GSMArena.com GSMArena.com

Tip us

888k

156k
74k
1.1m

RSS

Log in

Login

I forgot my password
Sign up
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Featured
  • Phone Finder
  • DealsNew
  • Tools
  • Coverage
  • Contact
ADVERTISEMENTS
GSMArena team, 26 July 2013

The apprentice


BlackBerry Q5 review: The apprentice

  • Comments (90)
  • User reviews
  • BlackBerry Q5

1. Introduction
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. Unboxing, 360-degree spin, design and construction, QWERTY keyboard
  3. 3. Controls, display
  4. 4. User interface, corporate users, voice commands
  5. 5. BlackBerry Hub, messaging
  6. 6. Phonebook and telephony, file manager
  7. 7. Multimedia - gallery, music and video players, audio quality
  8. 8. Camera, image quality, video recording and quality
  9. 9. Connectivity, web browser
  10. 10. Office package, organizer
  11. 11. Social integration, BlackBerry Maps, BlackBerry World
  12. 12. Conclusion
  13.  
  14. BlackBerry Q5 specification
  15. User opinions and reviews
  16. Review comments (90)

BlackBerry

Introduction

Smartphone makers believe in trickle-down economics. They build their portfolios top to bottom, looking to get as much bang out of the flagship as they can and, after the hype around it has settled, they bring out the more affordable packages to keep the cash rolling in. The big question - always - is how much of the flagship specs will trickle down the ranks.

Having delivered the latest BlackBerry 10 OS in a classic messenger form factor, a midrange package combining touchscreen with the iconic hardware keyboard was next on the Canadians' to-do list. The Q10 came at a price not a lot of people can afford, so the Q5 promises to deliver the same experience without sweeping the fluff out of your pocket.


BlackBerry Q5 official photos

At first glance, the Q5 has all the important checkboxes ticked. You get a dual-core Krait chipset, a 3.1" display of the same 720 x 720 pixel resolution and a four-row QWERTY keyboard for that serious texting and emailing.

Key features

  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, tri/quad-band UMTS/HSPA, 100 Mbps LTE
  • 3.1" 16M-color 720p (720 x 720 pixels) IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen
  • Four-row hardware QWERTY keyboard
  • Dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait, 2GB RAM, Adreno 225
  • BlackBerry 10.1 OS; Office document editor
  • BlackBerry Hub is a unified inbox of all your communication and social networking accounts
  • BBM with video chat and screen sharing
  • 5 MP auto-focus camera with face detection and Time Shift; LED flash
  • Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps; 720p on the front-facing camera
  • 2MP front facing camera
  • 16GB of storage, microSD card slot; Dropbox and Box.NET integration
  • Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot; Wi-Fi sync
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • NFC
  • standard microUSB port, microHDMI
  • 3.5mm audio jack
  • GPS receiver with A-GPS

Main disadvantages

  • BlackBerry World is still missing key apps
  • Screen size is somewhat small by today's standards and the 1:1 aspect is awkward for video watching
  • QWERTY keyboard could be better
  • BlackBerry Maps may be even worse than Apple Maps
  • No FM radio

The screen is no longer AMOLED, the camera has been downgraded from 8MP to 5MP and the CPU has been downclocked by 300 MHz. These are things, which sure make the Q10 the more desirable package, but not the kind that will dramatically change the user experience. It looks like the BlackBerry Q5 is much closer to the BlackBerry Q10 than its name suggests.

BlackBerry Q5 BlackBerry Q5 BlackBerry Q5
BlackBerry Q5 at ours

That, and the more affordable price tag, may actually help the Q5 convince more users than its bigger and more advanced sibling. We are about to see how much of that potential translates in real-life performance. Join us on the next page, where the Q5 gets unboxed and handled.

Next Page » 2. Unboxing, 360-degree spin, design and construction, QWERTY keyboard
1. Introduction
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. Unboxing, 360-degree spin, design and construction, QWERTY keyboard
  3. 3. Controls, display
  4. 4. User interface, corporate users, voice commands
  5. 5. BlackBerry Hub, messaging
  6. 6. Phonebook and telephony, file manager
  7. 7. Multimedia - gallery, music and video players, audio quality
  8. 8. Camera, image quality, video recording and quality
  9. 9. Connectivity, web browser
  10. 10. Office package, organizer
  11. 11. Social integration, BlackBerry Maps, BlackBerry World
  12. 12. Conclusion
  13.  
  14. BlackBerry Q5 specification
  15. User opinions and reviews
  16. Review comments (90)

Reviews BlackBerry Q5 review
  • Comments (90)
  • User reviews
  • BlackBerry Q5

BlackBerry Q5 review: The apprentice - Reader comments

F
  • FSHY
  • NwM
  • 26 Nov 2020

Does the screen have glass or plastic cover?

  • Reply
A
  • Ane
  • tZk
  • 27 Apr 2019

Blackberry Q5 does not have LED coverage light ?

  • Reply
J
  • Jet
  • tZ0
  • 11 Nov 2016

Why BlackBerry Q5 dont have LED coverage indicator

  • Reply
  • Read all comments
  • Post your comment
Total reader comments: 90

Phone finder

  • Samsung
  • Apple
  • Huawei
  • Nokia
  • Sony
  • LG
  • HTC
  • Motorola
  • Lenovo
  • Xiaomi
  • Google
  • Honor
  • Oppo
  • Realme
  • OnePlus
  • vivo
  • Meizu
  • BlackBerry
  • Asus
  • Alcatel
  • ZTE
  • Microsoft
  • Vodafone
  • Energizer
  • Cat
  • Sharp
  • Micromax
  • Infinix
  • Ulefone
  • Tecno
  • BLU
  • Acer
  • Wiko
  • Panasonic
  • verykool
  • Plum

All brands Rumor mill

ADVERTISEMENTS

Related articles

  • New BlackBerry phones with hardware keyboards and 5G are coming next year
  • Flashback: The BlackBerry Z10 was a new start for the company that proved to be a dead end
  • BlackBerry and TCL are parting ways on August 31 2020
  • Black Friday: Samsung, Sony, Motorola and BlackBerry discounts in Germany and the UK
ADVERTISEMENTS

Popular reviews

Apple iOS 14 review

Apple iOS 14 review
Android 11 review

Android 11 review
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra review

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra review
ADVERTISEMENTS

Home News Reviews Compare Coverage Glossary FAQ RSS feed Youtube Facebook Twitter Instagram

© 2000-2021 GSMArena.com Mobile version Android app Contact us Privacy Terms of use Change Ad Consent Do not sell my data