BlackBerry has announced its latest BB10 handset, the Z30. As the name would suggest, the new device is larger than the 4.2-inch Z10, with a general boost to specs across the board. There are a number of other improvements to the device, including a larger battery, better processor and the addition of version 10.2 of the BB10 operating system.
The Z30 is BlackBerry's largest ever smartphone (in display-size at least), with a 5-inch Super AMOLED 1280 x 720 screen. At its heart is a 1.7 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, backed up by a quad-core Adreno 320 GPU and 2 GB RAM. The handset is fitted with a 2,880-mAh non-removable battery, which BlackBerry claims will provide up to 25 hours of mixed use on a single charge.
There's an 8-megapixel camera with an f2.2 lens on the rear of the devices and a 2-megapixel shooter on the front. These record 1080p and 720p video respectively. In terms of connectivity, the Z30 supports 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n and NFC.
The device features the company's improved antenna technology which "dynamically tunes reception" to provide a stronger reception in low signal areas. Aesthetically, the Z30 takes obvious cues from the Z10, but exhibits a slightly more rounded back and smaller bezel around the top of the display.
The Z30 includes stereo speakers and BlackBerry's Natural Sound technology. The device ships with version 10.2 of the company's BB10 operating system. The update features a number of improvements including in-app previews of incoming messages and the ability to reply to BBM messages without leaving the app you're currently using.
Though the Z30's specs don't quite push it up to the lofty heights of flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One or newly announced iPhone 5s, the new handset is a definite step forward for the company. Once again, though, the question of whether it's a little too late for the company to turn around its fortunes are certain to crop up.
The Z30 will roll out next week (starting September 23) in the UK and Middle East, with other regions getting the device come holiday season. There's no word as of yet on pricing.
Check out the video below for more on the Z30.
Source: BlackBerry
