BlackBerry Z30 in the flesh, first impressions

We got some hands-on time with the new BlackBerry Z30 and it turns out there’s also a white version of the device (only that the design of the back side is not yet final).

The BB Z30 follows the same full touch screen design of the original Z10 but this time it’s more curved corners and smoother finish.

The backside of the device has the same patterned design and finish as the one in the BB Q10. We were told that the white variant is not yet finalized and not sure if it will use the same pattern and finish on the back side (it should be official in a few weeks though).

The 5-inch display is gorgeous and the shape actually reminded us a little bit of the HTC One X and the One S from a year ago. The handset feels good on the hands because of the rounded corners and curved edges with polished-matte finish.

Here’s the complete hardware specification of the Z30 that we have at the moment.

BlackBerry Z30 specs:
5-inch Super AMOLED display @ 1280×720 pixels
Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.7GHz dual-core Krait
Adreno 320
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 64GB via microSD card
HSPA+/LTE 100Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC
8MP rear camera, LED flash
1080p video recording
2MP front-facing
GPS with aGPS support
Li-Ion 2,880 mAh battery
BlackBerry 10.2 OS
140.7 x 72 x 9.4mm (dimensions)

Not much difference from the Z10 except for the bigger screen and higher battery capacity.

The Z30 already runs on the updated BB 10.2 OS but we did not notice any significant cosmetic changes in the UI. The large 2,880mAh battery is non-removable so all the ports are found along the sides.

The white variant looks interesting but we think the color contrast of the black variant with the silver accent makes it look more pleasant to the eyes.

We still don’t have any idea when the Z30 will be released in the Philippines and how much it will sell 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.

https://www.yugatech.com

25 Comments

abuzalzal says:

11 years ago

Oh, BlackBerry…why don’t you just give up and die already? I hope Nokia will follow the grave too.

BB OS = Dinosaur OS reinvented, same old bullshit as Windows

WP8/Win8/WinRT/ = Piece of antiquated crap that dates back to 1990s. Dressed with new clothes (Modern UI) but still the same old antiquated crap underneath
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wew says:

11 years ago

i dont know why pero para sakin ang ganda tignan ng z30 pag black pero pag white hindi na…parang hindi mukhang premium tska mukhang plasticky
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awdog says:

11 years ago

Dead ka na Blackberry
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CopyCatDroid says:

11 years ago

Who uses your phone nowadays, BLACKBERRY?
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abuzalzal says:

11 years ago

Whomever buys this handset is sure inviting themselves into trouble.

There will be NO MORE support 2 years down the line.Guaranteed. American Telcos pulling their BB inventories, Asian market would soon follow suit…it’s HOPELESS…calling our resident BB fanboy Zarne, paki-depensahan naman ang BB lmao
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abuzalzal says:

11 years ago

First, they tried to ”parrot” Google and Apple via their piss-poor version of the Appstore / PLAY STORE called BB World, where flashlight apps (which is supposed to be free) costs a Dollar = FAIL

Second, They stubbornly refused to lower down their Flagships (with midrange-internals), ANOTHER FAIL

Now that the massive lay-offs are imminent, mukhang maraming magpapakamatay dahil ma-e-evict na sa bahay at hindi na makakabayad ng mortgage.

Competition is good for the consumers, pero ang BB hindi kaawa-awa dahil talagang out of touch sila sa reality. Parang Microsoft lang lol, Aanga-anga
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Rai Lacoste says:

11 years ago

Is not that I hate all of it.. if they priced it right, I might still use it.. BB is the most efficient when it comes to being social well except instagram. I have been a BB user for 5 years now and its sad to see this company go private. This new phone is nothing much as compared to local brands like Cherry and MyPhone but overpriced.
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Phillip says:

11 years ago

I was using a BB 9920 before and recently switched to an android smartphone. I honestly miss the simplicity and snappiness of my BB, amazing when it comes to messaging with a great help of the physical qwerty. Now it takes me triple the time to send a message from finding a contact to sending it and browsing the inbox (plus more misspelled words).
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abuzalzal says:

11 years ago

Huwag kayong maniwala sa akin. Hindi ako nakapag-aral. Nandito lang ako para mag-troll. Ang totoo, wala talaga akong alam. I am a very sad person that’s why palagi akong nag-totroll. Eh kayo kasi, pinapatulan niyo naman ako. Wehehehehe
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manong j0hnny says:

11 years ago

abuzalzal gusto ko happy ka! tara candy crush tayo
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abuzalzalero says:

11 years ago

Ako si abuzalzal. Oo. Inaamin ko pinanganak akong kupal. Ako ang pinaka kupal sa mundo. Wala akong kwenta.. nandito ako sa mundong ibabaw para manlait at laitin.. ginagawa akong katawatawa kasi kupal ako. Kupal talaga ako. Kuupppppaaaallll ako. Haha huhu.
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jay says:

11 years ago

hay so sad,bibili pa naman aq ng bbz10 this coming oct.15. :( .. .pero still Blackberry is one of the Best smartphone.. after 1 or 2 yrs na lng aq cguro mag upgrade ulit..
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arcee_Z10 says:

11 years ago

I’m gonna buy this, definitely! :)

@jay- u should buy a Z10! It’s love! If only people would give BlackBerry a chance. Their OS 10 can do as much as your precious iPhone and Android. Except the apps. But you can port apps from Google Play store any moment! That’s what BlackBerry can do. No more crashing, no more auto shutdowns.
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edlee says:

11 years ago

I hv BBQ10 since Globe offered it @ Plan999. I hv no regrets. I love every part of this fone. Super quality. Speaker feature is excellent. Npka clear & loud. Audio recording perfect din. Camera is awesome. I often use Skype app to video chat with family abroad. What more can I say… Basta, I’m super satisfied. And the BBM, oh goodness, my friends hv BBM in their Android. OK so far. I can’t wait to hv this Z30 next. Where to buy?
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