If you are buying a BlackBerry 10-based smartphone for the first time in a while, then you better start getting acquainted with the new operating system from ours, it is more detailed. The BlackBerry 10 interface consists of stripes of home screens. The one on the left, the BlackBerry Hub, is sort of a boosted notification center. Email, Facebook messages, Twitter, and almost all pop-up alerts are here and immediately without the need to open applications. You can get to the hub from anywhere in BlackBerry 10 by swiping up and to the right from the bottom of the screen. The next window contains Active Frames. These are the apps that are currently running, shown minimized. You can get to Active Frames by swiping up from the bottom of any app. Many applications show important information in a minimized way. Each next screen is a traditional desktop, where there are icons complete with folders. You can navigate to each of these pages faster by tapping its number or by swiping along the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen.
So what's new in BlackBerry 10.2? Many, mostly minor improvements. The Priority section in the BlackBerry Hub. Each message that has received priority status receives a red bar on the right side of the message. By default, these messages include email, replies to messages that have you marked as the sender, messages sent by someone with the same last name, and contacts that you manually designate as high priority. Although using this feature requires some preparation, I found BlackBerry Hub's Priority to be very handy.
Also, the BlackBerry Hub has a View attachments feature. This will allow you to see all incoming attachments, with filenames and senders. This is very convenient when you just need to find a document. Attachments can be shown as tiles or as a list, and can be sorted by date, sender, name, or file type. There are also special additional search tools if you know exactly what file you are looking for. The system-wide menu for sending links or documents has also received a major update. Now at the top of the list are some of your most used sources, including apps and contacts. They appear at the top of the list after two or three promotions, which is handy if you're constantly sending someone your information.
The lock screen now provides detailed previews of recent notifications - just tap the icon to see what's new. This makes efficient use of free space, although it would be nice if you could jump to important messages right from the lock screen. Maybe this feature will appear in the next update. BlackBerry reminds us that any email messages that are closed while using the BlackBerry Balance feature will not show up on the lock screen, which is pretty important to keep your privacy private.
In addition, there was an instant view and reply to messages for BBM and SMS. These messages pop up at the top of the screen, no matter what program you are in. Many of the built-in apps can also be connected to this feature, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and email accounts.
The BlackBerry 10 browser still works fantastic and looks great on the big screen. Bars intelligently maximize screen real estate, and Reading Mode lets you get the most out of it by cutting out everything you don't need, directing your attention to text. Bing as the default client for search still looks weird, but it's easy enough to change. There is still support for Flash.
Typing on BlackBerry Z30
Typing on the BlackBerry Z30 is noticeably more comfortable than on the Z10 due to the sheer size of the buttons. This is especially noticeable in landscape orientation. In addition, the software has been improved with new audio feedback for various keyboard actions, and redesigned icons for copy and paste.
Applications on BlackBerry Z30
The launch of the BlackBerry Z30 is a good time to check out what new apps are coming to the BB10. The lack of required apps tends to be the most likely reason to turn potential buyers away from the new BlackBerry platform by direct comparison to Android or iOS. Skype was initially missed by many, but it eventually arrived, and thanks to the new Jelly Bean application runtime, it works better than ever. Take a look at Badland. This game received rave reviews and awards when it launched on iOS. It appeared on BlackBerry before Android and Windows Phone. Popular news reader app Flipboard debuted alongside OS 10.2. It's a port of Android and it runs smoothly. Evernote now has its own native preinstalled app that offers text and tag editing capabilities, in addition to existing integration with the native Remember app.
Of course, not everything is perfect. For many, the key is the lack of an official Instagram app. But what's important to remember is the major players (Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, and Twitter) with BlackBerry 10!
In addition, the new BlackBerry 10.2 operating system makes it easy to install ported Android apps:
BlackBerry Z30 USB Host
BlackBerry 10.2 is a big step forward, especially when you look at things like USB Host capabilities and video mirroring via Miracast. With cool features such as remote file access via PC Link and screen sharing via BBM, it's clear that the platform is evolving rapidly.
BlackBerry Z30 results:
Good
Very impressive sound
Excellent battery life
Improved OS
Badly
Quite bulky
The physical keyboard still delivers the perfect typing experience
Summary
Many people think that this device should change the fate of BlackBerry, but it is not, no product can do it. Rebooting the platform is not something that happens overnight, or even within the first 6 to 8 months. It will take at least a year, maybe two, to see if BlackBerry can continue to exist as a single company.
For all those who are probably just wondering if the BlackBerry Z30 is a good phone? Yes, it's a good phone. You won't be able to install Instagram without some fiddling, but it's quite a modern, powerful device.
You can buy a BlackBerry Z30 adapted to work in Russia in our online store.
The BlackBerryZ30 model is running the BlackBerry 10.2 operating system, devices based on which are rare guests in our latitudes. But, despite this, the corporate sector, as well as some enthusiasts, both the BlackBerry platform and smartphones based on it, continue to be of interest. Let's see what the BlackBerry Z30 is capable of.
The smartphone comes in a small black box. Inside, in addition to the device itself, there is a USB cable, an 850 mA charger, a wired headset with interchangeable nozzles, and paper documentation. As you can see, the kit is quite common for smartphones.
