BlackBerry is BACK with one of the most unique and quirky handsets we’ve EVER tested
Rating:
Typical Price:
£529.00
Pros:
Excellent battery; Best in-class QWERTY keyboard; Gorgeous display; Decent Camera; The ability install and run Android applications via SNAP; BB Hub is awesome for notifications; SD-support; Premium design and finish
Cons:
BB10 –– even with Amazon Apps –– is still officially app and content-light compared to Android and iOS (Thank god, then, for SNAP); Design of handset won't suit all tastes
Verdict:
The Passport is a weird looking piece of tech, yes, and the keyboard does take a bit of getting used to, but, like all new ideas, once you’ve accustomed yourself to its ways you feel right at home banging out emails, editing documents and tweeting. Good work, BlackBerry!
Remember when BlackBerry was one of the dominant forces in the mobile industry? It seems like such a long time ago now. Well despite doomsayers prophesising the death of the company for years it has managed to keep going regardless. And just as well too, because BlackBerry's efforts have produced some very interesting and compelling developments; the new BlackBerry OS, and an array of quirky devices which run it. Most bizarre, divisive and ultimately noteworthy amongst these being the BlackBerry Passport.
Possibly one of the oddest looking smartphones in recent history. But as Samsung will tell you of the reaction to its first Galaxy Note device, a skeptical press put off by novelty isn't necessarily a reflection of what the consumer will think. And you really do want to convince the people who vote with their wallets more than anything else.
BlackBerry has now released its first ever Android-powered smartphone. It’s called the BlackBerry PRIV and it is perhaps the most powerful handset BlackBerry has ever produced with specs and hardware that’d get even the most hardcore Android fan’s pulse racing. You’re looking at a gorgeously designed handset, complete with a large QHD panel and awesome 18MP camera. It runs near-stock Android software and ships with a bunch of bespoke BlackBerry applications. Check out our BlackBerry PRIV Review for the low-down on the handset and whether it was worth the wait.
The BlackBerry Passport doesn’t really need any introductions whatsoever –– it’s THAT square phone you’ve been hearing so much about in the run-up to its launch. But is the Passport any good? That depends. KYM has long been a fan of BB10 and what it stands for, but for the longest time we’ve also felt a little let down by the hardware it shipped inside. Can the BlackBerry Passport change this? We aim to find out.
BlackBerry Announces Passport Silver Edition: Up For UK Pre-Order Now
On August 4 2015, BlackBerry announced a new version of its Passport handset; the Passport Silver Edtion. Unsurprisingly, the key difference between the regular black edition and this new one is the silver colour used throughout its design. But this isn't just a colour choice, no, the bodywork is actually made from stainless steel. The spec line-up, however, remains the same as the existing model.
Pre-order details have now emerged for UK fans (it's already out in the US). The phone will be available towards the end of August, but retailer Clove has posted a pre-order price tag of £399.
BlackBerry Passport Review: Design
If you want to get people talking, give them something interesting to talk about. And in a world of rectangular slabs dominated by two platforms, it’s good to see something a little more eccentric with regards to design. Yes, the iPhone 6 is gorgeous. And, yes, the LG G3 and HTC One M8 are beautifully designed smartphones with excellent operating systems, but variety (at least, outside the mobile space) is considered the spice of life, and for the longest time nothing of note has really happened in the arena of phone design.
They just seem to be getting bigger –– A LOT bigger. Hell, even Apple’s getting in on the act with the iPhone 6 Plus, which is now one of the largest handsets money can buy, save for the newly released Google Nexus 6. Beyond this trend, however, not much else has happened with respect to design; tech brands still worship the thinner, faster, lighter mantra. And that’s fine –– I like svelte, lightweight gizmos. And yet, at the same time, I still often find myself hoping for something truly leftfield from OEMs… it just never happens.
UNTIL NOW.
The BlackBerry Passport is big –– very BIG –– it’s square AND it has a physical keyboard, which also doubles as a trackpad for scrolling around menus, apps and webpages. And all of that has caused a lot of people to write the handset off as nothing more than a mobile version of a bearded lady, labelling it a freak that’s kind of interesting but hardly convenient in normal, everyday life. But here’s the thing: this sentiment couldn’t be further from the truth.
Measuring in at 128 x 90.3 x 9.3 mm, the BlackBerry Passport, like all good things, is more than a handful. You can’t really use it comfortably with one hand, but so what? I can’t use my Nexus 5 with one hand all that well. Ditto the iPhone 6 Plus. The Passport weighs in at 196g and is heavier than anything the company has ever produced. It is also more premium than anything BlackBerry has turned out in living memory, with a gorgeous metal frame, high-grade polycarbonate backing, pitch-perfect keyboard, and an ultra-high-resolution 4.5in display.
