BlackBerry Q5: Hands on Review

Camera

The Q5 has a 5-mega pixel camera with Auto Focus and LED Flash. What made BlackBerry to use a 5-mega pixel camera sensor instead of an 8MP shooter? After all, the company is already charging Rs. 24,990 from consumers. In our testing, we find that the camera produced noisy pictures, when taken indoors. The results were disturbing, especially, when we took close-up images. However, the camera fitted inside BlackBerry Q5 performed smartly in the outdoor light. The camera gave sharp and up to the mark results. Nonetheless, the rear back camera is average, considering it shoots in 5MP resolution. Also the front facing camera is also not great either. The rear back shooter, can record videos in 1080p Full HD, while the front facing camera is capable for recording 720p HD videos.

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Talking about the interface, its plain simple and less complicated. The UI is divided into three modules: Still, Video and Time Shift. Further, you can choose a variety of modes (Scene): Auto, Night, Action, among others. You need to tap on the screen to take an image. The process of taking pictures is ultra fast.

The camera supports digital zoom. And we found a big problem. Instead of giving a clear image, the camera, when zoom in, feeds us with blurry pictures.

Time Shift is another stellar feature of BlackBerry 10 OS. It actually takes several images at one go, and selects the best one automatically. Well, Time Shift feature is brilliant, but unfortunately the average rear camera spoils the party.

Story Maker is an added app, which allows you to cook a story by integrating pictures, videos and music. Literally, it's an awesome feature, which GizBot would like our readers to check out.

Miscellaneous (including Battery)

The BlackBerry Q5 does not support removable battery. The makers have fitted a 2,180mAh Li Ion battery. In our tests, we squeeze more, so that the battery runs for more time. On an average, the phone got close to 10 hours with 2G data pack on, and normally it fared close to a day with mild usage.

There is a feature inherent in the BB 10 OS called Magnify Mode. The use of magnify mode is best suited for small display handsets. You can take advantage of pinch-to- zoom not only when browsing the web, but also while using an app. One can always disable Magnify Mode as per your choice.

The built-in speakers performed normally in our tests, while the video player perfected in running HD videos.

For all the app junkies, BlackBerry World is the one top shop to purchase apps, games and other nick-nacks. There are plenty of local content being added by BlackBerry on a regular basis. Surely, BlackBerry World is a new platform and it has a long way to catch up to Google Play and App store.

Conclusion

The BlackBerry Q5 will surely click with existing BB fans and new comers. The biggest strength of BB Q5 has to be its OS and physical keyboard. There are negatives attached with the device too. For instance, the camera is average. Another weak point of BB Q5 is awful rear back plastic cover. If you are looking for a well suited smartphone with solid OS, and most importantly UI- BlackBerry Q5 is the chosen one. The phone is now available in three rocking colors: Black, White and Red. Asking price - Rs. 24, 990.

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