The BlackBerry Z10 is finally here flying the BlackBerry 10 OS flag and, with it, carrying the hopes of the struggling company. We've pitted the Z10 against its two most dominant competitors, the Apple iPhone 5 and the ever-popular Android Samsung Galaxy S III, but the truth is, the Z10 will likely be clawing for market share against another young hopeful—Windows Phone 8. So how does the Z10 stack up against Microsoft's flagship phone, the Nokia Lumia 920? We break down the two underdogs for a side-by-side spec comparison.
Unlike the uphill battle against iOS and Android, BlackBerry's chances against the relatively new Windows Phone 8 are far more favorable. Both ecosystems are in a transitional stage, looking to recapture the hearts of consumers with some innovative new features.
Let's start this showdown with a look at the hardware. These two phones are, from a spec perspective, strikingly similar. They're both powered by the same processor, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, and use the same 1,280-by-768-pixel display resolution. The Z10 has a smaller 4.2-inch screen, versus the 920's 4.5-inch screen, meaning the BlackBerry's display is marginally sharper—to the tune of 24 more pixels per inch. Realistically, you'd be hard pressed to notice any difference, and the 920's screen has tricks of its own, including the ability to use the phone with gloves on. Though the two phones share similar dimensions, the Lumia 920's brick-like weight has been well documented. It's nearly 2 ounces heavier, and the Z10 isn't exactly light—it's about an ounce heavier than the iPhone 5.
Both operating systems try to distinguish themselves from Android and iOS. Windows Phone 8 has its Live Tiles and BlackBerry 10 has its gesture-based "flow" navigation. BlackBerry's bread and butter has always been messaging, and the universal Hub in BB 10 aggregates all your relevant messages into one easy-to-access place. Windows Phone, however, also has a useful People tile that integrates a number of sources, like Facebook, Twitter, and text or email messages.
Now on to apps. Both pale in comparison to Android or iOS, but even Windows Phone 8's limited selection is more than double BlackBerry's at about 150k versus 70k, respectively. At the time of our Lumia 920 review, we found that Windows Phone 8 had only 31 of the top 95 apps found in the Android and iOS app stores. We didn't breakdown BlackBerry's selection, as it's still not even available for consumers, but we noted the absence of apps like Netflix, Instagram, Mint, and Flipboard, to name a few. We'll give the 920 the edge now, thanks in part to its solid Nokia branded apps, but keep in mind that BlackBerry is seriously courting developers, so its situation could see a lot of improvement.
The Z10 and 920 also offer a number of interesting camera tricks to try and lure consumers their way. The 920, with its PureView designation, features optical image stabilization that produces surprisingly smooth video and incredible low-light images. The Z10's TimeShift feature takes a burst photos, detects the faces, then lets you swap them in or out from other photos to make sure everyone looks perfect. However, Nokia included a similar feature with its Smart Shoot lens, and the Z10's low-light performance is well below what the 920 offers. The edge goes to the 920 here.
Both Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry OS 10 offer some compelling reasons to choose them over the established Android and iOS ecosystems, and the Z10 and 920 are both respectable contenders. The fact is, if you choose one of these two phones, you're choosing to be a bit of a maverick.
About Eugene Kim
Former Analyst, Mobile
