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BlackBerry Z10 unboxed, in the flesh!

We finally got ourselves a review unit of the BlackBerry Z10 and went thru some more details that we’ve not yet covered in our previous articles about it.

Yugatech 728x90 Reno7 Series

There are actually 3 color variants of the Z10 but we think only the white and black colors will be available. We prefer the white color better than the black one though. Here’s a quick video run-through:

The Z10 represents a drastic design change that BlackBerry introduced into their newest line. It has now followed the usual design signature of Android’s vast competitive market — large capacitive screen, powerful hardware, LTE support and an app-centric environment. It’s short of BlackBerry saying “me too can play that game!“.

What is most compelling about the new BlackBerry offering is a tight integration of hardware and software. Just like how Apple perfected the marriage of iPhone and iOS, BlackBerry’s edge will also be the control between both the hardware and the software.

As such, we’re more inclined to compare the iPhone 5 to the BlackBerry Z10 instead of any other Android handset.

Probably the biggest challenge for BlackBerry right now is to get the consumers to be more familiar with the BB10 OS and its UI. We have to admit that the UI will be somewhat confusing at first. This is because it’s a huge departure from the usual Home-based navigation we’ve seen in iOS and Android (even including Windows Phone 8).

To the un-initiated, the BB 10 UI could be a challenge to use but once you’re completely acquainted, you will notice the maturity and elegance of the interface.

Our review unit supports Globe LTE, based on the nano-SIM we used with it. The signal indicator shows 4G when connected to the LTE network. Speedtest is giving me a downlink speed of of 28Mbps and uplink of 9Mbps.

BlackBerry Z10 specs:
4.2-inch display @ 1280×768 pixels, 356ppi
Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon 1.5GHz dual-core Krait
2GB of RAM
16GB of internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD card
8MP rear camera
2MP front-facing
micro HDMI
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC
LTE
GPS w/ aGPS support
Li-Ion 1,800 mAh battery
BlackBerry 10 OS
137.5 grams (weight)
130 x 65.6 x 9mm (dimensions)

The BlackBerry Z10 will officially be available in the local market on March 19 with a suggested retail price of Php29,990. It will also be free on Smart Data Plan 2000 and Globe Plan 1799.

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Avatar for Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

54 Responses

  1. Avatar for wiwi wiwi says:

    I had a SGS2,SAMSUNG GALAXY NEXUS 2…and now BBZ10.i have to say that BBZ10 is the the best smartphone i’ve ever own..

  2. Avatar for SerahJessa SerahJessa says:

    To the person who claims that sideloading makes the OS lag. Ill ask one simple question. Is it the app that lags (and the android runtime that runs it) or the OS itself?

    Because in my experience both sideloaded apps and android ports (applications transferred over from android but repackaged to work in BB but still run under android runtime player) work smooth on the OS.

    Once I try to do something android related or unsupported (most likely because the developer did not bother to package the app correctly or disable android only features) the app may lag or stop working but the OS does not. It just keeps moving. You can force close the app in question but it never affects any other apps or the OS.

    This to me presents how much more mature BB10 is. The OS can do so much and be in control at all times even if it does run on last years specs. This is what your 30k is paying for. An elegant system designed to keep working no matter what you throw at it. The QNX Neutrino/BB 10 platform does run missile command systems and other military grade tech after all. Let’s see your android do that.

  3. Avatar for Cyrus Vance Cyrus Vance says:

    It may lack apps but it is still a new phone and new os. It is pretty solid in my opinion and the os has a lot of potential. Well this is how android started before. But look at them right now. The apps will come. What matters right now is if it is worth investing with its potential capabilities rather than sticking imto the mindset of ‘that phone sucks it has no apps’

    And obviously you guys lack news about technology, if you are too eager for a lot of app, you can sideload android apps into Z10, amazing isnt it? A phone with a lot of potential. In your face haters.

  4. Avatar for Former BB user Former BB user says:

    Hello, any of you guys tested this unit for its battery life? Hope someone has an actual review on usage. Also, Has anyone tried the bb video messaging features? Please let me read your comments on this blog. BIG Thanks!

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