BlackBerry Passport

Review in pictures

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It’s W I D E

There’s no other way to put it – it’s W I D E. Unless you’re accustomed to using

one of those tablets with voice-calling capabilities, you’ll find it a tad

uncomfortable to hold

 The keyboard on the stubby handset is positioned low on the fascia, and while

typing two-handed, the device feels top heavy – something that takes time to

get used to

The design inspiration for this device comes from the globally-recognised symbol

of mobility that goes by the same name

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Bomb-proof build

The Passport boasts solid build quality. The steel frame that reinforces

the device is visible around the sides, and adds a bit of flair to the looks

The metal keys on the right also add to the premium feel

The three-row QWERTY keyboard at the front looks quite elegant and

clean since there are no symbols or numbers

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Fair and square

The Passport offers a square 4.5-inch

screen carrying a resolution of 1,440

x 1,440 pixels

Thanks to those square dimensions,

it becomes easier to work with

documents, presentations and

spreadsheets, and browsing the web.

(Judging by the X-ray, this person on

the left suffers from an increased

heart rate by looking at the

Passport’s price tag)

The screen is razor-sharp when it

comes to visuals and the colours look

nice and vivid

Display settings allow you to tweak

the white balance and colour

saturation

Sunlight legibility and viewing angles

are good too

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A no-fuss camera app

The 13-megapixel shooter boasts some cool features like optical image stabilisation and 1080p video recording at 60fpsThe camera app is pretty basic in terms of the features but offers modes like burst, panorama and HDR Offers a nifty Time Shift mode that starts shooting images in quick succession even before you actually hit the shutter key, and allows you to save the best one of the lotAs a new feature, the app now recommends modes depending upon what you’re trying to shoot

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… but this baby can shoot

The Passport’s camera isn’t the

fastest when it comes to app

launch and shooting times

But makes up for it by delivering

very good results

It can churn out lovely images in

daylight, while it can also serve

up very good results when

shooting close-ups and HDR

Low light images aren’t as noisy

as we’re accustomed to seeing

with other devices, and while

they’re usable, suffer from lack

of sharpness

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Sunlight

Low Light

The touch-enabled QWERTY

The keys on the keypad don’t include

any numbers, symbols or special

characters, and a smaller virtual

keyboard appears below the screen

whenever you’re in a text input

screen for this

The touch-enabled QWERTY

functions as a large touchpad that

recognises swipes in four directions.

So you can scroll up and down

through lists and web pages by just

running your finger lightly over the

keys in the desired direction

When it comes to entering text, the

Passport throws up three word

suggestions above the virtual

keyboard when you start typing and

you can just flick upwards on the

QWERTY from below the desired

suggestion to enter it into the text

field

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Flicking through the Passport’s pages

Version 10.3 of BB OS

10, comes pre-loaded

BlackBerry Hub, a

dedicated area on the

leftmost side of the app

drawer that displays all

your email and social

accounts in one place

The BlackBerry World

storefront includes

most staple apps

Android app support

with the preloaded

Amazon Appstore

boosts the ecosystem

significantly

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Loads of new features

BlackBerry Assistant is

the brand’s answer to

Apple’s Siri and Google

Now, letting you control

the phone via voice

Instant Actions lets you

delete or archive any

message quickly

BlackBerry Blend lets

you control your

Passport and view its

contents on another

device such as a laptop

or tablet

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Always in a hurry to catch a flight

Taking care of performance is a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801

processor, paired with 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU.

Day to day performance is commendable, with no freezes and very smooth

operation. Graphics-heavy games didn’t display any lag or stutter

24.5GB storage available to use out of 32GB. MicroSD card slot present and

USB OTG supported too. Tons of other connectivity options available

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But in no rush to kiss a power socket

The 3,450mAh battery

lasts quite long

Gave us just about eight

hours of run time in our

video playback test, but

performs much better in

actual usage

Can be stretched into

the second day if usage

is low, but should last a

day comfortably even

with heavy usage

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At a glance…

4.5-inch, 1,440 x 1,440 pixels (453ppi)2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processorAdreno 330 GPU3GB RAM32GB in-built storage with microSD slot13MP primary camera with flash, 2MP front cameraBB OS 10.33,450mAh batteryNano-SIM, Wi-Fi ac dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC, DLNA, USB OTG, Miracast

Pros and Cons

Standout designSolid buildUseful software features, including BlackBerry HubAndroid app support, with pre-loaded Amazon AppstoreCapable cameraSmooth performanceGood battery life

The form factor and QWERTY keypad take time to get used toUncomfortable to hold and pocketScreen not apt for viewing widescreen videosCosts a pretty penny

Pricing & Verdict

“The Passport is the best BlackBerry yet and has a lot going for it – including a standout design, great build, an innovative text input mechanism, useful software features, a capable camera, smooth performance and solid battery life. It isn’t perfect, but is in a league of its own and is unmatched as a work partner. Go for it if you can stomach the price and need a reliable workhorse.”

Price: Rs 49,990