[masterscarhead1]

Z10 vs iPhone 5

If you�re one of the few remaining BlackBerry owners, it�s pretty much impossible to brag about your phone, aside from noting that you got it free from work. This won�t be the case for long, however, as the new BlackBerry Z10 looks like it will offer more than enough to brag about.

Will the Z10 be enough to cause iPhone 5 users to feel the pangs of jealousy that BlackBerry users have felt for so very long? And when you put the iPhone 5 vs. the BlackBerry Z10, which is the phone for you?
Dimensions and weight

If you were to casually glance at these two phones on a table (as seen above), you�d probably have a hard time telling which was the iPhone 5 and which was the BlackBerry Z10. The two phones have very similar designs � they are (like so many phones today) based on rounded corners on a rectangular slab with an all glass front. The headphone speaker is even in roughly the same place. The biggest clue as to which phone you are looking at is the BlackBerry branding across the bottom of the Z10, which is only really visible if you catch it in the right light.

If you take a closer look, you see that the Z10 is a little bit larger all around. The iPhone 5 comes in at 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6mm with a 4-inch screen while the Z10′s 4.2-inch screen sits inside a 130mm x 65.6mm x 9mm chassis. The Z10′s 135.4 grams is also noticeable heavier than the iPhone 5′s 112 grams.

The iPhone 5 is clearly the lighter and thinner of the two phones, and has been on the market for four months already. If this were just a beauty contest, Apple would take the cake.

Z10 vs iPhone 5
Internal hardware

While we may live in a world where �specs no longer matter� is a common mantra, eventually reality sets in and you realize that it is occasionally important to have the right hardware for the job. Both the iPhone 5 and the BlackBerry Z10 pack dual-core processors, though the Z10 is clocked at 1.5Ghz vs the 1.2GHz in the iPhone 5. There�s not a lot known about the processor in the Z10, and how the actual chip compares to the A5X in the iPhone 5, so that clock speed increase may not matter as much as it seems.

The Z10 packs twice the RAM of the iPhone 5, which it uses for the new BBM video chat and file sharing service. The expandable MicroSD slot means that users can increase their existing 16GB of storage to 48GB with the same model, where Apple sells separate storage points for significantly more than their default pricing. Both phones support Bluetooth 4.0, LTE, and HSPA+, but only the Z10 supports NFC.

Considering that these phones are both all display on the front, the quality of that screen is pretty important. Apple�s 4-inch Retina display is a 1136 x 640 IPS LCD screen with 326ppi. Comparatively, the BlackBerry Z10′s 4.2-inch 1280 x 768 IPS LCD display at 356ppi offers just enough to call it a better screen on paper.

In real-world usage there won�t be a noticeable difference between the iPhone 5′s hardware and that of the Z10, but if you have to choose a winner � use the on-paper specs � the Z10 has the edge.

Z10 vs iPhone 5
Camera and battery life

For typical consumers the most important features in a phone � aside from apps � are the quality of the camera and the phone�s ability to get through the day without needing to be charged. Now that video chat and front-facing cameras have become more popular, there are two cameras that have to measured for quality. The rear cameras on both phones have an 8MP sensor, though Apple�s optics are unparalleled in their rear cameras. The front camera, however, is 2MP in the Z10 and only 1.2 on the iPhone 5.

A stark difference between the iPhone and most other smartphones has been the removable battery. Apple has never made the battery user accessible, and over time many other hardware manufacturers have seen the benefit to this. The BlackBerry Z10 allows users to remove the battery and replace it, or install a larger battery if one becomes available in the future.

The battery in the Z10 is also larger than the one in the iPhone 5, with 1800mAh versus 1440mAh in Apple�s latest model. More than just a larger number on paper, the Z10 is able to deliver 10 hours of talk time to Apple�s 8 hours, and offers longer audio playback and video playback as well.

Considering that the Z10 is also running a faster processor and a higher resolution screen, the added battery life in an impressive accomplishment for the platform.

