The BlackBerry Z10 was the first smartphone released by the company running its next generation BlackBerry 10 operating system. The success of the Z10 was going to either breathe new life into the struggling smartphone maker or it was going to be its downfall. Luckily for BlackBerry, reviews of the Z10 and sales of the smartphone proved that BlackBerry is on its way to once again become a major player in the smartphone world. Let's take a look at what's great about the BlackBerry Z10 and what could have been improved on.
The most impressive feature of the BlackBerry Z10 isn't so much the smartphone; it's the BlackBerry 10 operating system that drives it. BlackBerry 10 is a fresh and intuitive operating system that is a joy to use. Its gesture-driven interface is so intuitive that I have found myself trying to use the gestures on my iPhone 5. Of course that doesn't work, but the fact that it has become second nature so fast should give you an idea of what a great job BlackBerry has done with BB10.
The design of the BlackBerry Z10 could have and should have been better. The smartphone looks and feels like an afterthought. The Z10's design didn't change much from the developer Alpha units BlackBerry gave developers to build and test apps on. The Z10's design can be likened to a plastic rectangular brick; it doesn't feel like a high-end smartphone, especially when competing with some great designs like the HTC One and iPhone 5. This was a major issue for me, as quality design is a major feature that should never be overlooked. I understand that BlackBerry wanted to show off BB10 on a larger screen and the Z10's display is beautiful, but there's no way of getting around the fact that the smartphone doesn't feel great in the hand; it feels cheap and heavy.
As great as BlackBerry 10 is, there aren't enough apps available that make it a contender to compete with iOS, Android and even Windows Phone. It's unfortunate, because the platform has great potential; it just needs to have more of the cross-platform quality apps found on competing platforms. If you depend on popular apps, you might want to wait to purchase the Z10 or even the Q10, for that matter. I was very frustrated by the lack of apps available. I'm sure as BB10 matures, more apps will come to the platform, but for now it's very limiting.
There's much to like about the BlackBerry Z10: its standout features are its display, and the BlackBerry 10 operating system's user interface and features. Its downfall is its unappealing design, and most important, its lack of quality third-party applications.
As impressive as the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry 10 are, I wouldn't recommend it now. The platform just doesn't have enough quality third-party apps to truly make it a smartphone that can compete with the likes of iOS, Android and Windows Phone. A smartphone is only as good as the platform it runs on, and while BlackBerry 10 is amazing in many respects, its lack of apps currently make it a non-contender. As time goes on, more and more apps will begin to make their way to the platform. But until that happens, you're better off choosing an iPhone, Android or Windows Phone smartphone for now.