As I see it there are two talking points regarding the Passport’s design: it’s keyboard and the display. The former is a full QWERTY setup arranged over three rows with the space bar housed centrally on the bottom line of keys. BlackBerry says this is the best keyboard it has ever produced, and it really is –– it surpasses the Q10’s setup in everyway. And the main reason for this is because it is A LOT smarter. On top of that it is more fully integrated with BB10 and the overall experience of using the phone.
I’ll admit, ahead of using the BlackBerry Passport I had plenty of reservations about this device. The shape didn’t really appeal to me, and the idea of using a QWERTY keyboard, while always an interesting prospect, struck me as a bit antiquated. I really liked the BlackBerry Q10 and used it as my daily driver for a good six months, but in the end I still ended up going back to Android. The Passport is better than the Q10 because it takes the principles that made it great (an excellent QWERTY combined with a decent OS) and evolves it into a handset that feels like a proper, full-on 2014 flagship – something that can and will (in some instances) replace an iPhone or Android handset.
The design is definitely controversial and it certainly won’t suit all tastes. But that’s OK. If you want an iPhone, chances are you already own one. Ditto for Android. The Passport handles pretty much as you’d expect. It does feel incredibly wide compared to standard-issue handsets from LG, Google, HTC and Apple, and it does take some getting used to… but, AGAIN, so what? You could say the exact same thing about the original Samsung Galaxy Note or the iPhone 6 Plus for that matter.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which is to say different folks find different things attractive (just look at Benedict Cumberbatch), so rather than taking my word for it –– even though I do like the way it looks, and find Mr Cumberbatch very handsome –– the best possible route for you, dear reader, is to ask yourself whether you could see yourself using a handset that looks like this? If your the gut answer is no, fine, move along. But if you’re intrigued by its odd proportions and find yourself musing about what it would feel like in your hand, or how its keys work in practice, then I’d advise you to go and check one out in a phone shop because there is a certain je nais sais quois about the Passport that I think A LOT of people will really enjoy.
Initial sales seemed to indicate this too –– BlackBerry confirmed it sold 200,000 units in the handset’s first two days on sale. The company has remained quiet on exact figures since then, but John Chen recently confirmed the company is experiencing shortages of the handset due to higher-than-expected demand.
Speaking to The Globe and Mail, Chen said: “I’m glad to have inventory issues. It shows that people want the phone. We took a very conservative approach and didn’t order too many.”
Incidentally, the Passport also sold on Amazon within hours of going on sale. Guess there is quite a bit of love out their for BlackBerry after all…
Red BlackBerry Passport Now AVAILABLE In UK
The BlackBerry Passport (in sexy red) is now available SIM-free in the UK from retailer Clove. The handset costs £525 with VAT and, as you can see in the image below, it really does look rather snazzy with its red QWERTY keyboard.
Clove sells all three versions of the Passport, so if red’s not your thing you can also get it in white and bog-standard black. Personally, we’re all about the red on –– it looks fantastic.
“The BlackBerry Passport introduces a great deal of innovation. Firstly you will notice the fact that the device has a square design. BlackBerry has designed the Passport to move away from the traditional dimensions associated with smartphones. They have done this to increase the width of the screen making it easier to read emails and view information,” reads Clove’s product description.
BlackBerry Passport Review: Display
The Passport’s display is a 4.5in 1440 x 1440 pixel IPS LCD setup and is the best display I’ve ever seen inside a BlackBerry handset – bar none. BlackBerry chose this resolution and aspect ratio (1:1) for a very specific reason: normal mobile phones display 40 characters across their screens, but with the Passport’s extra width you get 60 characters, which makes reading things like eBooks, webpages and - BlackBerry’s favourite - spreadsheets, A LOT easier. Or, if you prefer, better, by showing you more of what you’re looking at. Either way, it’s a good thing, as you can see below:
With regards to clarity and colour production, the HD-grade panel also delivers the goods. Colours look fantastic with excellent contrast and lots of detail. Text appears crisp and there’s no hint of pixilation anywhere, whether on the web, in an app, or when reading an eBook. Viewing angles are great too, and the Passport also performs well in direct sunlight –– unlike my current Nexus 5. But this was always going to be the case, as what you’re looking at is an HD IPS LCD panel.
The only real downside of this setup is to do with video, which is affected by boxing on account of the Passport’s 1:1 aspect ratio. This isn’t ideal by any stretch of the imagination and makes TV shows and Films a bit of a no-go on the Passport. Quick YouTube sessions are fine, but the Passport does lose out to other more traditional 16:9 aspect ratio handsets in this regard.
BlackBerry Passport Review: Hardware & Specs
Inside the Passport you’ll find Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 chipset running alongside 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU. That’s a pretty ferocious setup even by Android standards and makes for one hell of an experience in the day to day. Even more so when you factor in that BlackBerry, like Apple, has complete control over the software and hardware inside its handsets, which always translates in to a smoother, more power-efficient experience for the end-user. And the Passport is no exception to this rule.
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