[timx84]

Hey guys,

I've been lurking these forums the last few months, trying to decide whether to make the jump from an iPhone to a BlackBerry. I finally took the plunge and picked up a Q10 the other day and wanted to share my thoughts with anyone out there in a similar situation.

The iPhone 4 was my first smartphone which I've used for almost 3 years. Things I really liked about it were:
1) The Interface
-Very clean, very efficient. Easily organizable and quite frankly nice to look at.
2) The Touchscreen
-Didn't really have much to compare it to, but I was incredibly impressed with the precision and responsiveness of the touch screen.
3) The virtual keyboard
-It took a couple days but I very quickly adapted to typing on the iPhone 4. I had a typing contest with a long time BlackBerry user and blew him out of the water. I could easily type with my eyes closed with very few autocorrect mistakes. It learned the mistakes I would make and changed my words accordingly.

I've recently been very critical of the Q10 and BlackBerry in general on these boards. I've started threads and questioned BlackBerry's future and its ability to compete with handsets like the iPhone 5 and the Samsung S4. After spending two days with the Q10 here are the conclusions I've drawn:

Advantages Over iPhone

Keyboard
-There's something very satisfying about pressing actual keys. Although I'm faster at typing on a virtual keyboard, I'm getting faster on the physical keyboard every day.

Multi-Tasking
-Multi-tasking is incredible and blows the iPhone out of the water. It's very easy to switch between tasks, while it's a little cumbersome on the iPhone

Speed
-Very fast. I was amazed at how I can simply swipe up even when a CPU heavy app like a game is loading and just close it instantly. My iPhone always had a lag time in between when I pressed the home button, and when it actually went back to the home screen. This may be different with the iPhone 5.

Screen
-Coming from an iPhone 4 there wasn't much difference between the two screens. I was afraid I'd hate reading on the Q10 but it's been quite pleasant. If you're coming from a 5" screen, you'll probably notice a big difference but for me the screen size is more than adequate.

The Hub
-The Hub and indicator light I've found to be very useful. I love how I can just look at my phone on my desk and see that I've got new mail or a new message. I've found it to be pretty professional and it's a nice touch.

Call Quality
-What can I say? My iPhone's reception was always bad. Calls were dropped, call quality was adequate but not great. The Q10 always has great reception and the call quality is superb. Definitely a big point if you use your phone for business like I do. I missed out on an important work project because work called and I didn't have reception on my iPhone and the project went to someone else. I wasn't pleased to say the least.


Things the iPhone does better:

Touchscreen
-The iPhone's touchscreen is still better. I don't think there's any debating this. The Q10's touch screen is very good mind you, it just isn't quite as precise as the iPhone's and sometimes requires multiple presses to register.

User Interface
-This one is definitely based on your opinion. I really liked how the iPhone's interface allowed you to view categories or groups of apps while also allowing the view of the main screen in the background which the Q10 doesn't. The Q10 could also use a back button.

Physical Silent Button
-The switch on the side of the iPhone allowing you to swap between ring and vibrate or ring and silent etc. was very useful. In a meeting or a movie theatre you could just reach into your pocket and flip that switch, with the phone vibrating telling you that it was set to vibrate. It's not difficult to switch settings on the Q10, it's just not nearly as convenient.

Apps
-Apps, apps, apps... There's no shortage of them for iOS. A number of apps I used to use on my iPhone I have just set to my homepage as a website icon. It's acceptable, but not as nice as having the fully functional app.

Screen Brightness
-Another common complaint. Comparing side by side the iPhone's screen is much much brighter. In direct sunlight the Q10 can be difficult to see but for the most part as long as you aren't directly comparing it with a much brighter competitor, you shouldn't really notice.

Battery?
-I wouldn't say that this is an iPhone advantage as I've only had this phone for 2 days. I've downloaded Battery Guru to track my battery health etc. and so far I've been a little disappointed with the battery life. That isn't to say that it's bad, but I was just expecting it to be far better than my iPhone 4's battery life, which it hasn't been. I've had LTE off, screen brightness at around 70%, and with moderate to heavy use the battery is now at 30% after 8 hours. I'm not sure whether this is normal or not. I was just hoping it would be better. Either way it's a little disappointing with how long it takes the battery to recharge (over 2 hours without any use).

