My whirlwind review of the Q5

Let me keep this short and sweet.

In essence it is a nice phone; the initial pricing was WAY too high but at the price I bought my red one (�99.95 or about $150 US) it is about right.

While the BB10 experience on 10.2.1.x on the Z10 and Z30 is totally awesome, on the Q5 (and by extension I would guess the Q10) the presence of a keyboard without a trackpad feels like having a bicycle without wheels. This only makes me the more excited for the new BB10 handsets with keyboard and trackpad. I think they will provide an awesome experience.

The Q5 design itself has an enormous amount of wasted space on the lower bezel with the word BlackBerry written on it, in fact there is almost enough space right there to comfortably hold a 'belt' with the trackpad and other buttons. The keyboard has wasted space beneath the bottom row presumably for USA carriers to put their brand name on, again this makes the layout inefficient and makes you wonder what kind of crack the designers were smoking when they decided to leave out the trackpad. This really stands out to me as a legacy OS user.

Non-removable battery and no BIS requirement makes the Q5 decent entry level phone for those who haven't used a BB before, but as I've said before, when it comes to QWERTY then it's a case of 'no trackpad, no deal' so I would not recommend the Q5 to any existing BB users. Stick with your Bold 9900 until the Q20 comes out.

:dance:

Thanks for your honest review!

How would the z10/z30 be any different without the belt as compared to the q5/q10?

BB10 is touch optimized but the QWERTY experience is disorientating and unsatisfactory without trackpad. I trust BlackBerry will tweak the UI a little to match the new models that have trackpad/belt

I bought the Blackberry Q5 to my son and he comment that according to their experience with this device was excellent, Widi, miracast, Wifi direct fabulous, ultimately a complete phone. now with the new update and the fabulous SNAP can install everything that he need.

That's cool and yeah for this price it's a good phone but it will not and did not convert legacy users over, but the Q20 will

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For me, I don't miss my track ball at all (8900 - Q5). I began copying, editing and pasting accurately within a day. Recently, someone mentioned a track pad app, I downloaded it and had to recall how to use it.

I think we should overcome ourselves and adapt to new technology/features - in this case, the track pad to touch screen transition. Otherwise, BlackBerry would need to go head on with the marketing and PR of touch-sensitive keypads.

Idk how many have watched the Corning future glass (or something) video, it had simulated displays and it seemed more than efficient. The point being, that we should move forward when it comes to technology.

At least BlackBerry cared enough to listen to its customers and bring back a dated technology, mostly brands don't.

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I disagree, Microsoft have backtracked on forcing a tablet UI on desktop users in Windows 8 and sometimes just because a technology is newer doesn't automatically make it better under all circumstances.

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The bezel underneath the screen is a boon. It is sometimes hard to swipe up on the Q10 because of the lack of aforementioned bezel.

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I still don't get it on why BlackBerry with physical keyboard need to have a belt when you don't feel the need on a virtual keyboard.

After using the Z10 for a year and switching to the Q5 (Koodo deal allowed me to afford a 2nd phone) I also thought the kb without the track pad would suck but I took to it right away and find it easy to navigate.
This could be because I've been using BB10 for a year already but I found the transition to kb with no track pad very easy and painless

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I really don't think it needs the trackpad or belt. Just a bigger screen!

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I also don't understand the need for a belt. I can switch between my Z10 to my mom's Q5 to my brother in law's Q10 without straining my brain.

My mom who is 74 needed all of a 20 minute lesson on her Q5 moving up from a 9810. She hasn't asked me a single question in a week about how anything works. Doesn't miss the belt at all.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

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After you touch the physical keys, what's the very next thing your brain does - without even thinking about it? That's correct - it moves your thumb up to where the trackpad OUGHT TO BE.

Then it's like 'doh' - and you have to consciously correct yourself to stroke the screen instead.

On the Z10 or Z30 you don't miss the trackpad because the virtual keyboard uses up so much viewing space you automatically feel the need to get rid of it when you're finished typing, at which point you are back to the pure touch-only environment again.

I'm going to (hopefully add) to this thread by adding my own review here rather than starting a new thread, being in the very similar position of having recently bought the Q5 as a heavily discounted rate. As my first BB10 device it's going to be a bit of a mix of hardware and software.

Model: Q5 White, SQR100-2 (standard European Model)

My recent smartphone history: BlackBerry 8900, 8520, 9860, 9900, HTC One, and now also BlackBerry Q5

Bottom line: An impressive device which builds upon the Curve tradition combining solid hardware and an excellent curve keyboard with an impressive and fluid OS.

First impressions hardware: Really does look like a calculator, but really nice for it. Looks great in white. The 'plasticy' feel makes it feel distinctly mid range, and comparing it to other BBs I've used it feels most in the lineage of the 8520 (although screen quality and internals are streets ahead). V light. Feels distinctly lower quality than the 9900.

First impressions OS: Not intuitive at all. Very fluid, no lag at all. Updated immediately to 10.2 and I thereafter started installing Android apps easily.