Design and usability
The BlackBerryZ30 is the flagship model, which is a slightly improved version of the BlackBerry Z10. First of all, this refers to the physical dimensions of the screen, which has a diagonal of 5 inches. It is also worth noting the increased battery capacity and the increase in performance due to the use of a more efficient processor.
In turn, the size of the device has grown. For more information about the dimensions of the latest devices in the BlackBerry Z line, see the table below.
Comparison of the dimensions of the BlackBerry Z30 with the main competitors.
| Comparison of dimensions | ||||
| Parameter/Device | BlackBerry Z30 | Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4 | Sony Xperia Z1 | HTC One 801e |
| Screen, diagonal | 5 " | 5" | 5 " | 4.7″ |
| Battery, mAh | 2880 | 2600 | 3000 | 2300 |
| Length, mm | 140 | 136,6 | 144,4 | 137,4 |
| Width, mm | 73 | 69,8 | 73,9 | 68,2 |
| Thickness, mm | 9 | 7,9 | 8,5 | 9,3 |
| Weight, g | 164 | 130 | 169 | 143 |
Outwardly, the Z30 looks quite ordinary, as for a touch-sensitive monoblock, and only the manufacturer's logo gives out in the device not the usual Android smartphone, but a BlackBerry device. Almost the entire front side of the Z30 is covered by a protective glass, at the top of which there are light and proximity sensors, a speaker, a front camera peephole and an LED indicator. At the bottom there is a plastic insert, which is very similar in texture to metal. The sides of the case are bordered by the same silver plastic insert.
On the left side there is a microUSB connector and a microHDMI connector, on the left side there are volume keys, a voice control start key and connectors for connecting a docking station. On the top end you can find a 3.5 mm audio jack and a power key. The bottom edge is empty.
The back cover is made of carbon fiber. There are small slots in its upper and lower sides - these are holes for stereo speakers. In addition, in the upper part of the body is the lens of the main camera with a flash, and below is the manufacturer's logo.
Removing the cover, we get access to the SIM-card format microSIM and memory card microSD. Even despite the removable cover, there is no access to the 2880 mAh battery.
Despite not the most compact dimensions, it is convenient to use a smartphone. Only the location of the power key on the upper end spoils the overall picture. There are no complaints about the assembly. Nothing backlash and no creaks, and all the keys are pressed with a well-tangible move, which is very nice.
Operating system and shell
The BlackBerry Z30 runs on the BlackBerry 10.2 operating system. In general, the interface logic is based on gestures. Namely: to unlock the smartphone, you need to press the power key and swipe up.
The interface consists of desktops on which application shortcuts are located. In order to minimize the application, you need to swipe across the screen from the bottom edge to the center. An additional menu in any program is called if you swipe across the screen from the top edge to the center. As a result, despite the absence of any hardware controls, managing a smartphone is simple and intuitive. I'll even say more. After working with the Z30 for a while, you get used to the gestures so that even on other devices you periodically try to perform the gestures familiar to BlackBerry. In addition, in order to quickly enter BlackBerryHub, you need to go to the leftmost desktop in the main menu. All active applications appear as reduced home screens.
To install additional applications on your smartphone, there is the BlackBerryWorld store. Yes, there are not so many programs in it yet, but still a number of popular ones can be found. In addition to the standard store, you can install Android applications by downloading them first. Of course, this is not so convenient, but in some cases it is necessary. In order to install the program, you need to use the file manager to go to the folder where you dropped it and run the apk file. It is worth noting that for some reason programs do not have access to the memory card and drive.
Hardware platform
The BlackBerry Z30 is powered by a dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960T processor with an Adreno 320 video accelerator. The amount of RAM is 2 GB, and the built-in storage boasts 16 GB and a slot for microSD memory cards. These characteristics are more than enough to ensure smooth and comfortable operation of the device. Due to the fact that there are no all kinds of benchmarks in BlackBerry World, the device was tested using installed Android applications. Unfortunately, not all benchmarks were launched after installation.
The work of wireless networks did not cause absolutely no complaints. In addition to Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band Wi-Fi/b/g/n, GPS, there is also an NFC module.
The speaker volume is excellent. The quality of speech transmission also deserves only forest reviews. We can also say that the multimedia speaker copes with its task at 100. Of course, the stereo effect is not as good as that of HTC smartphones, but it is also very good.
Unfortunately, the standard smartphone player could not handle all the video files. Therefore, you should be careful about the files being dropped so that there are no problems with opening them. Third-party players have not changed the situation, and you will not be able to use video players on Android, since they do not see the files that are in the device.
| Codec/Name | FinalDestination5.mp4 | Neudergimie.2.mkv | Gran Turismo 6.mp4 | Spartacus.mkv | ParallelUniverse.avi |
| Video | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×798 29.99fps | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×816 23.98fps | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×1080 60fps, 19.7Mbit/s | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280×720 29.97fps | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280×536 24.00fps 2726kbps |
| Audio | AAC 48000Hz stereo 96kbps | MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo | AAC 48000Hz stereo 48kbps | Dolby AC3 44100Hz stereo | MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo 256kbps |
| Built-in Player | FinalDestination5.mp4 | Neudergimie.2.mkv | Gran Turismo 6.mp4 | Spartacus.mkv | ParallelUniverse.avi |
| Video | Yes | Yes | Yes (jerking) | Not | Yes |
| Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes (jerking) | Not | Yes |
The battery capacity is not the largest - 2880 mAh, so the battery life cannot be called a record. It is a little more than two days at fairly low loads. Without games on a smartphone, but with the Internet always on and watching YouTube videos frequently. AntutuTester gave 7051 points.