Overall if you're an avid iPhone user and are even considering making the jump to BlackBerry don't be afraid. Unless you absolutely NEED all of your apps, the Q10 poses a great alternative. I wouldn't say the Q10 is far better than an iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S4, but it's something different, fresh, and hopefully only going to improve with software updates along the way. I'm very glad that I've made the switch and am now free of Apple's software that constantly pestered me to update and pigeon holed me into an "apply lifestyle".

[HaTaX]

Good review! And I agree with you on most all of your points, I think some of the Q10's screen sensitivity can be tweaked down the road some it boils down to BB hasn't made as many touchscreen devices as Apple has.

I will say that with time the battery should settle in and you'll get much better runtime then you are now. It took mine nearly 2 weeks before the battery itself seemed to be charging completely, might just be a sticky set of batteries at launch... It's worth it to look into the extra battery and charging kit, I think I ended up paying ~$35 for it from that big online store that starts with A.

Glad to see you're happy with your move and enjoying the positives from a move to a very different device from your iPhone. Many people just get so used to what they have a sudden change in 'device talent' can be offsetting.

[Elite1]

Welcome to CrackBerry, and congrats on your new Q10!
Very insightful review of your experiences so far.

One common thing between the new BB10 devices and those from the legacy BBOS platform is the redundancy of options. (And I mean that in a good way.)

Explore Settings, both the global device Settings app available via Settings icon or by swiping down from top in Hub or home screens, and Settings within individual apps. Usually you can find an app's settings by swiping down from top, but in some of the stock native apps like Hub and Browser, you will find Settings within the overflow menu (3 dots, bottom right).
Hit that overflow dots icon when you see it to explore your options.

Anyway, you will find sometimes there's more than one way to accomplish the same task.

One note on the battery:
I've heard many members of BB10 express that they had very poor battery life initially, then it improved drastically.
Take care in the beginning to really drain the battery down to almost nothing, then charge it for good 6-8 hours. Repeat a couple times.

I know you'll find help here for any questions you come up with.
See you in the Forums!

[rudyalexc]

I too have switched from an iPhone (4S) to the Q10. I love it! Give it two weeks and your phone will be completely settled/broken in. While there are features in the trade-off of apps, nothing can match the multi-tasking/communicating ability that the BB provides. On that note, my battery is the same occasionally but the phone has to get broken in so the CPU can see how you as the user uses it. It's just like a car, you know? It has to hit a certain amount of miles before the engine breaks in... same with phones. When I first got my 4S (which I had to replace FOUR times), the battery would drain so quickly, and over time plus iOS updates calmed it down Welcome and enjoy your phone.

[o4liberty]

The Q10 is a different animal compared to an Apple device. Give it a little while and you will see how much more functional the Q10 can be. I am not bashing Apple but IMO BlackBerry does a better job at getting the job done!

Posted via CB10

[thecurryman]

i had terrible battery the first few days, then it got really good afterwards

[zeteo]

Welcome to CrackBerry, and congrats on your new Q10!
Very insightful review of your experiences so far.

One common thing between the new BB10 devices and those from the legacy BBOS platform is the redundancy of options. (And I mean that in a good way.)

Explore Settings, both the global device Settings app available via Settings icon or by swiping down from top in Hub or home screens, and Settings within individual apps. Usually you can find an app's settings by swiping down from top, but in some of the stock native apps like Hub and Browser, you will find Settings within the overflow menu (3 dots, bottom right).
Hit that overflow dots icon when you see it to explore your options.

Anyway, you will find sometimes there's more than one way to accomplish the same task.

One note on the battery:
I've heard many members of BB10 express that they had very poor battery life initially, then it improved drastically.
Take care in the beginning to really drain the battery down to almost nothing, then charge it for good 6-8 hours. Repeat a couple times.

I know you'll find help here for any questions you come up with.
See you in the Forums!

This procedure has no benefit for modern batteries. The do not have a memory.

[Emaderton3]

This procedure has no benefit for modern batteries. The do not have a memory.

Yup, lithium ion batteries don't have a memory. I'm glad to see someone mention this.