After further use, day one:

- Hardware: Impression of hardware remains the same - impressive curve keyboard which is easy to type on; screen excellent; can't really comment on battery yet (still on initial charge) but it seems good so far - v low standby usage. Decent (but not superb) wifi range.

- Software: BB10 is much better than I'd expected it to be. Having followed BlackBerry closely and knowing what to do with the OS the learning curve was relatively minimal and I'm now using it with ease. Perhaps because I've got used to a touchscreen (although I still use my 9900) I've adjusted to not having a trackpad with ease - feels v normal to have keyboard and touchscreen only.

- Email and the hub: Peeking is nice and I'm already really enjoying it and will miss it on my other handsets. However, the Hub is a jumbled mess and the email client seems to lack features and ease found both in OS7 and in HTCS 'Sense' OS for the HTC One. A less efficient email experience than I'd hoped for.

Bottom line: An excellent handset with an impressive OS. Well considering moving to from a 9900 as the OS is light years ahead, especially now with 10.2. A good alternative to Android for those who value a querty keyboard, especially with less of an app gap now, although Android is more dynamic and exciting as a platform. Overall, a highly recommended handset which runs an impressive OS with perfect fluidity.

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Q

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9900 users should be upgrading to a Q10.

How long did you use a Q5 for?

When moving from a legacy device to BB10 I'd advise people to expect a learning curve, it's a different experience and not one you should expect to be completely up to speed with in days.

Lack of trackpad and physical call button didn't cause me as much pain as lack of docking station...it's not the same for everyone but that one feature almost caused me to abandon BlackBerry.

Quite used to no trackpad now, can't see myself wanting it again now, if they bring it back they should allow the touchscreen to be switched off too, I only used the touchscreen on my 9900 by accident.

Q10 SQN100-3/10.2.1.1925

Originally Posted by 3Dee

I'm going to (hopefully add) to this thread by adding my own review here rather than starting a new thread, being in the very similar position of having recently bought the Q5 as a heavily discounted rate. As my first BB10 device it's going to be a bit of a mix of hardware and software.

Model: Q5 White, SQR100-2 (standard European Model)

My recent smartphone history: BlackBerry 8900, 8520, 9860, 9900, HTC One, and now also BlackBerry Q5

Bottom line: An impressive device which builds upon the Curve tradition combining solid hardware and an excellent curve keyboard with an impressive and fluid OS.

First impressions hardware: Really does look like a calculator, but really nice for it. Looks great in white. The 'plasticy' feel makes it feel distinctly mid range, and comparing it to other BBs I've used it feels most in the lineage of the 8520 (although screen quality and internals are streets ahead). V light. Feels distinctly lower quality than the 9900.

First impressions OS: Not intuitive at all. Very fluid, no lag at all. Updated immediately to 10.2 and I thereafter started installing Android apps easily.

After further use, day one:

- Hardware: Impression of hardware remains the same - impressive curve keyboard which is easy to type on; screen excellent; can't really comment on battery yet (still on initial charge) but it seems good so far - v low standby usage. Decent (but not superb) wifi range.

- Software: BB10 is much better than I'd expected it to be. Having followed BlackBerry closely and knowing what to do with the OS the learning curve was relatively minimal and I'm now using it with ease. Perhaps because I've got used to a touchscreen (although I still use my 9900) I've adjusted to not having a trackpad with ease - feels v normal to have keyboard and touchscreen only.

- Email and the hub: Peeking is nice and I'm already really enjoying it and will miss it on my other handsets. However, the Hub is a jumbled mess and the email client seems to lack features and ease found both in OS7 and in HTCS 'Sense' OS for the HTC One. A less efficient email experience than I'd hoped for.

Bottom line: An excellent handset with an impressive OS. Well considering moving to from a 9900 as the OS is light years ahead, especially now with 10.2. A good alternative to Android for those who value a querty keyboard, especially with less of an app gap now, although Android is more dynamic and exciting as a platform. Overall, a highly recommended handset which runs an impressive OS with perfect fluidity.

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You should update to 10.2.1

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My BB experience is Bold 9700 - Curve 9320 - Q5
I don't miss the track pad at all. The Q5 is an excellent way for those of us on a budget to experience the amazing BB10.
However, I convinced my mom to switch to a Q10 from a Bold 9780, and she misses the track pad. She also misses scrolling up to the top of the screen to check what is in the earlier version of the Hub.

Just wanted to add a few points to my earlier mini-review hijacking this thread now I've used the Q5 as my daily driver for a few days:

1. The keyboard is excellent - really great and easy to type on. Different to but as good as the 9900.

2. The battery is an absolute beast! After it's initial charge four days ago I've had to charge it just once since. Once. This is classic BlackBerry stuff.

3. Wifi range isn't just good, it's very good.

I'm really impressed with the Q5 - such an excellent and capable phone which combines so many of the features of classic BlackBerry handsets with an ultra smooth, modern and capable OS.

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