BlackBerry Z10, Black 16GB (AT&T)

I'll start by disclaiming that reviewing a phone these days is more about the OS than the physical phone itself, so I will start by talking about the OS first, and then move on to the hardware itself below. If you're deciding between the Z10 and Z30, I give a few thoughts below on both, since I own both. I am also posting this same review for both the Z10 and the Z30, since it applies to both.First and foremost, and I wish BlackBerry made everyone aware of this:THE OLD BLACKBERRY IS INDEED DEAD!I emphasize this because most people don't realize this new OS is not in any way an *upgrade* to the old BlackBerrys; it is a COMPLETELY NEW operating system, with far more in common with Android, iOS and Windows Phone than the old blackberry. Except for one thing: it retains its focus on ease of communication and security. What does this mean? It means they took all the modern aspects of smartphone OS's and made them better! Did you know the new BlackBerry has the best web surfing experience of any smartphone? That's according to BGR, PhoneArena, TechRadar, etc. Now the Hub. Oh my, the Hub...Once you have used the Hub, anything else will seem clunky, outdated, inefficient and cumbersome. Why? Because anything else is indeed clunky, outdated, inefficient and cumbersome compared to the Hub. I predict the other OS's will eventually have an equivalent of the Hub, because it's just so much better than having to: open an app for texting; open an app for calls; open an app for gmail; open an app for yahoo mail; open an app for work email; open an app for WhatsApp; open an app to check voicemails; open an app for notifications; etc. In the Hub? Just swipe left once, and that's it. They're all there. Together. They are NOT merely notifications; the Hub is a conglomeration of all of those accounts (apps), together, or sorted by category with just one touch. You have to try it to really understand just how useful it is. And it's always just one swipe away.What I also find amazing is how bug-free the new OS is. I'm very picky when it comes to bugs. I simply cannot deal with Android, and even iOS got under my skin, but this OS has fewer bugs than both of those, despite the fact that it's brand new. Kudos to BlackBerry for that. (I'll admit my only experience with Windows Phone is with the Nokia 520, which was less than stellar, but is such inferior hardware that it wouldn't make for a fair comparison.)The apps: yes, for now, there are far fewer apps on this platform than others. Personally, I have everything I really need on this platform. I wish there were more Bank apps, but frankly, nowadays, the mobile sites are usually as good and even better than the apps anyway, so I use shortcuts to the mobile sites in my app screens for whatever is still missing. I don't buy a phone primarily for gaming, and most big name games are available, as well as thousands others, so I have all I need. I'm not a huge app user myself; I use my phone primarily as a work tool, and this phone has everything I need: DocsToGo is included (and works well); built-in integration of DropBox, EverNote, etc; a native File Manager; great communications as discussed above; the usual suite of apps like videos, music, pictures, calculator, tasks, lists, maps/navigation, weather, calendar, etc (basically all the same stuff as other platforms); as I said, pretty much everything I need and actually use. If there's an app you really need but is not available, BlackBerry OS 10.2.1 is capable of running most Android apps, and it is now a fairly easy process to load these onto your phone.Onto the hardware:The Z10 is a great device. Size is perfect for me (4.2" screen), but that's really a personal preference. It feels good, looks great, and is extremely fluid in handling the OS and all apps. The one downside is the battery life, which is OK, but not great (1 to 1.5 day with average use). The advantage of the Z10 is that it has a removable battery, so you could pack an extra one with you to swap in if need be (kind of a pain though, better off using a battery pack like the BlackBerry Battery Charger Bundle, which is about the same size as a battery and can just power any microUSB device).I recently upgraded to the Z30, which has AMAZING battery life (3 days with average use, which includes web browsing, emails, phone calls, texting, streaming music, playing games, downloading, etc), although I'm struggling with the large size (5" screen), and may go back to a Z10. The Z30, however, does not have a removable battery, but frankly, who needs it when the battery lasts that long anyway? The Z30 also has better speakers, but be warned that because of this, if you have good hearing, you may notice a slight hiss coming from the speakers when the phone powers the speakers in preparation for various sounds, which is normally inaudible on phones with inferior speakers. The Z30 