Posted via CB10

[bb624]

Welcome to crackberry! Glad you are enjoying the Q10. Going on my 2nd week wtih mine the battery is amazing. With heavy BBM, email, phone and texting. The battery goes the entire day.

Proud owner of a lovely Z10 and an amazing Q10 (work device).

[rudyalexc]

Welcome to crackberry! Glad you are enjoying the Q10. Going on my 2nd week wtih mine the battery is amazing. With heavy BBM, email, phone and texting. The battery goes the entire day.

Proud owner of a lovely Z10 and an amazing Q10 (work device).

Heard the battery takes a few days to fully break in with usage? Might explain why everyone is surprised at battery drainage within the first two days...

Sent from my BlackBerry Q10 using Tapatalk 2

[jsanakonda]

Posted via CB10

[timx84]

Thanks for your replies and suggestions. I'm really hoping that the battery issue resolves itself. I've deleted skype to see if it gets better but it hasn't as of yet.

I have full bars
Wifi is off
Deleted Telus app
3 push emails
NFC off
Screen brightness at around 75%
Swipe gesture off
4g off

Last night I slept for 7 hours and the battery drained 11% from 98% to 87%. I had no new emails and no notifications. Skype was running in the background probably but I didn't have any calls or messages. After two hours of moderate use (Web browsing, cb10, facebook) it's down to 63%.

Battery guru puts my wattage use at around 1 with Web browsing or forums etc. Sometimes going up to around 1.8. Using 1 watt with battery at 63% it estimates the battery to be dead in 4.8 hours. Inside the temp is aroumd 28c to 38c depending on usage. Typically it sits at 31c while I'm using cb10 or other light programs.

Anyone have any suggestions or is this normal?

Posted via CB10

[rudyalexc]

Thanks for your replies and suggestions. I'm really hoping that the battery issue resolves itself. I've deleted skype to see if it gets better but it hasn't as of yet.

I have full bars
Wifi is off
Deleted Telus app
3 push emails
NFC off
Screen brightness at around 75%
Swipe gesture off
4g off

Last night I slept for 7 hours and the battery drained 11% from 98% to 87%. I had no new emails and no notifications. Skype was running in the background probably but I didn't have any calls or messages. After two hours of moderate use (Web browsing, cb10, facebook) it's down to 63%.

Battery guru puts my wattage use at around 1 with Web browsing or forums etc. Sometimes going up to around 1.8. Using 1 watt with battery at 63% it estimates the battery to be dead in 4.8 hours. Inside the temp is aroumd 28c to 38c depending on usage. Typically it sits at 31c while I'm using cb10 or other light programs.

Anyone have any suggestions or is this normal?

Posted via CB10

There is a break-in period for the battery (1-2 weeks), many people are suggesting to turn off gestures from lock as well as diagnostics. I don't recommend leaving any app in the background (especially Skype) because even if you're not on a call it will constantly update your contact list online/offline. Also, BBRY recommends you try to use it as much as possible before charging every time, and when you charge your device, longer time intervals are recommended (i.e 4-5 hours inseat of less than 1 hour).

EDIT: I see your screen is at 75%, it is recommended for constant usage to have it at 40% or less. Mainly because there isn't even a huge difference in brightness from the highest to the lowest setting. Also, if you are using it in a wifi enabled area with 4G off it will still waste more battery using actual carrier data versus wifi, so even with 4G off its recommended to be on wifi wherever available.

Sent from my BlackBerry Q10 using Tapatalk 2

[timx84]

There is a break-in period for the battery (1-2 weeks), many people are suggesting to turn off gestures from lock as well as diagnostics. I don't recommend leaving any app in the background (especially Skype) because even if you're not on a call it will constantly update your contact list online/offline. Also, BBRY recommends you try to use it as much as possible before charging every time, and when you charge your device, longer time intervals are recommended (i.e 4-5 hours inseat of less than 1 hour).

EDIT: I see your screen is at 75%, it is recommended for constant usage to have it at 40% or less. Mainly because there isn't even a huge difference in brightness from the highest to the lowest setting. Also, if you are using it in a wifi enabled area with 4G off it will still waste more battery using actual carrier data versus wifi, so even with 4G off its recommended to be on wifi wherever available.

