Blackberry Z10 (After Updating to 10.2.1) - Simple Review

Ever since the former company RIM has decided to release the Blackberry Z10, I have been eyeing on the device for quite some time now. I like the 4.2" clear and bright screen; a 1800mAh battery; light in weight (138g); packed with 2013 specifications including NFC and A-GPS as well as GLONASS. The veru first released OS10 on the Blackberry Z10 (BB Z10) was clunky and slow. I could not wait for the menu to move over to refresh as it was taking ages to do so.

A year after the launch of the BB Z10, Blackberry has released the latest OS 10.2.1 firmware to address many problems of the BB Z10 previously reported. Before I venture into the negativity of the BB Z10, it will be a good idea to discuss about the many good qualities of the BB Z10.

From my point of view, there are many good qualities of using the BB Z10. It goes without saying that the device is very light. I am also impressed with the fact that it has NFC and HDMI as well as the support of an external microSD card up to 64GB. I believe that the device will also support Sandisk's 128GB microSD card but I only have a 64GB Samsung Pro microSD card to test the device.

If you are an experienced Andriod or iOS user, you might find the OS 10 a little bit overwhelmed and you would require some time to get used to it. Initially I was reluctant to try using the BB Z10 but I have changed my mind when it has 2GB RAM and comes with a standard 16GB internal flash storage which you could increase the storage with an external memory card which I have discussed earlier.

I have no issues with the hardware of the device although it could be argued that the camera quality of the BB Z10 should have included a 6 lense element as well as a 13MP on the main camera. The main camera could record videos 1080p at 30fps where else the secondary camera is a 2MP digital camera with 720p recording at 30fps. I guess I could not complain because the shutter speed will put all Nokia Phones to shame. The shutter speed is as quick as the Iphone 5s. The picture quality as well as the video quality on the BB Z10 is superb under normal condition but suffered slightly under low light. The user must ensure that he/she is not taking any pictures or videos under too much light or else the picture will get disorientated. Moreover, there are not many camera functions to play with on the BB Z10. I guess the BB Z10 device is not meant to be used primarily for taking pictures.

What is important is that I am impressed with the improvements under OS 10.2.1 as compared to when the OS 10 was first lauched as well as the hardware of the BB Z10.

If there is a problem with the BB Z10, I would have to point it towards the lack of sufficient apps in the Blackberry World. However, this should not be a problem because a BB OS 10 user could install Google apps without any problem. The only problem is for the user to find the particular apk file to install. Apart from that, the device is still taking ages to boot up! It is also worst if you want to perform a system wide reset. If you do so, it will take around 15 minutes or more to reset the device. I believe that this is the slowest booting time for a device which I have ever come across for the last fifteen years since I've started meddling with mobile phones. I am not in favour of Blackberry Hub. It is clunky.

Before I conclude, I would like to take this opportunity to say that I am falling in love with the BB Z10. Coupled with the fact that it is now £180 for a brand new SIM free unit, I believe that the device is well worth trying and use it as a primary mobile phone.

Keep it up, Blackberry!

Update:

10/05/2014 - I have spoken too soon. My Blackberry Z10 could not read any micro SIM cards. That is pretty strange because it could do so since I have purchased it. I'm afraid that the unit will have to be sent to Blackberry for repair for now. How sad...

14/05/2014 - I went back to Carphonewarehouse and they swapped my faulty BB Z10 for a new unit. I am happy as the new unit is running properly now.