BlackBerry Z10- Review of Reviews by Wireless and Mobile News with User Review Ratings
We have partnered with Amplified Analytics to bring you not only a "Review of Reviews" of what the tech reviewers think of the BlackBerry Z10 but also show how actual owners scored their BlackBerry Z10 smartphones. Users often provide a better insight to what they want and like. The price of the Z10 recently dropped to as low as one cent (with a contract) which could make it a great value for some buyers.
- Most Liked Features by Reviewers: solid professional body, call quality, multiple network bands, aimed at productivity and multitaskers, more pixels per inch than iPhone 5, professional/consumer features, excellent multimedia features and good camera.
- Least-Liked Features by Reviewers : average battery life, lack of apps, sound quality of speakers and OS learning curve.
- Overall Average Ranking by Reviewers : 3.75 out of 5
- Most Liked Features by Owners (Amplified Analytics): keyboard, build quality, camera, size, display, video and BlackBerry Hub.
- Least Liked Features by Owners (Ampfiled Analytics) : audio quality, price, themes, low-light photos, battery and apps available.
- Networks: AT&T fast LTE. White model is only available from Verizon Wireless, LTE across carriers, limited T-Mobile LTE deployment.
Tech reviewers in the United States only liked certain aspects of the BlackBerry Z10, putting in the category of "for BlackBerry enthusiasts." They liked the solid construction, screen, productivity features, world roaming, multitasking, camera and call quality. Most scores were around 3.5 out 5. CrackBerry was the most favorable praising the keyboard, BlackBerry Hub (collects calendar, news, email and feeds), earbuds, notification light, BlackBerrry Messenger with screen share/video chat and BlackBerry transfer. Reviewers agreed that the BlackBerry Z10 could have better battery life and speakers. Not all reviewers were not thrilled with the new BlackBerry 10 operating system.
BlackBerry Z10 owners showed an overall satisfaction level of 1.62 beating out the iPhone 5's rating of 1.48, according to Amplified Analytics. Showing that even with all its criticism, BlackBerry Z10 owners were happy with many of the features.
"Multiple studies indicate that more and more consumers make purchasing decisions based on their peers experience. Their trust in advertising messages is dwindling and opinions of professional reviewers are based more on technical specifications that are largely meaningless to a regular consumer," Amplified Analytics analyst Gregory Yankelovich told Wireless and Mobile News.
For some features the BlackBerry Z10 bested the iPhone 5 such as battery life, general overall, keyboard, call quality, speed, hardware and touchscreen (see chart above).
Tech reviewers tend to look at just the specifications, comparing processors, sizes, pixels and more. However, users tend to rate how they use the devices themselves.
BlackBerry Z10 specs include a 1.5 Ghz dual core processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and an expandable memory card slot. The screen density for the Z10 s 1,280 x 768 pixels (356ppi) It also has a micro HDMI out port for presentations, NFC and removable battery. Models of the BlackBerry Z10 supports the branded carriers' 4G LTE or HSPA+ networks and global roaming.
So how then can a smartphone buyer decide the best smartphone in such a crowded market place? We're getting to a point that buying a smartphone is a lot like buying a car. Buyers need to know how and why they want to use the phone. Business users will see great features associated with business security and one-handed use of the BlackBerry Z10. The HDMI port makes it easy to do presentations on an HDMI-connected TV or projector. Other smartphones require an adapter, DLNA or other forms of wireless streaming.
If you are "wed" to your carrier through your contract, it's worth a trip to the store to take the BlackBerry Z10 for a spin.
Amazon Wireless is offering the Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Z10 with a new contract, new line of service or upgrade for one cent without a service plan it costs $599.99
Amazon is selling the AT&T BlackBerry Z10 with a new contract, new line of service or upgrade for one cent without a service plan it costs $599.99.
Wirefly is offering a $40 Visa gift card to try a new carrier. selling the Verizon BlackBerry Z 10 with a free case for $19.99 for new Verizon customers or add a line of service, $49.99 for upgrades. The BlackBerry Z10 from Wirefly
with a new T-Mobile account or upgrade is $199.99 add-a-line $239.99.
The AT&T BlackBerry has been reduced to $99 with a contract directly from AT&T.
This shows general experience of smartphones from Ampflied Analytics.
Here are summaries of the tech reviewers opinions:
Sascha Segan at PCMAG liked the excellent voice quality and reception, clean modern interface that makes it easy to multitask and excellent multimedia support as well as good data speeds, (there is multiple bands for Verizon Wireless for world travelers). He didn't like that the Z10 could have better battery life, fewer popular apps and media services. He gave the same rating to the AT&T BlackBerry Z10 smartphone and noted it had the same high quality materials and strong focus on messaging.
CNET was not kind towards the BlackBerry Z10 calling the OS irritating and a poor iPhone clone. They did, however, like the BlackBerry Z10 for the BlackBerry faithful for sleek design, LTE support, easy keyboard, microHDMI port and built-in editing for the 8MP camera. They did not like the learning curve for the interface and lack of full apps.
Kevin Michaluk at CrackBerry offered the most extensive BlackBerry Z10 review. He liked that BlackBerry controlled its OS with commands that are easy to executive quickly, front camera for video conferencing and it has a good size for one-handed use. The BlackBerry Z10's 4.2-inch display sports a resolution of 768x1280, clocking in at 356 pixels per inch while the iPhone 5 in comparison has a 4-inch display with 326 PPI. He noted it has a better screen than Galaxy S III or Lumia 920. CrackBerry also praised the auto correction for typing. The headphones are excellent for music listening however the speakers are tinny on the BlackBerry itself. 2GB of RAM and microSD expandable makes good storage and speed. The interface is speedy. The BlackBerry Hub that collects all communication email and calendar is called Brilliant. To modify settings is easily accessed. He liked the simple notification light. BlackBerry Messenger with screen share and video chat is amazing. You can edit pictures and media files. There is Docs to Go for Microsoft apps. He found it to be great gaming and liked BlackBerry Link for transfer of files. He reported good consistent call quality. He noted that the camera to decent while low-light shots were not the best. The removable battery could last longer especially while roaming.