Standard comparison table with indicators of operating time in various modes.
| Operating time indicators | ||||
| Mode\Device | BlackBerry Z30 | Sony Xperia Z1* | LG Nexus 5 (ART)* | LG G2* |
| Music | 50:00 | 200:00 | 100:00 | 50:00 |
| Reading | 9:31 | 13:20 | 11:46 | 18:11 |
| Navigation | 8:42 | 9:31 | 6:04 | 11:07 |
| ViewHDvideo | 11:46 | 15:23 | 7:09 | 13:20 |
| ViewHDvideo fromYouTube | 9:31 | 11:07 | 5:08 | 7:25 |
| gfxbench(minutes) | — | 3:28 | 2:26 | 3:09 |
| gfxbench(points) | — | 1 360 (2 4 fps) | 1364(24 fps) | 1294 (23 fps) |
In mode
reading
all wireless communications are turned off, including data transmission in the mobile network, and the display brightness is set to 200 cd / m2. When listening
music
automatic data synchronization, data transfer worked. Headphone volume at 12 out of 15 possible levels. All music files in MP3 format, bitrate 320 Kbps.Navigation
includes route planning in the Google Navigation app. The brightness is set to 200 cd/m2, all data communication modules are disabled. When playing
video
data transfer is active in the mobile network, the display brightness is set to 200 cd / m2, the sound volume in the headphones is at level 12 out of 15. Video file format MKV, resolution 1024x432 pixels, frame rate 24. Video playback from
Youtube
was accompanied not only by work in the Wi-Fi network, but also by active data transfer. Display brightness is set to 200 cd/m2, headphone volume is set to 12 out of 15 possible levels.
* - data obtained under similar conditions, but with the brightness set to 50% and possible
The testing methodology can be found in
this
material
Display
The BlackBerry Z30 features a 5-inch 720p SuperAMOLED screen. Unfortunately, the resolution is small, but it is quite enough for comfortable work. It is extremely difficult to consider individual pixels.
In sunny weather, the screen fades slightly, which has a good effect on ease of use. Viewing angles of the display are close to the maximum possible. The brightness level ranges from 326 cd/m 2 at 100% brightness to 1.06 cd/m 2 at minimum brightness. The average value corresponds to 174 cd/m 2 . As can be seen from the results, the brightness level is sufficient for comfortable work in bright light conditions, and the minimum brightness is also good, and makes it possible to comfortably use the smartphone in the dark.
Checking the factory calibration shows that the screen color gamut is much wider than sRGB, but this is quite common for panels built using SuperAMOLED technology. The gamma curve runs well below the reference value, which causes colors on the display to appear slightly lighter than necessary. But the color temperature is almost equal to the reference value. As a result, the screen is very good. Yes, the colors on it look a little lighter than necessary, but this is not so noticeable in practice.
cameras
The smartphone is equipped with two cameras - front 2 megapixel and main 8 megapixel. The camera interface is not replete with a large number of settings, but the main ones are all present. Among them are stabilization mode, burst shooting and HDR, as well as additional settings such as Action, Text, Night, Beach or Snow. You can choose from 1:1, 4:3, and 16:9 aspect ratios, as well as the flash mode. In the video, you can select the resolution of 720p or 1080p, the flash mode and the inclusion of stabilization.
The photo quality is generally good. Particularly pleased with the pictures taken in HDR mode. Of the shortcomings, it is worth noting the uneven sharpness of photos, especially in the corners of the pictures.
Berry Z30 on the main camera in automatic mode
Examples of photos taken with a Black smartphoneBerry Z30 on the main camera in modeHDR
Examples of photos taken with a Black smartphoneBerry Z30 on the front camera in automatic mode
Results
The BlackBerry Z30 is a well-made smartphone with a good 5-inch screen, made using SuperAMOLED technology. The main advantage is the excellent assembly and the quality of the materials used. The captured photo and video will not make the owner blush. But using your own operating system can be considered in two ways. On the one hand, the speed of the interface, gesture control and the appearance of the shell can be considered an advantage. On the other hand, a small number of applications in the BlackBerry World store will be a significant drawback. At the same time, there are basic and popular applications, as well as games in the store. Among them you can find the games Asphalt 8: Airborne, ModernCombat 4, and applications for social networks with instant messengers. But still, the number of programs is much less than in the markets of other popular operating systems. The way out of this situation is the ability to install programs for Android, previously downloaded from the network. Yes, not all applications installed in this way work correctly, but in some cases this method greatly simplifies the life of the Z30 owner.
BlackBerry Z30 (Black)Notify when available
This time it was decided to bet on a big screen and a new design. The novelty is called BlackBerry Z30.
