With the recent discovery of the Z3 on IDA’s database (meaning an SG launch could be imminent), we got our hands on a BlackBerry Z3 from Indonesia to give you guys a quick review of the device. (Of course do note that sometimes devices pop up on the database but never makes it to our shores too.) So let’s take a quick look at it!

The device comes in a really compact packaging with nothing much to shout about really. Bearing similarities with the rest of the BlackBerry 10 devices, BlackBerry is making it all more streamlined.

Being the first BlackBerry device manufactured by Foxconn, I am rather curious about the built quality of the device. But the device is actually pretty well made for its price. Sure, most of this device are made with plastic, but the slightly rubbery perforated back, and the nice heft to the device does help make it feel a bit more solid. The buttons are all on the left side of the device which may feel a little weird initially, but I got used to it fairly quickly.

Though that said, it still felt a little troublesome to be reaching over to the top left corner to get to the power button. I would have preferred a lower placement. But overall I found it to be a rather utilitarian and understated device.

The device measures 140 mm x 72.8 mm x 9.26 mm and a weight of 164g, which is a little on the heavy side. It houses a 5″ diagonal (16:9) qHD display with a resolution of 540 x 960. The screen is pretty average and pixels are definitely noticeable. The colour does seem to distort or shift a little when viewed at an angle. If BlackBerry had to skim of something to make the device cheap, the screen is one of them. This again, is not as good as that of the BlackBerry Z10. That said, for the casual user who are not too fussy about pixel density, it probably will do just fine. I certainly still enjoy the occasional game and video on the device. Since the display is not as high resolution as compared to other BlackBerry 10 devices, it does seem to help with battery life.

The Z3 is powered with a dual core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8230 processor with 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB Flash Storage (Expandable with microSD to 32GB). The performance of the device is noticeably slower compared to the likes of the Q5 despite similar processor, likely due to the need to push more pixels around on screen. Same goes for running Android apps on the device. They are slower to launch and noticeably more sluggish, especially with more demanding features/apps.

Though it is not to the extent of ruining the flow experience that BlackBerry 10 offers. Another limitation of the device that it currently only supports only 4 active frames compared to the usual 8. Though that is rumoured to be changing come 10.3. Playing games on the device and what not still gives an decent experience. What it loses out in terms of grunt, it makes up for it with a large 5″ display.

The speaker is pretty underwhelming compared to the dual speakers on the Z30. The placement makes it easy to cover up while playing a game in landscape mode.

In the battery department, the Z3 uses a 2500 mAh non-removable battery. Battery life was decent for my use, lasting a day or moderate to heavy use pretty easily. Which is pretty decent considering the modestly sized battery.

The camera is the obvious result of more cost cutting measures in the device. The 5 mp rear shooter is pretty average in good lighting, but rather useless in dim lighting. The front is a 1.1 mp shooter which again is not that great. But the same can be said for pretty much most other budget devices from competitors like the Moto G, Lumia 625/635, etc, which all had very mediocre cameras. If camera is a huge concern, then you probably shouldn’t even be looking at budget devices since good optics don’t come cheap.

Overall the Z3 is a solid performer for users who wants a new BlackBerry 10’s superior communication features at a budget. It does media and games well too which is a plus. Though my honest opinion is that it will face stiff competition in the market with the influx of cheap Android devices that provides a good experience too. The lack of LTE is rather disappointing too since there are cheaper Android devices with LTE support.

Unless a big screen is a must, a used BlackBerry Z10 or Q5 might be a better deal because of LTE support. But if you want a big screen BB10 device and don’t want to pay Z30 money, the Z3 is pretty much your only choice.