I was eagerly anticipating the passport release, super excited for a full size keyboard with larger screen. It was sold out everywhere but i kept checking amazon and found a damaged box version for 549.00 and pulled the trigger.
Let me first say the build quality is very impressive and stands out from other phones. Build quality 8 out of 10
The apps are pretty good considering you can use most android offerings but not all. Bottom line is apps are 7 out of 10
Design of the phone is different to say the least. Its like a pop tart ...a really heavy one, in fact so heavy that the chances of your screen cracking are extremely highas i unfortunately experienced. Here is where it loses points in my book. This is not a one handed device and unfortunately it is an unbalanced ergonomic nightmare. I know that sounds harsh but here is why... The blackberry passport demands your attention like the kind of attention needed when mountain biking down a dirt hill. When you want to do anything its a two handed affair and the keys qalthough of solid build quality are too far apart. This makes texting actually slower then you would expect expect for a physical keyboard device. I gave the phone 4 days of heavy use and it is what it is. So the keyboard is a 6 out of 10.
Bonus points... The keyboard trackpad is really great and i am impressed but too big of a physical footprint. The ability to select text using the trackpad /keyboard is great.
The screen is very clear and crisp. The images look great but the aspect ratio takes some getting used to. I did like seeing more of documents but it was not a game changer.
Battery life was good but not amazing. It seemed to be about the same as the note 3 and lg g3. Lasted about a day of heavy use and by that i mean traveling in and out of good and bad cellphone reception areas, texting, watching youtube, gmail, making calls, using maps with gps and last but not least using exchange with active sync ...yep i am a business user. Oh and no removable battery is a let down. 7 out 10
The OS is good but not great its clever but not to the point of standing out and nor does stock android. As a side note ...I think the palm pre os was clever and stood out. For instance when looking at emails from gmail i cant control the spam that would normally be filtered. When navigating the Windows of the os it feels clunky and like i am constantly going through the front door to the to the kitchen when i just want to go straight to the kitchen. 7 out of 10
Over all a nice try but truth is the OS in my opinion needs to be fully compatible with android and in the form factor of the classic. Perhaps take some ques from the palm pre os.
To compare the passport to the note 3 is not easy because if the different shapes and use cases but in my opinion the note wins due to more compatible apps and more screen realestate. Also a removable battery does not hurt.
To compare the passport to the LG G3 is not hard at all. The LG G3 wins hands down and definitely beats the note 3 and even the 4. Here is why ...its clever in its design as it has buttons on the back that dont get pressed accidentally. Its light and yes its because its made of plastic but it feels really nice to hold in one hand although the screen is pretty large. The os is android but its LGs twist amd just enough of a twist to make a positive influence... Like two finger swipe up to go to the bottom and two down to go to the top of a web page or the way ot copies text to a clip board or dual windows with any app . the battery life is great and us also replacible. It is also a light and thin phone and fits nicely in a front pocket unlike the passport or note 3.
So all thay being said i wanted to love the passport but i did not. I am however very impressed with what Mr Chen has done so far and is headed in the right direction. He just needs to fully embrace the google ecosystem and make a phone with a slude out keyboard about the size of a s5 or lg g3 ... Just my thoughts. Let me know what you think about the passport vs android flagships.
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