The launch of BlackBerry 10 marks the rebirth of the beloved phone franchise. But BlackBerry isn’t the only thing that’s coming back in style. The physical QWERTY keyboard is also making a return. While BlackBerry’s new Z10 handset aims to take on the all-touch market, the company wasn’t ready to fully leave its roots behind. The Q10 has a look and feel that says “traditional BlackBerry.” Do the Q10’s specs stay in line with its predecessors or does the newest QWERTY-equipped phone identify itself as the upstanding and walking evolution of the BlackBerry family? Let’s take a look at the numbers and see.
|
BlackBerry Q10  |
Bold 9930  |
Curve 9630  |
|
| Size | 119.6 x 66.8 x 10.35 (mm) | 115 x 66 x 10.5 (mm) | 109 x 60 x 11 (mm) |
| Weight | N/A | 130g | 99g |
| Screen | 3.1-inch LCD | 2.8-inch LCD | 2.44-inch LCD |
| Resolution | 720×720 pixels | 640×480 pixels | 480×360 pixels |
| OS | BlackBerry 10 | BlackBerry 7 | BlackBerry 7 |
| Storage | 16GB | 8GB | 1GB |
| SD Card Slot | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Processor | dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Plus | single-core 1.2 GHz | single-core 800MHz |
| RAM | 2GB | 768MB | 512MB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+ | Wi-Fi, CDMA, GSM | Wi-Fi, CDMA, GSM |
| Camera | Front 2MP, Rear 8MP | Rear 5MP | Rear 5MP |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.0 | Yes, version 2.1 | Yes, version 2.1 |
| Battery | 1800mAh | 1230mAh | 1000mAh |
| Charger | Micro USB | Micro USB | Micro USB |
| Marketplace | BlackBerry World | BlackBerry World | BlackBerry World |
| Price | N/A | $250 | $250 |
| Availability | Sprint, Verizon | AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon | T-Mobile, Sprint |
Conclusion: If you’re looking at a BlackBerry phone with a QWERTY keyboard, the choice is pretty clear with the introduction of the Q10. It blows away its previous installments with ease. A huge upgrade in on board storage, RAM, and processing power makes the Q10 a more reasonable choice for performing all the functions you’ll likely do with your phone. A bigger and better screen offers users the best display option of the bunch. The rear-facing camera gets an improvement and a new front-facing camera is a welcome edition. Given the fact BlackBerry 7 devices will not be upgradable to BB 10, there’s really no reason in our minds to go with anything but the Q10 unless BB 10 proves to be terrible.
