Nexus 4 vs BlackBerry Z10, an open-minded choice
The Nexus 4 is a hugely popular Android Jelly Bean smartphone right now although the difficulties getting hold of one have been well documented. The BlackBerry Z10 is the first device running the brand new BlackBerry 10 operating system and its success will be extremely important to the future success of the BlackBerry platform. We thought we’d take a look at the Nexus 4 vs. the BlackBerry Z10 to show you what each has to offer, especially for the open-minded.
The Nexus 4 was released in November, the first device to be running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, but this impressive handset has sometimes been in danger of being overshadowed by the stock shortages surrounding it. The BlackBerry Z10 was launched in a blaze of publicity at the BlackBerry media event on Wednesday that introduced BB10. This is the first device to release running BB10 and was released in the UK on Thursday and is due to hit the shelves in Canada on February 5, just a few more days away. However US customers will not see a release until the later part of March, news sure to disappoint many.
Both of these are notable smartphones then and the Nexus 4 has already proved its popularity while the BlackBerry Z10 also looks set to fly off the shelves, especially with existing devotees of the BlackBerry platform who have been waiting for some time for the BlackBerry 10 revolution. While we cannot mention every single spec and feature of each phone, what we can do is look at the key offerings of each to see how they compare.
Processor
The Nexus 4 has a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core Krait processor while the BlackBerry Z10 also has a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Krait processor although this time it’s a dual-core. The Nexus 4 goes one step ahead here then for it’s quad-core CPU.
Display
The Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display with resolution of 1280 x 768 and 318ppi while the Z10 has a 4.2-inch display with resolution of 1280 x 768 and a rather decent 355ppi.
RAM and Storage
There’s 2GB of RAM for the LG Nexus 4 and either 8 or 16GB of internal storage (non-expandable). The Z10 on the other hand has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, expandable to 64GB via microSD, so this is a definite winning round for the Z10.
Camera Set-up
The Nexus 4 has an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video capture and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera while photography features include touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection and Photo Sphere. The Z10 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video capture and 2-megapixel front-facing camera and features such as geo-tagging, continuous auto-focus, face detection and image stabilization.
Battery
The Nexus 4 has a non-removable 2100 mAh battery while the BlackBerry Z10 has a lower battery capacity at 1800 mAh battery with the upside being that it is removable.
Operating System
The Nexus 4 released running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, now upgradable to 4.2.1 and as a Nexus phone gives a pure vanilla Google Android experience, an aspect highly valued by many Android enthusiasts. The BlackBerry Z10 launched on BB10, which has been plenty of time in the making and looks pretty promising to us. However it’s too soon to tell if the new OS will take off with consumers although you may already be convinced from what you’ve seen so far.
Dimensions and Colors
Black is the color so far for the Nexus 4 although there have been rumors of a white version on the way. It measures 133.9mm x 68.7mm x 9.1mm and weighs 139g. The Z10 is available in black or white although it looks as though the white version may be exclusive to some carriers initially. It measures 130mm x 65.6mm x 9mm and weighs 135.7g so there’s very little between the two in this respect.
Pricing
The price of the Nexus 4 unlocked through the Google Play Store is $299 for the 8GB model or $349 for the 16GB version (when available). It is also available on different carriers in various regions although the unlocked prices work out more expensive than through Google Play. For example T-Mobile in the US is selling the 16GB Nexus 4 for $549.99 unlocked. However if you’re willing to buy with a two-year contract on T-Mobile the Nexus 4 will cost you $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. The price of the Z10 has only just been announced but will cost $599 unlocked or $199 on the usual two-year contract.
Both phones have NFC support but the Nexus 4 doesn’t have LTE connectivity while the BlackBerry Z10 does (where applicable). There’s a lot to recommend about both of these smartphones then and it’s very much a case of swings and roundabouts. The Nexus 4 has the superior processor and if you can get it through Google Play then the unlocked price is a real bargain. The BlackBerry Z10 on the other hand has better storage options and no doubt the lure of trying out a phone running the brand-new BB10 OS will be tempting for many.
Some of your choice may depend on how flexible you are to trying a new operating system. Plenty of existing BlackBerry enthusaists will purchase the Z10 but will there be current fans of Android devices open-minded enough to consider a BlackBerry and vice versa? We’d like to hear your thoughts on this.
Have you already made up your mind which of these two devices you would choose? If it’s the BlackBerry Z10, are you an existing BlackBerry phone owner or are you moving from another platform? If your choice is the Nexus 4, is the cheaper price a deciding factor or maybe it’s simply because it’s an Android smartphone? Let us know by sending your comments.