BlackBerry, however, did not create a tablet phone, which many expected to see, and decided to choose a moderate option: the screen of the BlackBerry Z30 has a diagonal of 5 inches, so it makes more sense to classify it as a top smartphone niche, and not a device like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Let's see on the specifications of the BlackBerry Z30.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (MSM8960T) @1.7GHz (2x Krait 200)
- Adreno 320
- Operating system BlackBerry 10.2
- Touchscreen display Super AMOLED, 5″, 1280×720
- Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
- microSD card slot up to 64 GB
- Communication GSM GPRS/EDGE 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
- Communication 3G UMTS HSPA+ 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
- LTE 800 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 (2600/800 FDD are used in the Russian Federation)
- HSPA+ 21 Mbps
- Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
- Video output support via Micro-HDMI
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n (supports 5 GHz band)
- GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
- Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass
- 8MP camera with Full HD video capture
- 2 MP camera (front) with support for 720p video transmission
- Lithium-ion battery 2880 mAh
- Dimensions 140.7×72×9.4mm
- Weight 170 g
The weaknesses of the smartphone include, first of all, the amount of internal memory, as well as a somewhat outdated SoC, which looks rather strange in a top-end device. Otherwise, everything is fine, but, again, nothing outstanding. Let's compare the specifications of the BlackBerry Z30 with the Samsung Galaxy S4, which has a Super AMOLED screen of the same diagonal, and with the BlackBerry Z10, which is now available at a deep discount.
| BlackBerry Z30 | BlackBerry Z10 | Samsung Galaxy S4 | |
| Screen | 5″, Super AMOLED, 720×1280, 294 ppi | 4.2″, IPS, 768×1280, 356 ppi | 4.99″, Super AMOLED, 1920×1080, 441 ppi |
| SoC (processor) | Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro @1.7GHz (2x Krait 200) | Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus @1.5 GHz (2 Krait cores) or TI OMAP 4470 @1.5GHz (2x Cortex-A9) | Samsung Exynos 5 Octa (4x ARM Cortex-A15 @1.4GHz & 4x ARM Cortex-A7 @1.2GHz) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T @1.9 GHz (4 Krait cores) |
| GPU | Adreno 320 | Adreno 225 or PowerVR SGX544 | PowerVR SGX544MP3 or Adreno 320 |
| Flash memory | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 to 64 GB |
| Connectors | Micro-USB, Micro-HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack | Micro-USB, 3.5mm headphone jack | |
| Memory card support | microSD (up to 64 GB) | microSD (up to 32 GB) | microSD (up to 64 GB) |
| RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| cameras | rear (8 MP; video shooting 1920 × 1080), front (2 MP, video shooting and transmission 720p) | rear (13 MP; video shooting 1080p) and front (2 MP) | |
| Support for LTE networks (frequency bands, MHz) | 800 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 | optional (700 / 850 / 1700 / 1900) | 1800 / 2100 / 2600 / 800 / 850 / 900 (Snapdragon 600 version only) |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 2880 | 1800 | 2600 |
| Operating system | Blackberry 10.2 | BlackBerry 10 (upgrade to version 10.2 available) | Google Android 4.2.2 |
| Dimensions (mm) | 141×72×9.4 | 130×66×9 | 137×70×7.9 |
| Weight (g) | 170 | 138 | 130 |
| Average price (Y.Market) | |||
| BlackBerry Z30 offers | |||
The absolute advantage of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is its high-resolution screen (Full HD), while the BlackBerry Z30 has a resolution of only 720p with a similar diagonal and matrix. In terms of performance, the Galaxy S4 also looks more versatile. Camera resolution, maximum built-in memory, thickness, weight - all the trump cards of the Samsung Galaxy S4.
If we compare the two BlackBerry models with each other, we can't help but notice that with a larger diagonal of the screen, the resolution even slightly decreased, so that the density of points in the BlackBerry Z30 turned out to be lower than in the BlackBerry Z10. But on the other hand, the SoC in the new product is more modern (although far from top-end) and the battery is much more capacious (as we remember, the battery life was the weak point of the BlackBerry Z10).
Well, now it's time to get to know the smartphone better.
Packaging and equipment
The smartphone is sold in a tall black box. Inside - mini-booklets with a user manual, a USB cable, a charger and a BlackBerry Premium Stereo Handset with two sets of additional attachments.
The sound quality of the headset is not bad (although the bass is still a bit dry and not deep enough), but the headphones themselves are very unusual in shape. Perhaps, if you adapt and understand exactly how they should be put into your ears, it will be convenient, but I still did not understand.
Design
BlackBerry smartphones have always had their own special style: strict and "expensive". And the new line of smartphones has been able to maintain this quality (with the exception of the mid-budget BlackBerry Q5).
The design of the BlackBerry Z30 combines elements of the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10. From the first - the general appearance (especially the front view, almost indistinguishable from the BlackBerry Z10, if you do not take into account the size). From the second - the material of the back surface.
The back cover of the BlackBerry Z30 has, like the BlackBerry Q10, a coating that is very reminiscent of the tactile feel and appearance of the Kevlar used in the Motorola Razr series of smartphones (for example, the Motorola Razr HD). In general, the design of the BlackBerry Z30 has quite a lot in common with the Motorola Razr HD, but this does not prevent the BlackBerry from having its own, rather individual look. The important components of this individuality include the silver edging "under the metal" and the illusion of the bulge of the screen: the surface of the screen is slightly rounded at the edges.
