. While the Z10 can be seen as
should supposedly appeal to old-school BB
lovers who are ready to dump their Bolds and Curves for something
better. Instead of a large, all-touch experience, the Q10′s screen is
small and half of the phone is dominated by a keyboard. It runs the
Canadian tech company’s latest and greatest OS: BlackBerry 10.1. The
question is whether the interface that runs so well on a larger,
touch-only device will also work on a half display, half keyboard phone?
The answer depends on whether you’rewilling to dive deep into the Q10′s
many layers of functionality and keyboard secrets.
comes off as Liliputian in comparison. The
perception is somewhat misleading though the compact size serves the
Q10′s purpose; it’s built for efficiency. You won’t need to stretch and
strain your thumb to reach anything. Most will be able to reach across
the 3.1-inch screen while holding the Q10, all with one hand. While
typing, it doesn’t take much stretch to tap and swipe the lower half of
the display to activate gestures. This kind of thoughtful design is what
BlackBerry used to be known for; it’s something usually only seen in
products made by manufacturers with control over both hardware and
software.
The Q10 feels comfortable to hold. The design is more streamlined
than previous keyboard bearing handsets, eliminating elements like the
trackpad and navigation buttons. It’s all about the display and the
keyboard now; the power button up top and volume toggle/mute on the
right are the only other controls. The Q10′s design is a refined version
of a familiar BlackBerry experience.
The 720 x 720 pixel, 3.1-inch square screen doesn’t feel too small at
first glance, especially since the narrow bezel allows the screen to
command maximum attention when it’s on. It’s also pixel dense, a key
factor in readability. BlackBerry 10 defaults to a text size of 8 and
small fonts need to be crisp to be legible. That is not a problem here.
The Super AMOLED touchscreen isn’t as bright as we’d like, yet is good
enough for sunlight visibility. Colors pop and blacks are deep, as we’d
expect with AMOLED. Viewing angles are generally good, though off-center
a green tinge creeps in that’s really noticeable on light backgrounds.
As much as we like the overall size of the Q10 and the form factor,
the display isn’t large enough to handle BlackBerry 10 effectively.
Physical size is not the whole problem: the operating system itself
needs tweaking to work better on it or owners will have to do the work
of adjusting to the quirks (covered in-depth below). What saves this
from being a dealbreaker is the excellent keyboard.
A fantastic keyboard
It is a truth universally acknowledged that people either love or
hate physical keyboards. Those few people on the fence could be swayed
by the Q10 as it boasts one of the better examples around. The keys sit
in straight rows, not the curved/smile arrangement familiar from
previous handsets, and are physically bigger. If you’re used to a
BlackBerry keyboard the Q10 won’t trip you up one bit. Newcomers
shouldn’t take too long to get into the groove, either, unless they have
fingernails.
The keys are designed and shaped in a way that privileges pressing with the tip of a finger (not the pad) sans nails.
The keys are designed and shaped in a way that privileges pressing
with the tip of a finger (not the pad) sans nails. Most men will not
find this to be a problem, most women will probably find typing
challenging at first. Thanks to matte coating and the aforementioned
shaping, nails won’t go sliding off keys and it’s possible to be
accurate. It’s just harder to get leverage to press the keys with a nail
than with a fingertip, especially on the edges.
BlackBerry 10′s predictive text engine isn’t absent from the Q10 even
though it’s less necessary when a physical keyboard is involved. Word
predictions appear on the lower part of the display as you type and you
have to reach up to choose unless the text turns green to indicate
autocorrect. Having to reach up with the thumb doesn’t feel natural and
slows typing in most cases. Speedy BlackBerry veterans will be better
off disabling this feature. You’ll still get the autocorrected words
either way.
Speed and efficiency are further helped by keyboard shortcuts for
typing – ex: hold for capital and double tap space for period – and for
navigating the interface. Under the menu settings of most apps you’ll
see hints for keyboard shortcuts, but those only scratch the surface.
There are over a hundred little keyboard tricks built in that are worth
learning to increase efficiency. BlackBerry 10 might be made for
touchscreens but the Q10 works best if you use hybrid input.