Comments
28 thoughts on “Nexus 4 vs BlackBerry Z10, an open-minded choice”
BlackBerry Z10 looks pretty descent with some great unique features such as Hubs and Screen share. I’m actually thinking about retiring my S3 and moving on to a Z10.
I used to have the Epic 4G and couldn’t stand it so I moved to the iPhone. I’m very bored with the iPhone and Apples apparent we-know-better-than-you attitude. I’ve always like BlackBerry’s because I thought they did communications really well. For that, I’m ready to try the Z10 over any Android or aging iOS phone. I wish Sprint would just carry the Z10 and I’d be all set.
Next time – try a real Android, and not some moto blur crap (go with nexus, the only thing bb is good for – corporate email support)
The Epic 4g was Samsung…
Samsung is not Nexus. The Nexus 4 is a great phone for a great price.
Got the Z10 yesterday and so far can’t fault it apart from Google not making some of it’s apps available but that’s not really Blackberry’s fault. The BB map works well giving Turn by Turn navigation and the keyboard is almost as fantastic as being able to dictate text, emails and documents.
Sure thing Mike Lazaridis
I’ve already pre-ordered the Z10. I really like the multi tasking aspect of the OS. Blackberry also seemed to have closed part of the apps gap… Looking forward to trying it.
linux has multitasked since 1.x, enjoy your fake os and fake kernel. ill enjoy android.
WTF you are a troll and QNX was said by Intel in 2009, before it was acquired by BlackBerry, that it was the best mobile OS out there because of its core foundation but that hardware was not yet powerful enough to run it – that was said by the largest chip manufacturer in the world 3 years after iOS and 2 years after Android was released.
Well, hardware seems pretty nice on bb, but who cares about that when you have no apps?
BB10 comes with QNX on board, real time OS used in nuclear reactors, high end military equipment’s and many more. Can’t argue about its multitasking capabilities.
!linux=crap, !javasyntax=who cares. you can take your .net/objc and qnx and shove it. its crap. nobody cares.
If you don’t care leave the comments and quit talking about it. I have s S3 on Verizon and am looking forward to trying BlackBerry 10.
Blackberry is dead. even MSFT+BB is dead. MSFT is dead on phones. This isnt even worth talking about.
for someone who thinks Blackberry is dead, you sure waste a lot of time trying to tell it to people.
I will personally try the Z10, it looks interesting and different. If i don’t like it I still have my GS3
I’m upgraging from my Bold 9930 and can’t wait to get my hands on my new BlackBerry Z10 phone….. I love BlackBerry and will probably get two or more to support BlackBerry and make shore this platform gets off and running….
“…Processor
The Nexus 4 has a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core Krait processor while the BlackBerry Z10 also has a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Krait processor although this time it’s a dual-core. The Nexus 4 goes one step ahead here then for it’s quad-core CPU…”
Does the Android OS handle quad core processing?
NO… They just put the extra cores there to drain more battery and to inflate the specs.. Dah!!!
more cores doesnt mean less battery, in fact a lot of companies have proven improvements in battery life, while more powerful taking less battery
I see that you have not detected the sarcasm in my reply.
As far as I am concerned, the non-expandable memory of Nexus 4 is its only downside.
The reality is that there are to many players in this field. Blackberry, Apple, Android and Microsoft all offering a different OS. All of them function just fine. I have used a BB Curve for years with few complaints, moved to an Iphone 3s I now have the 4s. While Itunes can be frustrating the device does everything I need it to do. Family members have the Samsung Gallaxy3s and it too does everything it needs to do, although I find Samsungs version of android a bit clunky at times. My Son’s windows 7 phone also was a great device with a very intuitive OS, especially for windows users. I think ultimately that only two OS will survive, Android and Apple.
I love a nexus device but I am thinking of trying the bb10.
I have both BB and Android phones….looking at the specs the BBZ10 is the way to go.
Will have to throw out the Android..sticking with the BB
I own a BlackBerry 9900 Bold and I love it. Ive had an Android phone (HTC Desire) and wasn’t all that happy with it. But since the Nexus 4 came into view, Ive had my heart set on it (If I could only just source one). NOW – my mind is shifting back to BlackBerry with the introduction of the Z10 (And the Q10 is also at the front of my mind). I’m on the fence. Cant decide one way or the other.
BB10 all the way. Hands down …. without a doubt.
If you don’t believe me …. ask the carrier rep who has used it.
Still holding to my blackberry storm2….. Waiting for this moment, it seems like forever but well worth it. Happy dance.
Once I have the device I will provide and update of my experience.