The back cover is removable, but the battery is not removable (unlike the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10), which is a clear minus for a business device. Removing the cover, we get access to the Micro-SIM and microSD slots, they go to the left side, but are inaccessible when the cover is closed.
On the left side, but regardless of the position of the cover, there are Micro-HDMI and Micro-USB connectors.
On the right side we see the volume down and volume up buttons, and between them is the voice control start button. Everything here is similar to the BlackBerry Z10.
The bottom edge is empty, but there are two speaker holes near it on the back cover. Another speaker hole is located near the top edge, so the smartphone provides good (as far as it is possible in principle for the built-in smartphone speakers) stereo sound.
Also on the top we see a mini-jack (3.5 mm) for a headset and a Power button. All buttons are pressed not very tight, but it cannot be said that they are loose. The sound when pressed is clear.
The smartphone lies well in the hand, although it is clear that this is more a solution for a medium or large sized male hand than for a female one. The build quality is decent and overall the phone's design makes a good impression. Perhaps, it is difficult to fall in love with it, it is difficult to make an unambiguous choice in its favor only on the basis of design, but the fact that the design will not be a minus when choosing (like, for example, BlackBerry Q5) is undoubtedly. It's a pity that the battery was made non-removable.
Screen
BlackBerry Z30 is equipped with a 5-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels. At the moment it is the largest screen among all BlackBerry-smartphones. A detailed test of the screen was carried out by Alexey Kudryavtsev, editor of the "Projectors and TV" section. Below is his conclusion.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, there is a very effective anti-glare filter, superior to the Google Nexus 7 screen filter in reducing reflection brightness. There is no doubling of the reflected objects, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, no worse than Google Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.
There is a non-switchable automatic brightness control by light sensor (it is located on the front panel to the left of the speaker slot). This function depends on the position of the brightness slider. If it is set to 100%, then in complete darkness, the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 30 cd/m² (acceptable), in an artificially lit office, the brightness increases to 150 cd/m² (normal), in a very bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors but without direct sunlight) is set to 255 cd/m². If the brightness slider is at 50%, the values are: 15, 80 and 255 cd/m². If at 0% - 12, 30 and 200 cd / m².
According to the figures, the maximum brightness is not very high, but, given that the smaller the white area on this screen, the brighter the white color (the above values are obtained when the white field is displayed in full screen), and the high efficiency of the anti-glare filter, on a sunny day outside room readability of the screen will remain at an acceptable level. In complete darkness, the brightness is reduced to a comfortable value. However, at very low brightness, modulation appears at a frequency of 240 Hz. The figure below shows the dependence of the brightness of the white field (vertical axis) on time (horizontal axis) for three brightness values:
It can be seen that at high and medium brightness, there is virtually no modulation, but at minimum brightness, the relative modulation amplitude is high, so flickering of the image can be seen in the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, such flickering can cause increased fatigue.
This smartphone uses an OLED matrix - active matrix organic light emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B) in equal amounts, which is confirmed by a fragment of a microphoto:
We observed a similar “structure” of the screen, for example, in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini smartphone.
The screen has good viewing angles. True, the white color at a deviation at relatively large angles acquires a noticeable bluish tint, but the black color remains black at any angle (although the reflection from the black areas at some angles has a blue "metallic" tint). Black at the same time is so black that the contrast parameter in this case is simply not applicable. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. Switching the state of the matrix elements is actually instantaneous, but there may be a step (or two) 16.7 ms wide at the turn-on front (corresponding to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). Below is a graph of brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) obtained by going from dark gray to light gray (25-75) and from black to dark gray (0-25) and back (vertical scale differs):
In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects, but in normal use it is almost impossible to see these artifacts. Rather, the opposite is true - dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “twitchiness” of movements.
The gamma curve constructed from 32 points did not reveal any blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the exponent of the approximating power function is 1.92, which is slightly lower than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve slightly deviates from the power dependence:
Note that due to the dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image (brightness decreases on average bright images), the obtained dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential output full screen grayscale.
The color gamut is much wider than sRGB:
The spectra show that the primary colors are well separated:
As a result, the colors on this screen are oversaturated and somewhat unnatural. The color temperature balance is good - shades of gray have a color temperature close to 6500 K, which changes little over the entire part of the gray scale that matters (the range close to black can be ignored, since color reproduction is not so important in it, and the measurement error of color characteristics is high ):
The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (delta E) is less than 10, which is considered a good indicator for a non-professional device, and also changes slightly from shade to shade:
As we have shown in comparative testing, OLED screens, despite not very high brightness, retain excellent readability in all conditions, and even when viewed from large angles. They are also very economical. All this, of course, applies to the BlackBerry Z30's OLED screen. Another advantage of the screen is an effective anti-glare filter, a very good oleophobic coating, adequately working automatic brightness adjustment and excellent color balance. Unfortunately, the manufacturer did not take care to adjust the color saturation of the OLED in the direction of its decrease, as a result, recognizable colors (for example, skin tones) in photos and videos look a little unnatural, oversaturated.
Platform and Performance
The BlackBerry Z30 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC. By modern standards, this is a mid-range solution that includes only two Krait 200 CPU cores (each with a frequency of 1.7 GHz) and an Adreno 320 graphics accelerator. But the BlackBerry Z30 has 2 GB of RAM. Given the multitasking nature of the BlackBerry 10 OS, this is really important. However, we see the same 2 GB in all other smartphones on this OS, even in the BlackBerry Q5. But let's see what kind of performance the novelty will demonstrate.
