The BlackBerry Q5 offers the same scale and functionality on BlackBerry 10 as the company’s high-end QWERTY keyboard-equipped BlackBerry Q10. Crucially it’s considerably cheaper, but BlackBerry has managed to cut the cost without sacrificing too much in the way of component and hardware quality.
HTC is attempting a similar approach with the HTC One Mini, which is intended to be cheaper and more compact than its flagship counterpart, but while retaining the same functionality, slick design and a premium aluminium finish.
BlackBerry Q5: Key specs and features
While the BlackBerry Q5 might have a smaller-than-average 3.1-inch touch display in order to accommodate the physical keyboard it still offers great visual quality thanks to a 720x720 pixel HD resolution and a pixel density of 328 pixels-per-inch. It’s an IPS LCD display so is suitably bright and colourful.
The BlackBerry Q5 uses the same processor as the BlackBerry Q10, a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip clocked at 1.2GHz with 2GB of RAM and this runs the well-optimised BlackBerry 10 software very smoothly.
The BlackBerry 10 software itself is one of the device’s strong suits with a compelling multitasking system as a core around which everything else is built. Pretty much all your communications and social networking needs are aggregated into the BlackBerry Hub, a feed which is always accessible with a swipe gesture from any screen.
This means less time spent jumping in and out of apps, and when you are in a full-screen app you can simply minimise it into a preview window by swiping upwards.
Onboard storage is 8GB and the handset supports microSD cards up to 32GB while connectivity covers 4G LTE, HSPA+ 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, microUSB and GPS. The battery pack is a 2,180mAh non-removable unit and there’s a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, plus a 2-megapixel front-facing secondary.
HTC One Mini: Key specs and features
HTC has managed to preserve much of what made the HTC One appealing for the HTC One Mini. Importantly, that includes the aluminium unibody, which is not only solid in the hand but also one of the best-looking phone designs on the current market.
The front-facing stereo speakers with punched grilles look neat, as well as being functional, while a curved back panel sits comfortably in your palm. There’s more plastic trim than on the regular HTC One but it doesn’t detract too much from the aesthetic.
With 16GB of onboard storage the HTC One Mini packs a generous amount of space and the processor is a zippy dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 clocked at 1.4GHz with 1GB of RAM. Android 4.2 is handled deftly along with HTC’s Sense 5 UI overlay which brings the addition of new fonts, icons and menus, as well as the BlinkFeed homescreen for news, social networking and photo updates.
The battery pack is a 1,800mAh non-removable unit and connectivity includes 4G LTE, HSPA+ 3G, microUSB, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi and DLNA.
The HTC One Mini’s camera is exactly the same as the full-size HTC One, which is a 4.3-megapixel ‘Ultrapixel’ setup using a wide f/2.0 aperture, back-illuminated sensor (BSI), dedicated imaging chip and LED flash. It captures Full HD 1080p video and features the comprehensive HTC Zoe editing suite.
Picture and video quality is about on par with a good 8-megpixel setup and produces excellent dynamic range with very natural colours.
Meanwhile the display is a 4.3-inch setup with a 1280x720 pixel HD resolution at 341ppi, providing a sharp, clear image with vivid colours and good brightness.
Direct spec comparison: Shootout
| Device | HTC One Mini | BlackBerry Q5 |
| Dimensions | 132x63.2x9.25mm, 122g | 120 x 66 x 10.8 mm, 120g |
| Display | 4.3-inch HD 720p, 341ppi | 3.1-inch IPS LCD,720x720 pixels,328ppi |
| Camera | HTC UltraPixel, Smart Flash, 1080p video | 5-megapixel,LED flash,1080p video |
| Storage | 16GB | 8GB, microSD up to 32GB |
| Processor, RAM, Graphics | 1.4GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 1GB RAM | 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon, 2GB RAM |
| Operating System | 4.2 | BlackBerry 10 |
| UI | HTC Sense 5 | N/A |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB, DLNA, Wi-Fi, 4G, GPS | Bluetooth,microUSB,NFC,Wi-Fi,Wi-Fi Hotspot,GPS,4G |
| Battery | 1,800mAh | 2,180mAh |
Points to consider: Practical use
Both devices are compact, well-built and offer a well-optimised combination of software and hardware. BlackBerry 10 and Android 4.2 are both compelling choices and each is very strong when it comes to multitasking.
Android currently has a wider range of apps to choose from but it’s worth remembering you can side-load Android apps compatible with version 2.3 Gingerbread and below onto BlackBerry 10 now and in the forthcoming BlackBerry 10.2 update that’ll expand to include 4.2 Jelly Bean apps too.
I think it’s fair to say Android is more readily accessible – you don’t have to learn a new method of navigation or gesture control, but despite this BlackBerry 10 still offers an excellent system if you’re prepared to persevere with it.
While the BlackBerry Q5’s screen is impressive and does a brilliant job for web-browsing or viewing emails, if you’re after something for multimedia it can’t really compete the HTC One Mini’s larger expanse of bright, colourful HD glass. The HTC One Mini also easily wins when it comes to camera hardware as the picture quality from its Ultrapixel sensor produces excellent results.
I’d also argue the HTC One Mini is more attractive to look at and the aluminium finish feels nicer in the hand than BlackBerry’s plastic, though of course this is highly subjective. Other perks include the front-facing stereo speakers on HTC’s device – again a boon for multimedia aficionados.
Storage is going to be a stalling point for some. The 8GB onboard the BlackBerry Q5 is a little on the low side but it makes up for this with microSD for cards up to 32GB – that means if you’ve got tons of music you’re well covered here.
With the HTC One Mini, the situation is reversed, it has stacks of onboard space (16GB) and means you can load apps and games on there with no worries, but if you were planning on hot-swapping microSD cards for larger music collections you may be disappointed. It’s worth pointing out that some Android content, such as games, can no longer be stored on microSD in recent versions.
As usual, this is a personal call that each user is going to have to make based on their own needs.
Conclusion
The BlackBerry Q5 has a lot going for it, if you’re interested in getting to grips with BlackBerry’s latest operating system – which is an extremely rewarding set of software in my view – then this is the cheapest option for those on a budget and in terms of the hardware it really does give a lot of bang for your buck.
However, as a complete package I find the HTC One Mini a more appealing device from its stylish exterior to the slick presentation of Android and that larger, crystal clear display panel which makes it ideal for films and games.
by pbriden via Featured Articles
Posts
No comments: