Blackberry handsets were once the darling of the corporate honchos and media savvy elite of India. In due course though, the allure of the then unique QWERTY keypad, email on the go and Blackberry’s proprietary messaging service made the phones popular among all demographics. However, with the rise of Android and iOS operating systems (OS), the erstwhile RIM (Research in Motion) brand has taken a huge tumble.
The Z3 was initially launched in late 2013 with a brand new OS and a full size touch display, much like some of the most popular phones in the market. The phone did garner some positive reviews but sales weren’t all that impressive. Now, Blackberry has released an updated version of the Z3 hoping to get some attention from the savvy Indian consumer.
Design
The full-face touchscreen design that raised a few eyebrows when the device was last launched has been retained. Many observers were intrigued by Blackberry’s move to follow in the direction of popular smartphones. However, from what we saw of Blackberry’s other devices, this actually works fine. The new Z3 continues this trend with a 5-inch qHD (960×540 pixels) display with a pixel density of 220ppi. The specs are an indication of how much Blackberry wants to appeal to the crowd and we feel this is a step in the right direction.
Technical Details
The BlackBerry Z3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor with Adreno 305 GPU, coupled with 1.5GB of RAM. It comes with 8GB of internal storage, of which only 4GB is available to users but there is a microSD card slot expandable up to 32GB. In addition, there’s a 2,500mAh battery that has enough juice to power the device for 15 long hours!
We were a bit surprised to hear that the new Z3 comes with a 5MP rear camera and a 1.1MP front camera. Honestly, we were expecting a camera with a bit more power but then again, we’ve seen many 5MP cameras on smartphones that have exceeded our expectations; maybe Blackberry Z3 will be the same.
The heart of the device, the Blackberry Operating System was once one of the most popular ones out in the market, especially with the corporate crowd. The Z3 comes with version 10.2.1, the latest OS. There have been some improvements and crucially, more applications for the user to download. We’re intrigued to try this out on this handset.
What We Expect
Let’s get one thing straight – Blackberry is not the monster it once was. What the company has done though is tried to create a niche for itself in the last few years. Many people still swear by their old BB’s and there’s enough of the old charm plus a ton of new features in the upgraded Z3 to retain the old crowd plus win many new customers.