For obvious reasons, we couldn't test the performance of the BlackBerry Z30 using our standard methodology: there are practically no benchmarks for the BlackBerry 10 OS yet. We found only the Geekbench 2 multi-platform benchmark in the BlackBerry World store. In addition to it, of course, we launched browser tests: SunSpider 1.0, Kraken Benchmark and Octane Benchmark. The results for them are summarized in the table.
Here, of course, it is worth making a reservation that the results in browser tests are also strongly influenced by the browser itself, which is different in BlackBerry 10 than in Android. But these results give a general idea of performance: it is obvious that the BlackBerry flagship is very far from the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Tests have shown that the BlackBerry Z30 is currently the most productive smartphone on the BlackBerry 10 operating system. However, it cannot compete with top-end Android devices. This result, however, is very arbitrary, since the performance of the Z30 is quite enough for its tasks, as well as for the games available in BlackBerry World: Asphalt 7, N.O.V.A. 3, Modern Combat 4. As for the prospects for future gaming projects, this process will be hampered not so much by the lack of performance as by the dubious prospects of the platform itself. Let's be honest: no matter how cute and interesting BlackBerry 10 as such, games for it will be developed and optimized last (after iOS, Android and Windows Phone).
So if the ability to play modern games on your smartphone is really important to you, you should choose something other than the BlackBerry Z30. But if you perceive the opportunity to play as an additional option, and the limited selection of games in BlackBerry World is enough for you, then you may well stop at the BlackBerry Z30.
HDMI interface test
Additionally, Alexey Kudryavtsev tested the HDMI interface. To do this, we used an LG IPS237L monitor and a simple Micro-HDMI to regular HDMI cable. Operating mode - 1080p at 60 Hz. When the smartphone is landscape-oriented, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed in the screen boundaries and is an exact copy of the smartphone screen with the actual resolution equal to the smartphone screen resolution - 1280 by 720 pixels. When the smartphone is in portrait orientation, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in portrait orientation, while the image is inscribed in height, black fields are displayed on the right and left, and the actual resolution is already lower than 720 by 1280 pixels.
Video output by means of a regular player deserves a special description. To begin with, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see the material Testing methods for video signal playback and display devices. Version 1), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screen shots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped to determine the nature of the output frames of video files with different parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and the frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps / With). The results of this (block titled " Screen”) and the following test are tabulated:
| File | Uniformity | Passes |
| Screen | ||
| watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4 | not reproduced | |
| watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4 | not reproduced | |
| watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4 | Great | No |
| watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4 | Good | No |
| watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4 | Great | No |
| watch-1280x720-60p.mp4 | Great | No |
| watch-1280x720-50p.mp4 | Good | No |
| watch-1280x720-30p.mp4 | Great | No |
| watch-1280x720-25p.mp4 | Good | No |
| watch-1280x720-24p.mp4 | Good | No |
| HDMI (monitor) | ||
| watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4 | not reproduced | |
| watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4 | not reproduced | |
| watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4 | Great | No |
| watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4 | Good | No |
| watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4 | Good | No |
| watch-1280x720-60p.mp4 | Great | No |
| watch-1280x720-50p.mp4 | Good | No |
| watch-1280x720-30p.mp4 | Great | No |
| watch-1280x720-25p.mp4 | Great | No |
| watch-1280x720-24p.mp4 | Good | No |
Note: If both the Uniformity and Gaps columns have green ratings, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven interleaving and dropping frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. "Red" marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.
According to the criterion for displaying frames, the quality of playing video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is high, since frames (or groups of frames) are displayed with a more or less uniform alternation of intervals and there are no frame drops. However, uniform frame interleaving is a relatively unstable state, as some external and internal background processes cause intermittent failure to properly interleave frame intervals and even drop single frames in the case of 720p files at 60 fps. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 (720p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed along the screen borders, one to one by pixels in the vertical direction, but the picture is stretched horizontally by a couple of pixels, so the real clarity is slightly lower than the original resolution. The range of brightness displayed on the screen does not correspond to the standard range of 16-235, since the shadows display several shades of “blacker than black”, and the highlights display all shades of “whiter than white”. As a result, in the case of a typical video file, the image contrast will be underestimated.
When playing video files with a resolution of 720p (1280 by 720 pixels) on the screen of a monitor connected via HDMI, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen while maintaining true proportions, and the resolution corresponds to the original resolution (when the smartphone screen is landscape orientation). The range of brightness displayed on the monitor is almost equal to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows and in the highlights, all gradations of shades are displayed, but in the highlights, several shades of "whiter than white" are also displayed. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the " HDMI (monitor)". The output quality is high.
It turns out that connecting to external monitors, TVs and projectors can be used for games, watching movies, web browsing and other activities that benefit from a multiple increase in screen size.
Communication functions
Judging by the available information, all BlackBerry Z30 smartphones have LTE support, although when buying a device abroad, you should pay attention to the supported bands (they are different for different countries). We tested the STA100-2 model, which supports Russian LTE frequency bands.
