Is A Blackberry Better Than A Sony? The Blackberry Z30 Vs. The Sony Xperia Z

There are a lot of people who wonder whether a premium BlackBerry can be better than a premium Sony smartphone.  There was no comparison before the BlackBerry Z30 came out, as there were no decent BlackBerry touch screen phone available.  However, it is now possible to compare the Z30 to the Sony Xperia Z to determine whether Blackberry can come close. If you have a soft spot for Blackberry is it time to take the plunge back in with the brand?

Of course, you have to consider that the phone that is best for you will depend on what you are looking to get from the phone, and what you are going to use it for, not just specs and size. Try out different phones before you make your decision.

The Design of the Phone

The phone design is something that you need to consider when you compare two smart phones.  The Z30 and the Xperia Z are very similar in length and width.  However, the Z30 is slightly thicker than the Xperia Z.  The Z30 is also a much heavier phone when compared to the Xperia Z.  This is strange when you look at the material that the Xperia Z is made from.

The Xperia Z is made from glass, which intuitively one would think would make it heavier than the Z30.  This is not the case as the Z30 is almost an ounce heavier than the Xperia Z.  The Xperia Z has another advantage in the design when compared to the Z30.  This is the fact that the Xperia Z offers water and dust proofing.

The Screen and the Display

The size of the screens on the Z30 and the Xperia Z are the same.  Both of these phones house 5 inch screens.  Most people would assume that this would mean that the displays are going to be similar.  This is not the case as the Xperia Z offers a better screen resolution and pixel density.  The display resolution on the Xperia Z is 1080 by 1920 while the resolution for the Z30 is 720 by 1280.

The Xperia Z has much higher pixel density when compared to the Z30.  The Z30 has a density of 295ppi while the Xperia Z has a density of 443ppi.  The difference in the density can be seen in the level of detail that you are able to find on the display.  The Xperia Z does have a more detailed display than the Z30.

This does not mean that the Z30 has a very bad display.  You are able to get a lot of detail with this phone and you can see everything that you need to.  The difference is that the Xperia Z offers better colours and better images when you use it.

The Camera

The camera on the phones should also be considered when you look at which one you should be getting.  The Z30 offers you an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash.  This is a very good camera that offers you what is considered industry standard mid to premium end performance.  However, the Xperia Z offers a 13.1 megapixel camera, which is slowly becoming what the industry is looking at as the standard.  The Xperia Z also offers you an LED flash and is ahead of the game.

The camera application for the Z30 is more basic than the Xperia Z.  Some people will find this useful, but most will want to have the extra features that you get with the Xperia Z.  The features and shoot functions are greater in number with the Xperia Z camera app.

The video mode that you get with the phones offers you the same record resolution.  However, the better hardware that you have with the Xperia Z means that you are going to be getting better videos.  The video mode on the Xperia Z also offers image stabilisers, which mean that the video will be clearer than the one with the Z30.

The front camera that you get with the phones is basically the same.  The Xperia Z offers a 2.2 megapixel camera while the Z30 offers a 2 megapixel camera.

The Hardware and Storage

The hardware that you are able to get with the phones is very similar.  The graphics processor in the phones is the same and the system chip is very similar.   The Xperia Z does offer a quad-core processor, which means that it should be faster than the dual-core processor of the Z30.  However, the Z30 dual-core processor is more powerful than the quad-core processor of the Xperia Z.

Both of these phones perform well with no lag between applications.  It is not possible to compare the core applications as the phones run on different operating systems.  The Xperia Z runs on Android while the Z30 runs on BB 10.  This means that the phones will use their resources in different ways, making head to head testing very difficult.

The phones are very evenly matched when you look at the storage you get.  They both offer 16GB of internal storage.  However, they also both have a micro SD card slot where you can expand the memory.  The difference is that the Z30 can be expanded by up to 64GB while the Xperia Z can only be expanded by up to 32GB.

The Battery Life

The battery in the Z30 has a larger capacity than the one in the Xperia Z and this can be seen in the talk time you are able to get.  The Z30 offers 18 hours of talk time, which is much longer than the 11 hours you get with the Xperia Z.  However, this ratio does not continue when you look at the stand-by time for the phones.  The Z30 offers a 16 day stand-by time while the Xperia Z offers a superior 22.9 days.

Choosing between a BlackBerry and a Sony is not an easy task.  When you look at the Z30 and the Xperia Z you have to consider what you want from your phone and the features that you need to have.  You should then determine which of the phones will offer you want you need and the features that you want to have.

For most people the choice would be the Sony. It has a better screen, better camera, and better operating system. The Blackberry is better than its predecessors, but it appears that Blackberry still cannot compete with the likes of Sony, HTC and Samsung right up the top of the market.

About Author: When asked by his daughter about where to find the latest deals on the Blackberry Z30, Phil Turner recommend she visit the price comparison pages at uSwitch.