Sent from my BlackBerry Q10 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for your response. I realize more apps = more battery but I didn't think one or two would result in such a poor bsttery life. Where I am unfortunately doesn't have Wifi atm (at the cottage for a week!). So far I've always run the battery to dead and then charged it to full. I'm really hoping it gets better after a few days. My battery drops about 10% an hour with moderate use (but no games or videos, just browsing and texting).



Posted via CB10

[rudyalexc]

Thanks for your response. I realize more apps = more battery but I didn't think one or two would result in such a poor bsttery life. Where I am unfortunately doesn't have Wifi atm (at the cottage for a week!). So far I've always run the battery to dead and then charged it to full. I'm really hoping it gets better after a few days. My battery drops about 10% an hour with moderate use (but no games or videos, just browsing and texting).



Posted via CB10

What you have to realize is that some apps use more battery than others. For example, browser is one of the most battery draining apps, as well as Skype (almost any app that needs data/wifi constantly). If you use an app to make notes for an hour, and browse for an hour at a different time, you will most definitely notice that using the browser wastes so much more battery; also, the browser tends to load a lot of full page websites, which causes more drainage. If you have more questions, feel free to ask! I was in a mall with poor data reception browsing/on tapatalk, moderate-heavy usage and I had about 55% left after 10 hours

Sent from my BlackBerry Q10 using Tapatalk 2

[slagman5]

I agree the physical silent switch is a good idea. I'm all for physical buttons as apparent in me owning a Q10, lol. And honestly I don't get all of the fuss about screen brightness, on my 9900, I kept my screen brightness at 1. On the Q10 I have it maxed out, and honestly, I don't want it much brighter than this. I agree that it SHOULD be a bit brighter for those who prefer it, but I never understood the comparing between devices thing. Just ask, is it bright enough for you to use it? If the answer is yes, then why does it matter if person B has a phone with a brighter screen??? If your answer is no, then yes, I agree it's a legitimate complaint. I live in South Florida, the sun here is no joke. I used my phone on the beach this weekend in direct sun at noon time without problems. Yes, it was a little dim, but not so much that I can't see what's on the screen...

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

[rudyalexc]

I agree the physical silent switch is a good idea. I'm all for physical buttons as apparent in me owning a Q10, lol. And honestly I don't get all of the fuss about screen brightness, on my 9900, I kept my screen brightness at 1. On the Q10 I have it maxed out, and honestly, I don't want it much brighter than this. I agree that it SHOULD be a bit brighter for those who prefer it, but I never understood the comparing between devices thing. Just ask, is it bright enough for you to use it? If the answer is yes, then why does it matter if person B has a phone with a brighter screen??? If your answer is no, then yes, I agree it's a legitimate complaint. I live in South Florida, the sun here is no joke. I used my phone on the beach this weekend in direct sun at noon time without problems. Yes, it was a little dim, but not so much that I can't see what's on the screen...

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

I agree! The device to device comparison needs to STOP. Expect some heavy rains, though! I'm from S.Florida as well, and Chantal might bring some great weather!

[playpen007]

Have you used Z10 virtual keyboard yet? If you are really like Apple virtual keyboard, Z10 virtual keyboard is a lot better than that. I used to be very frustrated typing on Apple Iphone 4S virtual keyboard, but when I got the Z10 its virtual keyboard blew me away. Now, I am getting lazy to type since I got my Z10. Just punch in a few words and then boom, all the words I want are there. The only thing I have to do is swipe up the words. Man, this is too easy. If I am the business people, I will switch the device from Apple and Samsung to Q10/Z10 Blackberry BB10 right a way without hesitation.

[erose75]

My battery life improved dramatically after a few days. I had to charge it twice a day for the first few days. Now I could probably go 2 days before needing to charge. Had my Q10 a week now.

Posted via CB10

[rudyalexc]

My battery life improved dramatically after a few days. I had to charge it twice a day for the first few days. Now I could probably go 2 days before needing to charge. Had my Q10 a week now.

Posted via CB10

Glad to hear! Maybe that will put some speculation aside! The CPU has to get used to how you use the device daily (I'm sure you have a routine).