BlackBerry 10 and Apps
Learning the keyboard shortcuts will mitigate some of the issues with
the Q10′s small screen while others are harder to deal with because of
the way BlackBerry 10 works. (Read our full BB10 review
for an in-depth breakdown of the OS.) The core of BB10 is gesture-based
interaction that usually involves swiping up from the bottom, from the
left, or down from the top. Because of the size of the display, the
gesture-sensing zones take up significant space. We found that tapping
an icon at the very top or very bottom of the screen didn’t always
register because the Q10 didn’t seem sure if we were tapping or
beginning a swipe. When scrolling up in the Hub, Browser, or a social
media app, we often accidentally activated the swipe up to close app
gesture. As you get used to the screen size, the incidence of that
happening may go down.
We don’t like that navigation elements take up a significant portion
of the screen in some apps and don’t hide themselves quickly or
predictably enough. We’re also not fans of the browser experience. On
non-mobile webpages text in the reading column stayed teeny tiny even
when we zoomed in. You have to switch to the Reading mode or try to get
the mobile version of the page to read without eyestrain.
The best aspect of BlackBerry 10 is the Hub, a true universal inbox
that collates messages from email, BBM, social networks, chat, incoming
calls, texts and more. The Q10 was made to take advantage of all the
good things about the Hub. Even when some of the issues mentioned above
creep in, the overall experience there is great.
The story on apps hasn’t changed much since the BB10 launch. BlackBerry World suffers from the same problem as any burgeoning app store:
a ton of fluff and filler. That wouldn’t be so bad if more top-tier
apps were here, such as TripIt, Yelp, and Netflix. Too many apps are
pale knock-offs of better Android and iOS ones or don’t seem right for
the platform. The apps that come pre-loaded on the device at least
provide a solid foundation.
Performance, Specs, and Battery Life
Though very different on the outside, the Q10 and Z10 are about the
same inside. The Q10 runs on a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon
processor backed by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The back
pops off to reveal SIM and microSD slots; the latter takes cards up to
32GB. Wireless connectivity radios include dual-band a/b/g/n Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, and NFC. Wired connectivity includes a microUSB port
for charging and connecting to a computer and a microHDMI port for HD
video output.
Just as with the Z10, the Q10 is powerful enough to run BlackBerry 10
smoothly with no lag or performance hiccups. If anything, the Q10 feels
faster, potentially because the smaller screen requires less oomph or
the update to version 10.1 sped things up all around.
Our review unit is the AT&T model running on that carrier’s 4G LTE and HSPA networks. (The Q10 is also available from T-Mobile, Verizon
Wireless, and Sprint.) While surfing the web, sending messages, and
downloading apps, the network didn’t feel slow or sluggish and
Speedtest.net recorded average speeds of 19Mbps down and 5Mbps up.
During calls, voices came through the earpiece and speaker clearly and
we only encountered a bit of static in a low bar area. Our voice came
through loud and clear on the other end as well in quiet and semi-noisy
situations.
The speaker that sits on the bottom edge of the Q10 is well-placed;
you’re unlikely to muffle with your hands. Overall audio quality is
decent for a smartphone and loud enough to be heard over some background noise.
Thanks to the small screen and large 2100mAh battery the BlackBerry
Q10 easily lasted over 14 hours of heavy usage, mostly centered around
messaging and social network checking. Even with the screen on 100
percent brightness all day the battery outlasted us, showing 15 percent
left when we went to bed.
Cameras
Continuing the deja vu, the 8-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front
camera on the Q10 are the same as the Z10. The images it produces aren’t
as good as the ones we coaxed from the Z10. There’s more noise in mixed
light shots and little crispness or detail in outdoor pictures. We’re
glad that the BlackBerry 10.1 update brought HDR to the feature set
since there aren’t many at hand. It balances shadow and bright light
better than Auto but requires a very steady hand. There’s no shutter
icon in the camera app; to snap a picture you have to tap the display or
press the space bar. Both of these options are awkward – the spacebar
less so – and we had a hard time getting blur-free shots because of
that.