The work of LTE (4G) was tested in the Megafon network. LTE works, the connection speed is normal and depends on the specific location. When online, you will see the 4G icon in the top right corner. True, for this you need to turn off Wi-Fi.
We had no complaints about the quality of telephone communication, but there were complaints about Wi-Fi. The smartphone does not catch a medium-strength signal in the best way and connects to such networks for a long time.
Operating system and applications
The smartphone runs on the new operating system BlackBerry 10.2. We dedicated BlackBerry 10 by examining its features using the BlackBerry Z10 as an example. Almost everything said there is true for the BlackBerry Z30. Therefore, we will not repeat the story about the OS and limit ourselves to screenshots of the desktop.
Due to the larger display area, one more row of icons fits on the screen. In addition, the virtual keyboard has become larger, which is very convenient.
cameras
As befits all modern smartphones, BlackBerry Z30 is equipped with two cameras: front and rear. The resolution of the front camera is 2MP and it can support 720p video transmission. We tested video calling using the Skype app available from BlackBerry World. There were no problems, video and sound were transmitted normally.
The main (rear) camera takes photos with a resolution of 8 megapixels. The pictures taken on it are commented by Anton Solovyov.
 | The sharpness of the tile is not bad, but the grass begins to merge rather quickly with the removal. |
|
 | The foliage is heavily blurred. Only the foregrounds worked out relatively well. |
|
 | The license plates of the nearest cars would be legible if they didn't move, as would the inscriptions on the poles. | 1/2. When the lighting deteriorates, the sharpness drops, but the overall result, oddly enough, becomes better. |
 | 1/4. With further deterioration, the camera produces a very acceptable result. |
|
 | 1/4 flash. The flash almost fails to improve the situation. |
|
 | 0. In the absence of lighting, the camera does not cope. |
|
 | 0 flash. The flash works as before. |
As you can see from the graph, the camera does a good job at first. The flash works correctly, but weakly, so it does not allow you to achieve the original resolution of the pictures.
The rear camera can shoot 1080p video at 30 fps, but by default the video is shot at 720p. Here is a video with default settings. Video quality is good, typical for most smartphones.
The rear camera of the BlackBerry Z30 looks raw. At first glance, it seems that she has good abilities, and according to laboratory tests, she gives good results. But upon closer examination of the most ordinary field shots, significant shortcomings become noticeable: blurry areas in the picture, blur zones, which probably occur due to slow shutter speeds due to low photosensitivity, blurry corners. Noises do not show up much, so it is not clear why the camera would be afraid of average ISO values.
In general, the camera turned out not so bad. Perhaps some software refinement will help her become better. So far, it does not stand out with anything special, with the exception, perhaps, of a good exposure.
Offline work
As we remember, one of our main complaints about the BlackBerry Z10 was the short battery life. In a typical BlackBerry usage scenario (lots of email, SMS, phone conversations, no games or videos), the smartphone didn't even make it to the end of the day.
The BlackBerry Q10 did a little better, the BlackBerry Q5 worse than the Q10 but better than the Z10. And now we can get acquainted with the BlackBerry Z30, which has the most capacious battery of all BlackBerry 10 devices.
Together with the economical AMOLED screen, this gives a really decent battery life. Under standard usage scenarios, the smartphone will last more than one day. If we take specific modes, then playing a 3D game will be possible for 5 hours (with the brightness set to 100 cd / m²).
Here, however, there is a nuance that prevented us from making accurate measurements. The fact is that the BlackBerry Z30 has a non-switchable automatic screen brightness adjustment. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately set the brightness. But the overall picture is clear.
conclusions
The BlackBerry Z30 smartphone is the swansong of a once great company. It's a decent quality product, but it doesn't have a single killer feature that would make people indifferent to BlackBerry buy this device. Today you won’t surprise anyone with a five-inch screen, the design is pleasant, but not amazing, the technical characteristics are sufficient for comfortable work, but again, nothing outstanding or even just top-end.
At the same time, the prices for the new device are more than top-end. At least in Russia, where the BlackBerry Z30 is still being imported under the "gray" scheme. It is difficult to judge Western prices, because BlackBerry mainly distributes the novelty through operators offering a contract. Nevertheless, there is an opportunity to purchase a smartphone not tied to an operator - in Europe it will cost about 20 thousand rubles (plus shipping), in Germany - about 22 thousand (plus shipping). In Russia, if there is any sane guarantee, it will not be possible to buy such a device for less than 25 thousand rubles. And for such a price you can buy a top modern Android smartphone; the same Samsung Galaxy S4 is now on average even cheaper.
In general, we come to a paradoxical conclusion: the smartphone is good, and it has almost no serious shortcomings (except for the specific features of the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which, however, can just as well be attributed to advantages). But there is also nothing that would make it possible to prefer it to competitors. The BlackBerry Z30 should definitely appeal to BlackBerry fans, unless they have a BlackBerry Z10 or a BlackBerry Q10, of course. In the latter case, they are unlikely to want to change their devices, although, say, the BlackBerry Z10 loses to the new product in almost all respects - and yet this is not enough to change the smartphone so quickly.
Therefore, the main audience of the BlackBerry Z30 will most likely be technologists and IT collectors, because it is so far the best BlackBerry 10-based touch phone, and besides, there is every chance that it will be the last flagship novelty in the history of the glorious BlackBerry company.
