[higherdestiny]

OK folks, there's been a LOT of complaining on the forums about the leaked specs of the new Z series (A10 codename) device.

Here's my question and I ask you to honestly consider this. Are the specs really THAT bad?

Six core unit comprising 2 x 1.7Ghz Krait CPU cores and 4 x GPU cores.
2GB Ram
1280*720 pixel 5.0" Screen
2800Mah Battery.
BB10.2 Operating System

Call me easily pleased, but that actually sounds pretty decent to me.

I want to stress the CPU/GPU combination here because a lot of people are getting their knickers in a knot over the dual processing cores while completely ignoring the fact that the A10 has been fitted with a Quad Core GPU. With mobile devices relying so heavily on GPU these days, it makes perfect sense to increase the GPU count even in place of CPU count.

For the A10, this would be a perfect combination. BB10 is an amazing operating system and one that could easily take advantage of a powerful GPU processing system. Smooth, liquid graphics and application switching using the GPU cores and freeing up your CPU cores for other work. Launch an application and once again, use those GPU cores to render images, video, whatever.

By upgrading the CPU cores to 1.7Ghz, AND adding 4 GPU cores, I think BlackBerry have produced an amazing device.

Now, let's look at the rumours for Apple's next iPhone:

New iPhone 5S photos appear, specs hint at 12 MP camera, higher CPU clock, quad-core GPU

What's that? Dual CPU and Quad GPU? Could it be that Apple is aiming for the same setup? Interesting also to note that Apple is also rumoured to be launching with 2GB ram - the same as the A10.

I really don't think the A10 is that bad. In fact, I'm brazen enough to say it's really awesome. Dual CPU, Quad GPU cores? Heck yes.

Now let's wait to see the other factors which can't be measured on a spec sheet. How about Battery life? How about how the device feels in the hand? How about the typing experience with BlackBerry's awesome virtual keyboard on an even larger 5" canvas?

I'm excited about this device. I think the negativity is being overplayed. I think we're going to be surprised at how powerful the CPU/GPU combination really is for real life use.

Only time will tell

[anon(4275744)]

You can close this thread now. You have said all that needs to be said. I agree. Sounds yummy. We are getting one, when it is released here in Canada!

From Zed to U via CB10

[LWKING]

It's not that bad! I know a lot of people on here are worried that it won't sell. Did you know that the A6 on the iPhone 5 was only clocked at 1.3 GHz? That's dual core btw.

iOS doesn't need quad core CPU to run well.
BB10 doesn't need quad core CPU to run well.
Android depends on quad core CPU to run well.

I can see BB10 becoming more efficient that iOS with a few updates, if its not already

[The Me]

Descriptions from the Qualcomm Website:

Snapdragon 800 Processors are designed to deliver blazing fast apps and web browsing, visually stunning graphics, breakthrough multimedia capabilities, seamless communications virtually anytime, anywhere and outstanding battery life for premium smartphones, Smart TVs, digital media adapters and tablets.

Snapdragon 600 Processors are designed to deliver outstanding performance for today’s coolest apps, fast web browsing, seamless connectivity and great battery life for mid-high tier smartphones and tablets.

800:

600:

I would much rather the 800 for all the benefits mentioned above.

EDIT: Actually, the 600 featured is not the light, it's 1.9 and quad. The one I talked about is even lower, so there is a big gap to even reach the 600.

[RubberChicken76]

Android depends on quad core CPU to run well.

Lots of non quad core devices out there that seem to suggest otherwise

[SK122387]

They're not bad at all, they're just not the GREATEST, which is what their flagship should be (keep in mind it's not supposed to come out for another few months, I'd be willing to say SIX months given the way our dearest BlackBerry likes to take its sweet time).

All people are complaining about is the screen not being 1080p, and the camera not being a 12+ megapixel. If the A10 had a better screen and better camera, people would be thrilled.

Seriously, look at all the tech sites that have covered that A10 leaks so far. NONE of them are impressed, not even the BlackBerry fanatic ones. These are the sites that people will be reading for the next few months, which gives them plenty of time to say, "The A10 isn't that bad" or plenty of time to poison people's minds. No one is talking about how promising the A10 sounds, which is what almost everyone was saying about the Z10 and Q10 ahead of, during, and even after launch.

The Z10 and Q10 are great for right now, and will be for a while. They leave me with no room for wanting more, personally. But for the "consumer market," the people that like to play all their games and watch their shows (especially on a "phablet" device), a big, beautiful screen is what they're looking for. Look at the Z10. It's awesome that we can say it has a better-screen-than-an-iPhone5. When the A10 comes out, if it stays true to the leaked specs (which I feel like it will), it won't have as good of a screen as other phones it'll be competing against.

And that might not sound important, most people probably wouldn't even be able to tell. But when they're in phone stores, checking out new phones, and a dumba$s sales rep who already doesn't care about BlackBerry is helping them, guess what? They're going to be like, "Oh yeah. This is the A10. It has the same camera as the Z10, which we had to cut in price like 3 months after it came out, and the A10's screen isn't even as good as the Z10's." That'll be it.

