BlackBerry Passport Review: Hands On With BlackBerry's Sqaure Phone
Remember the days when BlackBerry ruled the smartphone scene, when BBM and flashing notification lights ruled our world? Well now the BlackBerry is back, and this time it’s ready to take over the world yet again with the new larger than life BlackBerry Passport. But will this unusually shaped, controversial smartphone bring in the crowds just as its predecessors did? Let’s take a look at our BlackBerry Passport review!
Square Design
Despite the new BlackBerry smartphone looking totally different to any other handset on the market, the Passport hasn’t deviated far from the original design, bringing our beloved BlackBerry phones to 2014. But there is one thing that is notable about the new BlackBerry Passport- and that’s that it’s massive.
Though the Passport’s screen actually only measures 4.5-inches, making it smaller than the iPhone 6, the squareness of the handset makes it seem much bigger. And, when it comes to smartphones anyway, bigger is always better.
Because of the BlackBerry Passport’s square screen, you can display more than on any other smartphone, meaning that the possibilities for viewing photos, reading articles and watching the latest episode of the X Factor on catch-up is endless!
Thankfully BlackBerry has stayed true to its roots by keeping the good old physical QWERTY keyboard on the Passport, making the handset even more unique in the crowded sea of touch-screen smartphones. The phone also has a smart-looking aluminium trim all along its edges, and a smooth black polycarbonate case, giving the handset a really business-like feel.
You may like: Another unique smartphone that’s hit the market is the Amazon Fire phone. Find out more about its 3D display here!
BlackBerry Passport Specs
Under the very square hood, the BlackBerry Passport sports a mighty set of specs to keep you happy too. Boasting a 2.26GHz quad-core processor and a Snapdragon 801 chipset, the Passport is every inch the premium flagship as it’s making out to be. Not only is it powerful but it can multitask as well, thanks to its mega 3GB of RAM. Now that should put the cat among the pigeons in the business end of the smartphone market- Note 4 watch out!
Like your smartphones on the large side? Then check out the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
13MP Camera
In line with other top of the range smartphones, the Passport features a respectable 13 megapixel rear camera, teamed with a 2 megapixel front facing lens which is perfect for snapping those prized shots.
But not only has the phone got enough megapixels to back it up, but it also boasts a number of in-built editing features including Time Shift mode, which takes a number of snaps in quick succession to get the perfect one, HDR and panorama which is ideal for those sweeping sunset shots.
Key BlackBerry features
Smart Keyboard
Finally BlackBerry has seen sense and brought the physical QWERTY keyboard back- only this time, it’s better than ever. Because the handset is so much wider than your typical phone, there are only 3 rows of buttons rather than your usual 4, giving you even more precious screen space to play with.
The BlackBerry Passport has made typing more intuitive, and the predictive text feature means you can write whole emails and text messages with hardly typing a word!
Also, BlackBerry has added loads of tiny sensors into the keyboard which means that you can use it as a scroll pad to do anything on the screen- more like a computer mouse than a keyboard. So if you’re ever out and about and in need of a laptop, the BlackBerry Passport will slot in to get the job done!
BB OS 10.3
Historically, BlackBerry’s only one downfall has been its app store which at times couldn’t keep up with the likes of Google and Apple. But the Passport has managed to rewrite its past, bringing more apps than ever into its latest operating system update. But it’s not just BlackBerry-made apps which are available- oh no! With BlackBerry 10.3 you can access the Amazon App Store which is bursting full of Android apps, from Spotify, Reddit and Angry Birds.
BlackBerry Assistant
Last but not least is the BlackBerry Assistant: BlackBerry’s very own answer to Siri. Write an email, get directions through the Maps app or play music using just your voice- BlackBerry Assistant is there every step of the way! It even has a built-in car mode for all of you jet setters who’re always on the go.
BlackBerry Passport Review: The Verdict
The BlackBerry Passport is without a doubt the most unique smartphone set to hit the shelves this year. Not only does it sport a never before seen square design, but it also boasts one of the most intuitive keyboards and in-built features of any BlackBerry phone yet.
Due to hit our shelves in November, the BlackBerry Passport already has rave reviews. BBM fans are in for a treat!
**Did you love your old BlackBerry handset? **Here we reminisce about the 7 things we miss about our beloved BlackBerry mobile now the BlackBerry Classic has been released.