Around front, the 2-megapixel camera is still above average for smartphones
and captures good enough images that the person on the other end of BBM
video chats won’t see a strange, overly pixilated version of you. Just
stay in good lighting; neither camera does well in low light.
Conclusion
Even though it doesn’t have a giant display, the BlackBerry Q10 may
prove more interesting to mainstream users than the Z10. After all,
there are a million touchscreen smartphones in the world. There aren’t
many phones with good physical keyboards (and the competition mainly
consists of other BlackBerry devices). And the main reason why most want
that good keyboard is because they spend most of their time messaging;
if nothing else, BlackBerry 10 is made for that type of person and the
Q10 is made to deliver the best experience around messaging. For people
who prioritize this above everything else, including good apps, the Q10
is a good buy. Just be aware that in order to get the most out of it,
you’ll need to invest some time in learning the tricks and shortcuts.
The BlackBerry Q10 is available right now from T-Mobile ($100 down,
$20/mo for 2 years), Verizon Wireless, and AT&T ($200 with 2 year
contract). Sprint will get the device later this year (no pricing data
yet).
Highs
- Comfortable, compact design
- Great keyboard (if you don’t have fingernails)
- Made for messaging
- Speedy performance
- Long battery life
Lows
- Display not bright enough
- Interface doesn’t work well on smaller screen
- BlackBerry World still has mediocre selection of apps
BlackBerry
Q10 review Specifications
Key
Features
|
Features
|
Toucscreen, Front-facing camera, Physical Keyboard,
External Storage, High resolution camera, HD Video recording, 4G
|
Release Information
|
Release Date
|
6/21/2013
|
|
Release Price
|
$630
|
Software
|
Operating system
|
BlackBerry
|
|
Launch OS version
|
BlackBerry 10
|
Design
|
Thickness
|
.4"
|
|
Height
|
4.7"
|
|
Width
|
2.6"
|
|
Weight
|
4.9 oz
|
|
Color
|
Black
|
|
Keyboard type
|
Physical, Touchscreen
|
Display
|
Screen size
|
3.1"
|
|
Resolution
|
720 x 720
|
|
Technology
|
Super AMOLED
|
|
PPI
|
331
|
|
Touchscreen type
|
Capacitive
|
|
Multitouch
|
Yes
|
Connectivity
|
Carrier
|
Sprint, Verizon
|
|
4G (LTE/HSPA+)
|
Yes
|
|
3G (HSPDA/CDMA)
|
Ues
|
|
Edge/2G (GSM/GPRS)
|
Ues
|
|
Bluetooth version
|
4.0 LE
|
|
Wi-Fi
|
Yes
|
|
Mobile Hotspot tethering
|
Yes
|
|
NFC support
|
Yes
|
Processor
|
Manufacturer
|
Qualcomm
|
|
Brand
|
Snapdragon S4
|
|
Speed
|
1.5 GHz
|
|
Number of cores
|
2
|
Memory
Storage
|
Internal
|
16 GB
|
|
Max. removable storage
|
32 GB
|
|
External type
|
microSD
|
Video
|
Front camera recording resolution
|
720p
|
|
Rear camera recording resolution
|
1080p
|
|
Video codecs supported
|
H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC, MP3, PCM, Xvid,
AMR-NB, WMA 9/10, WMA10 professional, WMA-LL, VC-1, VP6, SPARK, PCM, MPEG-2,
MJPEG (mov), AC-3, AMR-WB, QCELP, FLAC, VORBIS
|
Photography
|
Front camera photo resolution
|
2 megapixels
|
|
Rear camera photo resolution
|
8 megapixels
|
|
Flash
|
LED
|
Ports
|
Headphone connection
|
Yes
|
|
Charging connection
|
USB
|
|
Interfaces
|
microHDMI
|
Sensors
|
Sensors
|
Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Proximity sensor, Gyroscope,
Ambient light sensor
|
Battery
|
Talk time
|
13.5 hours
|
|
Standby time
|
14.8 hours
|
|
Battery capacity
|
2100 mAh
|
|
Battery technology
|
SQN100-5
|
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