We now live in a world where people have heard of "retina display." They might not know what it means, but they know they want it. They know (or think they know) the more megapixels a camera has, the better it is. BlackBerry's "Keep Moving" was going well in terms of their devices' specs and innovations. The A10 just seems like BlackBerry stopped for a rest.. and they can't keep doing that, especially not with their new crown jewel of a phone.


Side note: I think the phone itself looks amazing. I've never liked the "phablet" size devices, but just like BlackBerry finds a way to make qwerty look good, it made a huge phone look beautiful.

[The Me]

Oh, and they better upgrade that camera. 8MP... Maybe the 600 isn't as bad as everyone though, but it won't sound so beef compared to what the android people will say. Oh, you're still at dual, 1.7... I'm at Quad 1.9... Yeah...

[Cozz4ever]

Lots of non quad core devices out there that seem to suggest otherwise

Yeah, they're all running 2.0 and below. Even my Galaxy S4 has skipping/jumping images at times.

[LWKING]

Lots of non quad core devices out there that seem to suggest otherwise

No, not really. IMO at least. They can do better

[Aljean Thein]

This is not a Z Series phone. This is the first A Series phone soon to be out. Correct me if I'm wrong..

But I think the main complaint of the phone is the screen resolution. I have to agree with them with that complaint. Its pretty terrible, specs is everything to most people.

[LWKING]

Oh, and they better upgrade that camera. 8MP... Maybe the 600 isn't as bad as everyone though, but it won't sound so beef compared to what the android people will say. Oh, you're still at dual, 1.7... I'm at Quad 1.9... Yeah...

And my response to that would be that my phone is still faster and I'd prove it in a browser test

The 600 would be pointless in the A10 compared to the S4 Pro. Just because it was released later doesn't mean it's better. Just like the 400 and 200 would be downgrades from the S4 Pro. Yes, those quad cores are downgrades to the dual core S4 Pro. The 600 has the Adreno 320 just like the S4 Pro and it's clock speed is pretty much in the same ballpark. There's really no reason to add the 600 to the A10 over the S4 Pro. The only viable upgrade option would be the 800 for the clock speed. Blackberry may still release an 800 version. *fingers crossed

[Marvin Tang]

OK folks, there's been a LOT of complaining on the forums about the leaked specs of the new Z series (A10 codename) device.

Here's my question and I ask you to honestly consider this. Are the specs really THAT bad?

Six core unit comprising 2 x 1.7Ghz Krait CPU cores and 4 x GPU cores.
2GB Ram
1280*720 pixel 5.0" Screen
2800Mah Battery.
BB10.2 Operating System

Call me easily pleased, but that actually sounds pretty decent to me.

I want to stress the CPU/GPU combination here because a lot of people are getting their knickers in a knot over the dual processing cores while completely ignoring the fact that the A10 has been fitted with a Quad Core GPU. With mobile devices relying so heavily on GPU these days, it makes perfect sense to increase the GPU count even in place of CPU count.

For the A10, this would be a perfect combination. BB10 is an amazing operating system and one that could easily take advantage of a powerful GPU processing system. Smooth, liquid graphics and application switching using the GPU cores and freeing up your CPU cores for other work. Launch an application and once again, use those GPU cores to render images, video, whatever.

By upgrading the CPU cores to 1.7Ghz, AND adding 4 GPU cores, I think BlackBerry have produced an amazing device.

Now, let's look at the rumours for Apple's next iPhone:

New iPhone 5S photos appear, specs hint at 12 MP camera, higher CPU clock, quad-core GPU

What's that? Dual CPU and Quad GPU? Could it be that Apple is aiming for the same setup? Interesting also to note that Apple is also rumoured to be launching with 2GB ram - the same as the A10.

I really don't think the A10 is that bad. In fact, I'm brazen enough to say it's really awesome. Dual CPU, Quad GPU cores? Heck yes.

Now let's wait to see the other factors which can't be measured on a spec sheet. How about Battery life? How about how the device feels in the hand? How about the typing experience with BlackBerry's awesome virtual keyboard on an even larger 5" canvas?

I'm excited about this device. I think the negativity is being overplayed. I think we're going to be surprised at how powerful the CPU/GPU combination really is for real life use.

Only time will tell

Honestly, most of the people who doesn't know specs or the complication of it aim for the higher numbers, Quad Cores, 400 megapixel and Those Blah Blah Blah, consumers won't bother to research further more on the power but when the numbers get high, it means it's the best. who wants to pour hard earned money on outdated specs.

if we look at Android, it needs Quad Core and 2GB of Ram to run it very smoothly, but my iPad which has the A5 chip runs on Dual core and runs smoothly!! I guess Apple had the best Marketing in order to fool consumers thinking that they have the best system. but normally. it's just the same. benchmarks and other numbers are just fooling people

[HedoBum]

The only feature that's puzzling me is...why only an 8mp camera (2mp rear) when the phone is obviously capable of handling so much more?
It doesn't make a difference really if you're just viewing your photos only on the phone, but what if you catch that really spectacular shot and you want to pull it off the phone and blow it up in print?
BlackBerry has really excelled in camera functions but it sure would be nice if they upped the abilities of the camera. Even a 12mp camera (4mp rear) in combination with the already available camera features with BB10.2, would beat back the competition a few notches.
It's obvious that people have developed an affinity for taking pictures with their BB10 devices and there have been some really awesome examples displayed of what the camera can do. I've seen some professional-grade photos posted on Crackberry...some that I would definitely blow up and mount (on a wall).

