First impression: BlackBerry Z3

Good, but Z10 a better buy

A cut in its sticker price had led to BlackBerry's Z10 being sold out in India. Its first big-screen device, the Z30, has been another fast mover for BlackBerry's fans. BlackBerry, when they tied up with Foxconn for the Z3, possibly had these two factors in mind.

The Z3 was launched at Rs 15,990 (with a cash-back of Rs 1,000 on pre-booking on Flipkart or buying from The Mobile Store) on Wednesday. Like the Z30, the Z3 has a 5-inch display and is priced a tad lower than the Z10. Essentially, this is BlackBerry's cheapest device that runs its latest operating system, BlackBerry 10.

The Z3 is heavier than the Z10 but seems about the same weight as the Z30. The uni-body design, though, lacks the premium fit and finish of the Z30 or the Z10. On the right edge are the covered slots for the micro-SIM and the micro-SD card, while the left edge has the volume rocker, mute and power/lock buttons. The top edge has the headphones jack while the bottom edge has the micro-USB slot. Unlike the other devices in the Z series, the Z3 lacks a micro-HDMI port to hook it up to a television.

BLACKBERRY Z3

Price: Rs 15,990

Display: 5-inch; 540 x 960 qHD
Processor: 1.2GHz dual core
Camera (front/rear): 1.1MP/5MP
RAM: 1.5GB
OS: BlackBerry 10.2.1
Memory: 8GB, expandable up to 32GB with micro-SD card
Battery: 2,500mAh, non-removable
The Z3 boots up fast and while the big display is nice to look at, one does miss the brilliant screen of the Z30. The Z10, too, scores over the Z3 in terms of a higher screen resolution.

While we couldn't test the gaming chops of the Z3, calling and browsing were satisfactory over an Airtel 3G connection. There were no lags even while running three-four apps in the background. The on-board speaker was good for group calls. The 16:9 screen is ideal for watching videos.

The Z3 has a five-megapixel (MP) primary camera, while the front camera is 1.1MP. The primary camera is fast and comes with an LED flash. Photos clicked in direct sunlight are quite good but suffer a loss in quality when shot indoors.

What it finally boils down to is this: Would you spend this kind of money on the Z3 if you are in the market for a BlackBerry? It is a decent phone, but in terms of features, camera and storage, is beaten hands-down by the Z10, which is slightly more expensive. But if you want a big-screen BlackBerry and cannot afford the Z30, this is your only choice.