraps off its new
flagship smartphone, the BlackBerry Z30 . Billed by
the company as its biggest, most capable handset
ever, the Z30 features a large 5-inch AMOLED
screen, updated BlackBerry 10.2 software, and a
high-capacity battery.
Design
If you were left underwhelmed by BlackBerry's first
BlackBerry 10 smartphone, the BlackBerry Z10 ,
you're not alone. Sales figures for the device
apparently have been dismal and even the more
traditional physical-keyboard touting Q10 didn't
exactly fly off store shelves.
With the Z30, however, BlackBerry decided to make
a larger splash. Most notable is the Z30's massive
footprint and gargantuan 5-inch screen to match.
Sure, compared with the latest Android monster
devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 , HTC One ,
Motorola Droid Maxx , not to mention the Galaxy
Megas and Xperia Z Ultras of the world, the Z30
isn't that huge.
Stacked up against the BlackBerry Z10 with its
smaller stature, and 4.2-inch LCD screen, the Z30
represents a significant departure.
Its sizable
display, which uses AMOLED technology, is a first
for the company and should (hopefully) offer
image quality on par with competing superphones.
Another interesting twist is the Z30's array of
stereo speakers which seem to be ripped right out
of the HTC One's playbook. BlackBerry doesn't call
it BoomSound though, but instead refers to its
audio solution as Natural Sound. And true to
BlackBerry's business cred, the Z30's enhanced
speakers are touted to not only pump up music
and video but also video conferencing and spoken
communication as well.
Core components
Inside the Z30 is a 1.7GHz processor coupled with
quad-core graphics. BlackBerry doesn't cough up
more detail than that, but I can read between the
lines. This sounds like the same 1.7GHz dual-core
Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU that Motorola's X8 chip
is built around. The X8 also relies on quad-core
Adreno graphics, which is awfully coincidental.
Whatever silicon this is, it's a bump up from the
Z10's 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 hardware.
Brainy messaging
Running the new BB 10.2 operating system, the
Z30 has upgraded message handling. Called the
Priority Hub, this is the same as the previous
BlackBerry Hub found on the Z10 and Q10, only
smarter, according to BlackBerry.
The Hub on those phones put all your messages
across e-mail, social media, texts, voice mail, and
so on in one handy spot. The Priority Hub is
designed to take things one step further,
intelligently analyzing who you chat with most
often and placing higher-priority conversations up
top where you'll see them.
Keyboard fanatics will be glad learn that the Z30
will also feature the well-designed virtual text entry
method first offered by the Z10.
One big battery
BlackBerry devices in my experience have always
exhibited excellent battery life, at least compared
with power-hungry Android hot rods. The Z30
though, perhaps to bolster its large display, comes
equipped with a high-capacity 2,880 mAh battery.
That's even larger than the Q10's sizable 2,100
mAh battery and a lot more robust than the Z10's
1,800 mAh power source. More impressive is the
claimed 25 hours of "mixed use" BlackBerry says
you can squeeze out of the gadget.
Availability and outlook
BlackBerry hasn't announced pricing for the Z30
just yet but it does expect the device to hit store
shelves in the UK and the Middle East next week. It
could also end up in "other regions" by the holiday
season. I hope that means we'll see the Z30
globally soon, since I'd love to give this gizmo a
spin.
Basic Specs
Style Candybar
Weight 5.99 oz
Width 2.83 in
Depth 0.37 in
Height 5.54
So What do you think about this device.
Lets hear your views via comments