Other than the weak camera offering, the A10 looks like an outstanding addition and I will definitely be getting myself one when they release! Can't wait!

[Tre Lawrence]

Lots of non quad core devices out there that seem to suggest otherwise

But that copy is continually repeated, even though I'm posting this from a cheapie single core throwaway Android running ICS.

[The Me]

The Z10 has the Adreno 225, that's a dedicated GPU. Why are they saying that the A10 will finally have the first dedicated GPU?

[clvrbas]

This is really what the Talk Mobile topics for this week were really about. It's not necessarily about how good the hardware is, but how well the software interacts and how the user experience is. iPhones run very smooth on one set of hardware, where as Android runs smooth on a different set of hardware, we simply cannot just look at the hardware spec sheet and deem a device as good or bad. What we really have to look at is how that hardware interacts and runs with the software. BB10 and WP8 run very smooth and well on less hardware, where as if you put Android 4.2 on the same hardware you get different results.

For most consumers a good OS on a phone running on duel core will work great, I currently use a single cor 1.4gzh phone running WP7.8, and it does everything I need very well. If software engineer's and OEM's can create clean and smooth code that run on microkernals (BB10) it will save the end consumer by lower hardware cost, and increase margins.

Long Story short, the A10 looks great to me! The software controls the amazing stuff the hardware does, get BB10 perfect and this phone will be AMAZING!

[clvrbas]

Android central did a poll, and I think most people are willing to wait for tech for a year. Now, I do appreciate the people that want to and do live on the bleeding edge of technology, without them users on 3yr old tech (such as me) wouldn't know what the pro's and cons are

Also, average consumer may not care about processor speeds or tech, they just want to know how to use it to make their life easier.

Nice info graphic by the way, really shows the two in comparison.

[The Me]

Nice info graphic by the way, really shows the two in comparison.

Anytime, clvrbas!

[Unbiased Tech]

It's not that bad! I know a lot of people on here are worried that it won't sell. Did you know that the A6 on the iPhone 5 was only clocked at 1.3 GHz? That's dual core btw.

iOS doesn't need quad core CPU to run well.
BB10 doesn't need quad core CPU to run well.
Android depends on quad core CPU to run well.

I can see BB10 becoming more efficient that iOS with a few updates, if its not already

I agree with your first too statements, but you're wrong about the android one. The Galaxy S3, HTC one X, DROID Razrs, etc run very smooth and well on dual core. It's just the fact that quad core is faster and will run better which is why people want to see the Aristo with it not to mention quad core is becoming the norm.

Posted via CB10

[triplekia]

Exactly as you said, it's... decent. now it all depends on BlackBerry pricing strategy. Another thing is, the trend now is making better camera phone and waterproof phone, which BlackBerry hasn't exactly catched up with (as always, late to the game)

Posted via CB10

[toneytone]

For most the specs won't be a issue. Whats going to determine whether this phone sells or not will me marketing and advertising from the carriers and BlackBerry. I personally think it will do just fine. OS10 is just that good once people get a chance to play around with it.

Posted via CB10

[hannibalmoot]

I think to make this phone a success, they should take a look at how Apple is going to market the iPhone 5s (or whatever it'll be called). Apple is not going to be able to play the spec war either. They are going to sell it based on OS 7. The phone itself is going to be the container for the new OS and what it can do for you. Even though older iPhones will end up getting OS 7 anyway, Apple will give the perception that the new OS IS the new iPhone and that's why it will sell. They are going to try and make the hardware specs a non-issue and that's exactly what BB has to do as well.

BB needs to have ALL the bugs worked out of 10.2 and have it fully ready to go to sell with the A10. Sell all the cool, different features of 10.2 and show them running on the A10.

They need to focus more on selling the OS to consumers. They will never keep up trying to sell the hardware based on specs. Perception is everything.

[magtheridon2000]

Blackberry Is not Apple. Not at all. Apple is different game...a trendy-marketing hype wave... not the case with WP8, Droids and BB.

And for a 5" device, 720p is bad, really bad. The 5S is not a 5 inch device...

And it will sport a 12 MP, not a "2012" 8mp camera...my father doesn't know specs, but it sure knows megapixels, and that since his first numeric camera..

Posted via CB10

[hannibalmoot]

Blackberry Is not Apple. Not at all. Apple is different game...a trendy-marketing hype wave... not the case with WP8, Droids and BB.

Posted via CB10

How would you market this phone?

[tetonica]

I really don't think the A10 is that bad. In fact, I'm brazen enough to say it's really awesome. Dual CPU, Quad GPU cores? Heck yes

Totally agree with you, the A10 seems to be actually quite awesome!!! People tend to think the technical specs are the only thing to look at, but I think the A10 running BB10 will be quite an impressive flagship BlackBerry device !