Z10 vs iPhone 5
Software and ecosystem

Comparing hardware is fun, but the software running on and available for the phone is the most important thing. Apple has been refining iOS for several years now, creating a feature-packed platform with millions of apps at users� fingertips. The App Store grows every minute with developers that have made their living serving apps to users. BlackBerry has started fresh with BB10, introducing a beautiful gesture driven OS that pulls a little bit from operating systems everywhere. When it comes to apps, the BlackBerry World store was announced with 70,000 apps available at launch.

Blackberry claims to have over 1,000 of the top apps in the world today, having looked for the most successful apps on other platforms and encouraged developers to move them over. If the developers weren�t interested in writing a new app, BlackBerry made it easy for them to port their Android app to the new storefront.

Essentially, the Z10 can offer the popular apps from the top of the App Store, but is unable to provide the complete package that iOS offers. BB10 will certainly get better over time, but iOS will maintain the lead for the foreseeable future.
All about choice

The iPhone 5 and the BlackBerry Z10 are surprisingly comparable. The Z10 will be available on all four major US carriers, as well as countless other carrier across the world. Apple has worked hard to make the iPhone 5 available in as many places as possible, but it has not yet landed on T-Mobile in the US. Even so, the iPhone 5 is available in most places in the world today.

The biggest reason to choose one of these phones over the other is personal preference. If you�re interested in the most powerful phone between the two, based solely on the specs, the Z10 is the way to go. If you rely heavily on your phone as a tool are interested in an ecosystem that has apps available before you know you need the, the iPhone 5 is most likely what you want.

There are fringe benefits to both, like the additional security features with the Z10 versus Apple exclusives like AirPlay. Plus the Z10 has all those legacy BlackBerry things you�d expect, like BBM (along with BBM Video) and IT-friendliness.

For BlackBerry to have stepped out of the gate with such an offering is an impressive feat, making sure that Apple will have one more reason to work harder on the next release.

BlackBerry Z10 vs iPhone 5: Does BB10 stand a chance? | Geek Pick | Geek.com

[collinc93]

hmmm seems fair looking at it from neutral point of view

[masterscarhead1]

It's pretty objective. I mean if you really look into a lot of the reviews online, most of them are biased and subjective. I mean BB still has some tweeking to do, but I don't think it's hardware related but software

[polytope]

Given this is Rev A of BB10, it's amazing that it's got so much up its sleeves.

[info600]

It's pretty objective. I mean if you really look into a lot of the reviews online, most of them are biased and subjective. I mean BB still has some tweeking to do, but I don't think it's hardware related but software

Indeed, most smartphone cameras' biggest factor is the controlling software (or drivers). I do recall one of the phones in the recent years have a new OS version just to update it's camera software...

[BThunderW]

This is not a really good review. It's a feature by feature comparison. No actual testing being done. You can't really compare based on specs. Manufacturers have been known to "inflate" certain numbers.

[Joe.User]

It all comes down to the experience. The average consumer doesn't care if BB10 uses a microkernel architecture making it superior, or that it has a processor clocked at a higher speed. At the end of the day, what really matters is the experience and usability of the platform. And that is why BB10 stands a strong chance

[CreaturesFarley]

I like this review. Seems pretty fair and objective.

[FSeverino]

This is not a really good review. It's a feature by feature comparison. No actual testing being done. You can't really compare based on specs. Manufacturers have been known to "inflate" certain numbers.

yea... doesnt seem like this guy has even used the Z10, maybe not even the iphone5

[BBGary]

I think the phone is amazing and I used in the past 9700,9900, galaxy note, galaxy captivate, Iphone 3G, 4GS and came back to 9800 for couple of month till next Tuesday

[ccbs]

Sorry, iPhone 5 doesn't use A5X. It is A6 with the custom Swift core. It is faster than the MSM8960 in term of CPU performance and 2 ~ 3X faster on GPU. Compared to Omap4470, it is a solid generation ahead. Therefore, it is no way, biased or not, to say Z10 is on par with iPHone 5 in term of the SOC. Camera is also a weak point of the Z10, but the screen on Z10 is larger and has better resolution.