Class part - but also room for improvement / tips for increasing the battery life

Class part - but also room for improvement / tips for increasing the battery life

BlackBerry Z30 Smartphone (12.7 cm (5 inch) AMOLED touchscreen, 8 megapixel camera, 2GB RAM, 16GB memory) Black (Wireless Phone)

Customer Review

The latest data scandals have prompted me to switch to BlackBerry.

I've owned over the years many cell phones and smart phones, currently I can compare well with my Nokia N808 Galaxy Note and Samsung PureView.

The Z30 is a very good and high quality smartphone in my eyes. But also for improvement I see much room. Wherein a portion of my remarks to the software applies (currently with me 10.2.0.429), and will thus be partly true also on the Z10.

Here is a brief summary of my experience so far.

Plus points:

In previous reviews a lot of positive qualities of the Z30 already described: the BlackBerry Hub, keyboard, good search function and the fast browser called, and I agree fully with the praise. I wish to highlight personally nor the transmission and connection options such as LTE, NFC, USB Host, Micro SD Card, Miracast and HDMI. Monitor, TV, and even keyboard and mouse thus could join if necessary. The fact that the browser can successfully impersonate PC version, I find great. Also great that you can open Excel files with preinstalled Docs To Go, even if they are stored as -xls and / or perhaps are still protected by a password. Try this time with "Microsoft Office ?!" on a Windows Phone smartphone ... Nope.

Optimization potential:

At a top device with a price of about 500 euros you have high expectations. Some may perceive my comments as bleating at a high level. But room for improvement, there is actually always, right? ;) I want to be understood rather as a stimulus for future developments:

* The battery is not replaceable. I knew that although already at purchase, but is still a pity.
* Battery life: at the 2 days with occasional use of email and internet (no phone calls) when screwed down brightness I find now unmemorable. However, I have carried out some tests and can say that the stamina can increase quite significantly. My results and tips I have placed at the end of my experience report.
* Wi-Fi: In my house there are places often no connection, where it easily works with other devices, including my BlackBerry PlayBook, 2 laptops and my other Smartphones.
* Calendar: To create an appointment you have to partially branch into different submenus. I think that's unnecessarily cumbersome.
* Calendar: Date view as a list does not exist.
* Calendar: start and end times of appointments can not be entered via number keys, only wheel "Thank God at least in 5-minute intervals and not every minute, but liquid is different The selectable repeat options in turn are very sophisticated and well... . Nevertheless, use: a good example of a reasonable calendar is in my eyes the Business Calendar "for Android.
* Keyboard: German umlauts are not available as separate buttons. When Nokia N808 for example this is a major plus.
* Keyboard: German umlauts can be reached only after pressing the appropriate button and then select from a list longer. The current version of Android is now equal to the umlaut proposed after long keystroke, without additional wiping.
* Keyboard: can be good tap, a selection of suggested words prevents me but often rather the writing flow. The quality of word suggestions and proposals on the adjustment of the personal writing style is felt for me not manage to connect my Nokia N808 that. Gladly the proposals for selection are likely standing in a row as on single letters of the keyboard distributed.
* Contacts: the user can not influence which phone number of a contact appears as the first.
* Contacts: after the end of a telephone conversation opened by me jump every time the Z30 in the call log. I would like to leave.
* Browser: Bookmarks can indeed free but not rename sort.
* The side keys can press easily, unfortunately, they are often also operated unintentionally.
* The lateral sockets for USB and HDMI (left) I find something placed unhappy. Connection is not possible if the Z30 in the cover is disturbing when one considers the Z30 in the (left) hand.
* Few configuration options can be accessed via Quick Access. Example: I want to see the current battery charge level: System Settings - Info - Hardware - Battery. PC mode in the browser: Settings - Developer Tools - Desktop mode.

The program offer the BlackBerry Store is not yet adequate for my purposes. I am pleased to have with Mireo Do not Panic found a pretty good offline navigation, which even allows routing across multiple waypoints and 2D orientation to the north. The File Manager Ghost Commander gives me access to my NAS server and Net Shares FE I can even play my music directly from the server.

Stamina / battery life

My measured endurance of up to 2 days with occasional use of email and internet (no phone calls) led me to carry out further tests. I wanted to identify and examine whether perhaps a Selbstendladung the battery could be the cause guzzlers. The brightness was there almost all the way down and selected where possible, the dark background. These auto get mail every 15 minutes. 2 accounts.

