BlackBerry Z30

BlackBerry Z30 specs and release date confirmed

BlackBerry has officially announced the BlackBerry Z30, a 5-inch smartphone running BlackBerry OS 10.2

BlackBerry has officially taken the wraps off the rumoured BlackBerry Z30 smartphone, which features a 5-inch display.

The BlackBerry Z30 is available SIM-free from today. We already know Carphone Warehouse has the Z30 available for well over £500, but punters after a cheaper deal will be pleased to know there plenty of other –– cheaper –– options out there.

Unlocked-Mobiles.com currently has the BlackBerry Z30 available for £474.98 including VAT. Expansys has the device listed for £484.99. The BlackBerry Z30 runs the latest version of BB10 –– BlackBerry 10.2 –– and features the largest display ever fitted to a ‘berry handset.

The 5-inch display is Super AMOLED, but BlackBerry is yet to reveal any further details on resolution or pixel density, saying only that it gives a “larger, clearer and more vivid” image. Likewise the processor gets a limited description as a 1.7GHz chip with a quad-core graphics processing unit (GPU). BlackBerry has consistently used Qualcomm architecture since it launched BlackBerry 10 so some kind of Snapdragon chip seems likely.

BlackBerry has just confirmed that the Z30 uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset. Just like the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 before it.

The Canadian manufacturer also revealed a number of other features of its “biggest, fastest and most advanced smartphone,” including some new antenna hardware, which allegedly gives better connectivity even in areas with low signal. The audio capabilities have also been highlighted with something called BlackBerry Natural Sound to boost audio quality and stereo speakers for multimedia.

The battery is a 2,880mAh unit which BlackBerry says is the biggest it has put in any of its phones to date and between this  larger cell and optimisations to the software, BlackBerry suggests you’ll be able to get 25 hours on a single charge with “mixed use.”

BlackBerry has also tweaked the BlackBerry Hub with a new component – the BlackBerry Priority Hub, which can learn your most frequently used contacts across email, social networking, calls and messages and present them to you in any easy-to-access hub.

“The new BlackBerry Z30 smartphone builds on the solid foundation and engaging user experience of the BlackBerry 10 platform with features like the powerful BlackBerry Hub, its exceptional touchscreen keyboard and industry leading browser,” said Carlo Chiarello, executive vice president of products at BlackBerry.

“The smartphone rounds out the BlackBerry 10 portfolio and is designed for people looking for a smartphone that excels at communications, messaging and productivity. Having apps like the full Documents To Go suite that comes preinstalled, together with its 5-inch touch display, the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone gives you a best in class productivity experience on the go.”

BlackBerry is yet to announce pricing details but has said the BlackBerry Z30 will hit carriers and retailers in the UK as early as next week, so expect to hear about prices and tariffs from major UK industry types very shortly.

BlackBerry 10.2 will also be rolling out to existing BlackBerry 10 handsets, including the BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Q10 and BlackBerry Q5 from mid-October, “subject to carrier approvals.”

Full specification of the BlackBerry Z30

Processor: Dual Core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro Processor with QuadCore Adreno 320 GPU

Memory: 2GB RAM + 16GB Flash + Hot Swappable MicroSD slot up to SDXC UHS-I

Expandable Memory: MicroSD slot located under back cover

Display: 5”, 1280 x 720 resolution, 295 PPI, 24 bit Color, 16:9, SuperAMOLED

Network Connectivity: 4G LTE support for global roaming

Rear Facing Camera: 8MP Auto-Focus, Back Side Illumination, 5 element F2.2 lens, Flash, continuous & touch to focus, image stabilization, Proprietary Enhanced Super, Resolution Digital Zoom (5x), 1080p HD video recording

Front Facing Camera: 2MP Fixed-Focus, Image & video stabilization, 3x digital zoom, 720p HD video recording

GPS: Assisted, Autonomous and Simultaneous GPS

Bluetooth: 4.0 Low Energy

Dedicated Keys: Volume Up/Down, Mute, Lock(Power On/Off)

Notification: Tone, vibrate, on-screen or LED indicator; notification options are user configurable

Voice Input/output: Dual integrated stereo speakers, multiple microphones, Hands-free headset capable, Bluetooth headset capable, Integrated Hands-Free Speakerphone

Advanced Sensors: Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Proximity, Gyroscope, Ambient Light Sensor

Headset: 3.5 mm stereo

Ports and Connectivity: USB 2.0 High Speed - USB port allows charging and data synchronization of the device with a USB “A” to micro-USB “B” cable, USB OTG, Micro HDMI, NFC, Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) Server

Power Adapter: +5V DC / 850 mA AC power adapter

Battery: 2880 mAh non-removable battery

Battery Life: Talk time: Up to 18 hours UMTS/14 hours GSM, Standby time: Up to 16 Days, Music: Up to 90 hours, Video: Up to 12 hours

Wi- Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n, 2.4GHz/5GHz, 4G Mobile Hotspot

Dimensions (LxWxD): 140.7 x 72 x 9.4 mm

Weight: 170g