BlackBerry Q5

A great entry-level BlackBerry 10 smartphone at an attractive price

If you were waiting to upgrade your BlackBerry and were not happy with the price tags on its last few launches of the Z10 and Q10, the all-new Q5 is here, and is available at an attractive price too. At the outset what you see when you compare the Q5, which is the third handset from BlackBerry running its brand new BB OS 10, is that it does not use premium materials like the other two models, though BlackBerry manages to keep the feel of a quality handset intact. Also the screen is smaller at 3.1 inches. The great part is that this new handset is responsive, quick and agile on its heels.

The 3.1 inch screen is touch sensitive and the handset works with both touch and type. The lower screen resolution is not really visible to the naked eye till you put the Q10 next to it. It is bright and sharp enough to be used both indoors and outdoors.

The Q5 sports two cameras. First, a 5 megapixel rear camera that is about average for everyday pictures and can be used only for your social media sharing. Then, its front camera, which captures good crisp images especially if you are on a video chat, either on BBM or Skype.

What I also liked is that BlackBerry finally has a non-removable battery, and you access the SIM or micro SD card from the side of the phone. So you don’t have to bother with opening the back cover anymore.

In this price range, quite a few handsets are available, but if you have been a BlackBerry user, or just want a handset that comes with both a full Qwerty keyboard and touch screen, and works seamlessly, the Q5 is a good option. It comes in black, white and red colours.

The only downside I find on the phone is its screen’s 1:1 aspect ratio. If you watch movies or stream YouTube videos on your phone, you find that awkward. But for everything else, which includes a great battery backup, good performance, and great keyboard layout, I love BlackBerry’s latest offering.

BB OS 10BlackBerry Q5smartphone