The BlackBerry Q5 has finally found it’s way into the Indian market. Priced at 24,990 INR, the device offers a decent amount of bang-for-your buck, with 2GB of RAM and a decent processor to complement that. On the other hand, the BlackBerry Q10 addresses to a very different market, which is primarily suggested by the 44,990 INR price tag it comes with. Given the phones being ‘siblings’, comparisons were inevitable and here, we present to you our take on the same.
Display And Processor
Both these devices from the Canadian manufacturer feature 3.1 inch screens, with a more than decent 720×720 pixel resolution. However, we must admit that users coming from the Android and iOS platform might need some time to get used to the 1:1 screen, which is rarely seen on other devices. The phones have equally sized screens and the same resolution; this does make you wonder why they’re priced so differently. The catch here is that the Q5 features an IPS-LCD panel, while the Q10 takes it up to a Super AMOLED one at that, which should clear some confusions.
On the processing front, the Q10 beats the Q5, albeit by not a big margin with it’s dual core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Krait. The Q5 falls short of this with a 1.2 GHz dual core Snapdragon processor. Something we must admit, is that the extra features on the Q10 honestly do not seem worth paying the extra 20,000 INR.
Camera And Memory
BlackBerry are usually not known for their imaging hardware. We would go as far as to say that these phones continue the legacy; the Q5 features a 5MP rear shooter while the Q10 packs an 8MP unit at that. At 44,990 INR, we would have liked to see a 13MP unit at least, since most manufacturers have gone up to that level in the recent past. To speak of the front cameras, the Q5 and the elder sibling, Q10, both feature 2MP units which is acceptable for a front camera.
Both phones feature a generous 2GB of RAM, which should mean butter smooth performance. The Q5 comes with 8GB of on-board storage whereas the Q10 doubles that to 16GB, which is justified, given the difference in price.
Battery And Features
Battery life on BlackBerry phones has been a matter of concern ever since the phones came into the market. By the looks of it, this is all set to change with the Q5 and Q10, which pack decent sized batteries for the screen size which they need to light up. The Q5 surprisingly packs a marginally larger battery at 2180mAh, while the Q10 features a 2100mAh unit. Given the difference in price, you’d expect the Q10 to have a much bigger battery but well, you never know what the manufacturers are up to.
What me must add here is that given the display type on the Q10 (Super AMOLED) which is known to be battery-efficient, you can expect the Q10 to last a few hours longer than the Q5, which can be put as a consolation.
Key Specs
Model | BlackBerry Q5 | BlackBerry Q10 |
Display | 3.1 inches IPS-LCD, 720x720p | 3.1 inches Super AMOLED, 720x720p |
Processor | 1.2 GHz dual-core | 1.5 GHz dual core |
RAM, ROM | 2GB RAM, 8GB ROM expandable up to 32GB | 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM expandable up to 64GB |
OS | BB10 | BB10 |
Cameras | 5MP rear, 2MP front | 8MP rear, 2MP front |
Battery | 2180mAh | 2100mAh |
Price | 24,990 INR | 44,990 INR |
Conclusion
What many of our readers would’ve comprehended by now, the Q5 delivers much more value for your money when compared with the Q10. Honestly, much more was expected from the Q10, including a better camera, more storage, faster processor, etc. which the phone fails to deliver. We assume most mind will be clear and would go for the Q5, but just to make it clear, if you’re torn between the two, the Q5 is a clearly better choice. With a bigger battery and specs almost matching the Q10, you can’t go wrong in any way with this device.
The Q5 was launched today for the Indian market.