Be completely honest. Pretend that the concept of apps didn't exist. Pretend that people wouldn't care or say anything no matter what phone you used. So you would have to go with the phone based on the hardware and os. What phone would you use (or brand if that makes it easier to answer).
I choose blackberry today, taking into account apps, hardware and specs. So if I ignored those, I think id still stick to BlackBerry. I like the idea of niche OS targeting productivity-based use.
BlackBerry for the out of the box ready to use native functions.
All that I need for work is ready in the device. No apps download needed.
Plug n play as the most fit term for BlackBerry.
I currently own an IPhone about to return to Blackberry and the beast Zed 30. I've handled both Android and IOS, but feel that BB gives the best balance between software and hardware.
BB10 is still missing a lot of Nokia Symbian features such as:
- Nokia glance screen (always on clock screen WITH notifications)
- Computer integration through Nokia Communication Center (Being able to make and answer calls on the computer screen as well as sending and reading texts on the computer screen as well). Pretty sure Apple just made a big deal about this feature with ios8, well Symbian was able to do this from 2010!
- Hot corner swiping (Swiping up halfway from bottom left corner, bottom right corner as well as swiping sideways from bottom left to bottom right and vice versa - custom functions could be assigned such as locking the screen or closing all apps as well as opening any apps)
- Freakin Xenon flash!! Especially important for indoor photos bb10 cameras simply do not match.
- Offline maps: the maps are downloaded on the phone storage meaning that even without access to the service network, you can use gps. Offline maps save data charge as well as battery since your phone does not have to connect to network when using gps. Map data can of course be updated by Nokia.
- Video call WITHOUT messaging apps (bb10 currently requires bbm, Skype, or other messaging app to use video calling. Symbian phones had built in video call feature as part of the phone, so you do not need to have an app for video calling)
- Being able to download 3rd party app, not from the store, as well as custom themes or custom firmware.
All in all, Symbian phones did well for playing and they also did well for productivity work. Symbian is still the best OS, but bb10 is a close second. I would still be using my Symbian if I did not use banking apps and Onedrive.
BB10 is still missing a lot of Nokia Symbian features such as:
- Nokia glance screen (always on clock screen WITH notifications)
- Computer integration through Nokia Communication Center (Being able to make and answer calls on the computer screen as well as sending and reading texts on the computer screen as well). Pretty sure Apple just made a big deal about this feature with ios8, well Symbian was able to do this from 2010!
- Hot corner swiping (Swiping up halfway from bottom left corner, bottom right corner as well as swiping sideways from bottom left to bottom right and vice versa - custom functions could be assigned such as locking the screen or closing all apps as well as opening any apps)
- Freakin Xenon flash!! Especially important for indoor photos bb10 cameras simply do not match.
- Offline maps: the maps are downloaded on the phone storage meaning that even without access to the service network, you can use gps. Offline maps save data charge as well as battery since your phone does not have to connect to network when using gps. Map data can of course be updated by Nokia.
- Video call WITHOUT messaging apps (bb10 currently requires bbm, Skype, or other messaging app to use video calling. Symbian phones had built in video call feature as part of the phone, so you do not need to have an app for video calling)
- Being able to download 3rd party app, not from the store, as well as custom themes or custom firmware.
All in all, Symbian phones did well for playing and they also did well for productivity work. Symbian is still the best OS, but bb10 is a close second. I would still be using my Symbian if I did not use banking apps and Onedrive.
If there were no apps, and IMO that includes the apps built into the OS such as email, then you'd be left with a phone that did voice calls and SMS. LOL
In that alternative reality, which was actually the 1990's that I lived through, I'd get the cheapest phone that didn't look like it would fall apart in a week. So. Probably a Nokia, which funnily enough is what I carried in the 1990's.
JBB