* Z30 off: no measurable discharge after 24 hours
* Z30 on (radio connections - day data connection, open at night WiFi / no use / six programs: Settings, Clock, Docs To Go, Browser with Google home page, calendar, contacts): discharge 40% to 24. Projected maturity: 2.5 days
* Z30 on (radio connections - day data connection, night-Fi / not using / all programs closed): discharge 20% to 24. Projected maturity: 5 days
* Z30 switched in standby (FLIGHT MODE / all wireless connections turned off / not using / all programs closed): discharge 10% to 24. Projected maturity: 10 days

Conclusion endurance / battery life:

Sure, the more intensively you use a smartphone, the more likely the battery is empty. A truism. But the term can be doubled simply by closing unneeded programs Ideally, has yet really surprised me. The flight mode doubles ideally the runtime again.
The battery can supply the switched-Z30 under optimal conditions up to 10 days and nights with electricity. I think that's impressive! Perhaps my information will help one or the other and if someone has a supplementary tip that he would like to contribute to it.

Beautifully! 27 Rank: 5/5
October 25
It's quite OK for the money Rank: 4/5
December 19
Great Blu-ray players Rank: 5/5
February 17
Very good NAS Rank: 4/5
May 23

Related Reviews


A great camera that could also get a good 5 star, if the battery life is not were unviable as short!Canon PowerShot S110 Digital Camera (12.1 Megapixels, 5x opt. Zoom, 7.6 cm (3 inch) display, Full HD, HDMI) black (Electronics) Great part, but with room for improvementSniper-Strap The Pro camera strap (steel rope, ball bearing screw terminal) (Camera) Quite OK, but with room for improvementPLAYMOBIL 4875 - Secret Agent Headquarters with alarm system (Toys) Good quality but with room for improvementBlack & Decker 300 Watt Multifunktionswerkzeug Multievo, luggage, accessories MT350K (tool) For your price Okay, if the battery life would notSamsung Galaxy Ace 3 Smartphone (10.2 cm (4 inches) touch screen, dual-core, 1.2GHz, 1GB RAM, 5 megapixel camera, Android 4.2) White (Electronics) Great camera, but the battery life is not reasonableCanon PowerShot SX 280 HS Digital Camera (12MP, 20x opt. Zoom, 7.6 cm (3 inch) LCD display, image stabilized) (Electronics) Meanwhile, great game, but still room for improvementThe Dark Eye: Blade of Destiny - Collectors Edition (computer game) Stylish - technically brilliant - 3D effect is good, but with room for improvementThomson 42UZ7766 107 cm (42 inch) TV (Ultra HD, Triple Tuner, 3D, Smart TV) (Electronics) Pretty but much room for improvementASUS ROG Frontbase - Dual-Bay Gaming Panel - Blac (Accessories) (Standard and Latin) For parquet dance school but also ideal for your living room!Chartbreaker for Dancing Reloaded 2005-2007 (Audio CD) Convincing but still room for improvementAcer H6520BD 3D Full HD DLP projector (3D Capable directly via HDMI 1.4a, 144Hz Triple Flash 3D, Contrast 10,000: 1, 3500 ANSI lumens, Full HD 1920 x1080 Pixe, MHL) White (Electronics) Good but has room for improvementWestern Digital TV HD Media Player WDBABG0000NBK (Personal Computers) This comes in handy, but with room for improvement (software)Dymo Label Manager PNP label printer (Office supplies & stationery) Not as bad as its reputation - but with room for improvementDeus Ex: The Fall [PC Steam Code] (Software Download) Is fine, but has room for improvementWicked Chili 5in1 adapter connecting station for Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 N8000 / N8010 / Tab / Tab 2 / 7.0 / 8.9 / 10.1 (OTG USB Host with Samsung 30 pin connector) black (accessories) But nice room for improvement!equinux tizi gas station four times USB Power Supply (4200 mA) for iPad, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Samsung, Nexus and all other smartphones (Electronics) A lot of fun but definitely room for improvementSamsung EI GP20HNBEGWW gamepad (compatible for Samsung models with Android 4.1 or higher (optimized for 4.3)) black (accessories) good, but still room for improvement184 / the Eternal Darkness (Audio CD) For the money, okay, but with room for improvementWireless weather station / Weather Station incl. Calendar, alarm clock, humidity indicator, weather forecast (silver)