Z10, Q10, Q5... Z5? No Z30! The new Blackberry smartphone should improve the company's position in the market. Weaknesses of the Z10 have been eliminated, so the novelty has every chance to take the lead. The built-in hardware of the Z30 is not the newest, but it's not that important, as the same sales of Nokia Lumia 520 show. However, the Z30 is positioned in the high-end segment, at least Blackberry set the corresponding price. But will the company be able to sell a smartphone with average equipment at a price of 24.0 thousand rubles or 500 euros?
Hardware and first impressions
The hardware of the smartphone, as we have already mentioned, does not seem the latest in our days of Full-HD displays, 8-core processors and 3 GB of RAM. However, for a well-optimized operating system, weak hardware is not a problem, as Microsoft has clearly shown with budget smartphones Windows Phones. In any case, the Z30 has some standout features: LTE support (800/900/1800/2600 MHz), 5" SuperAMOLED display, powerful 2880 mAh battery, micro-SD slot and 2 GB of RAM. The rest of the hardware is gone. such an advanced: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 2x1.7 GHz processor, 720p resolution, 8 MP main camera and 2 MP front camera, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and 16 GB of flash memory.
A complete overview of the functions is given on the last page of the overview.
In terms of build quality and feel, the Z30 is as convincing as previous models. To a large extent, this is facilitated by rounded edges, including the pleasant roundness of the back of the smartphone. But we didn't really like the heel material - it seems "sticky" to the touch. On the other hand, the 5-inch Z30 won't slip out of your hand.
The back panel of the smartphone can be removed to reveal the SIM card and micro-SD slot. I wish the battery was removable, like the Z10... However, the Z30 battery has an impressive capacity of 2880 mAh, so it will last for a long time.
On the right panel of the BlackBerry smartphone, there are buttons for volume control and voice control. The left panel houses the micro-USB and micro HDMI ports. On the back of the smartphone, you can see the BlackBerry logo, an 8 MP camera with LED flash, and stereo speakers at the bottom and top.
The latter fit perfectly into the design of the smartphone and sound good. Even at full volume, we found no distortion, although the volume level here is not as high as the competition. The upper and lower frequencies are balanced, so when watching movies or listening to music, the impressions are positive.
On the top panel you can see a 3.5mm audio jack and a power button. However, to activate it, you can use a swipe gesture across the screen, so reaching for the power button on a smartphone with a 5 "screen is not required.
All in all, the Z30 is a well-designed and solid smartphone, although it doesn't quite match the competition when it comes to hardware. Somewhat disappointing, given the price of 24.0 thousand rubles or 500 euros.
What's new in BlackBerry OS 10.2
BlackBerry has been actively developing its new OS, so OS 10.1 was released not so long ago, containing many improvements and new features. The updated OS 10.2 also has some innovations. Among other things, there are alerts known to us from iOS, Android and Windows Phone - a preview of alerts is displayed at the top of the screen. BlackBerry calls this feature "Instant Preview" and alerts come with close and quick reply buttons.
One of the highlights is the BlackBerry Hub extension's Priority feature. A good example is the Gmail inbox, where important messages will be displayed separately or highlighted (in this case, with a red bar). Conversations with an important interlocutor or messages will also be highlighted. Hub will recognize some messages and mark them as important.
Notifications used to be displayed on the lock screen as a symbol, you could tell the application and the number of notifications from them, but nothing more. In OS 10.2, you can tap on the icons and find out, for example, the sender of the email and the subject of the letter. Too bad there's no dedicated unlock gesture that would take you straight to the corresponding email in the Hub.
In addition, some applications have been improved. A native Evernote app has been added, the settings app is now much faster and visually better integrated into the system, you can now set multiple alarm times in the alarm clock. Finally, Android Jelly Bean apps up to version 4.2.2 are supported. Many other features (including minor changes) are collected on the Polish site BBNews.
Camera
The quality of the camera was subjected to quite serious criticism of the Z10. For a high-end device, the image quality could only be called satisfactory. The camera in the new flagship has been improved with an 8MP BSI sensor and a five-element f/2.2 lens. But the software has remained the same (at least in terms of basic functions). The fingertip focus change and the delayed shooting function are also known from previous models.
In the case of the Z30, the results are not outstanding, but the improvement is noticeable immediately. We recommend that you evaluate the quality yourself by viewing all test photos in original resolution in our SkyDrive account.
Display, battery life, benchmarks
The display was supposed to be one of the strengths of the Z30. Indeed, the 5" SuperAMOLED display looks impressive. However, given the price and current competitors in the market, the resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels can be called low, it results in a not very high pixel density of 294 ppi, but from a normal viewing distance the picture seems quite sharp and clear.
However, if you put a Full-HD display with the same diagonal next to it, then the Z30 will be less clear. The average maximum display brightness is 292 cd / m², which can be called quite a decent level for an AMOLED. Since the black depth of this technology is difficult to determine, we get almost infinite contrast. As a result, the screen is well readable even outdoors on a bright sunny day.
The 2880 mAh battery complements the economical SuperAMOLED display nicely, and given the average hardware we get a decent battery life of 10 hours and 45 minutes.