can also act as a DLNA server, and OTG USB capability (which means you can plug in a flash drive directly to the phone, using a USB to microUSB cable). The Z30 will also be capable of playing the radio directly, when it gets the latest update released by BlackBerry, 10.2.1 (Verizon Z30 is currently on 10.2.0 as of this writing).They are both great phones. They both have good specs, but you will find phones with better specs out there, albeit they won't run better, because this OS is far more efficient and requires less power to run. Simple as that. For the average user, between the two, I think the only truly relevant differences come down to battery life and size. The Z30 has MUCH better battery life, but also has a significantly bigger screen. I love the battery life, I don't like the bigger screen.One final note: you may wonder, if these phones and the OS on them are so great, then why is BlackBerry not more popular since it released this new OS? Well, remember that line from Rain Man (the movie): "K-mart is caca"? That's pretty much what everybody thinks of BlackBerry now, because they lagged behind for so long until now, and their previous OS really did suck compared to the competition. Unfortunately, old perceptions are hard to change, and that's what BlackBerry is struggling with now. Most people still feel that way, because hey: they have NO IDEA that the new BlackBerrys are completely different, and that they are actually kick-a**, modern smartphones now.Give it a chance; I don't think you'll regret it! Just look at actual consumer reviews of the phones everywhere! (Here, on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, etc...) They generally have very high star ratings.

To level set, I've had the device for 1 week. My other phone is a Galaxy S4 and I've owned and used every iPhone and Nexus devices that has come out so far.So my thoughts on the Z10: - Build Quality: Excellent with a nice understated executive look/feel to the device. It feels fairly light, with the back cover material being soft touch with good grip. - Screen: Size is just about perfect (for me) for one handed use but still being big enough to enjoy the content. Screen quality, resolution, and colors are all very good.- OS: REALLY good. Fast, fluid, and intelligent. Very easy to multitask, look at incoming messages, with a great search function that allows quick actions. I really like not having "soft" navigation keys always present (like the S4) and much prefer the multitasking to iOS. - Apps: Apps that are specifically built for BB10 are first rate and perform better than any other platform in my opinion. Android ports (not side-load) from the BB World have all worked fine for me but I don't like the menu/navigation on them. I've made it a point to buy/download apps that are identified as being built specifically for BB10 and those are very good. - App Selection: Not as much of an issue as I though it would be. There are so many excellent apps available that I don't really miss anything that I have on my S4 at the moment (this may change as I use it more). Also, because I'm not defaulting to my normal apps it's making me look at alternatives that I am finding may be better. This is very subjective and personal to my app tastes so take it with a grain of salt. - Camera: Functionally the camera is very fast. Takes pictures quickly with no lag. Time-shift feature works as advertised and is very useful with kids. Quality wise its not as good as my S4 or iPhone. Indoor pictures so far have tended to be washed out and grainy but I also know that I'm not metering properly at the moment. Over time I'll get used to where to spot meter for better results. The built in editing features are excellent. - Battery Life: Not great so far. This one is hard to judge since I'm constantly fiddling with the device and trying out new apps/games. I'm still finding my way around which apps/notifications kill the battery (even when its idle) so this one will take time to judge. I will say that IT IS getting better as I normalize my use and it is not far off of a iPhone daily usage time at the moment (but not near my S4 or any Nexus I've had). - HDMI: The HDMI connection to the TV is a very very good feature. Being able to play games (kids love this) and browse the web when we need to look at things as a family has really been great.Overall I'm VERY impressed with this phone. It just "feels" so much better to use than the other phones I've had. Of course part of that is the fact that its brand new to me, so we will have to see how I feel after several months of use (when tech boredom/familiarity sets in).Too bad BlackBerry is having trouble moving these out the door and developers are not giving them the support. It really is a great platform and communication device. The new OS update (10.2) that is right around the corner will only make it better. I'm really glad I got it.