Blackberry, which has been struggling the last couple of years to break back into the mobile market, has released a new device. The Passport is a smartphone device the same size and shape as the travel document, “the international symbol of mobility.”
The Blackberry Passport is at first glance and interesting looking device. As a way to promote the idea of international movement, they have foregone the usual trend in design and opted for something new. At the same time, it holds with the same blunt, square shape that has become a symbol of the brand itself.
As for the performance of the device, Blackberry has kept to the high end of the market and are looking to outdo the majority of competition from other brands.
Technical Specs
The display is an even keeled 1440 x 1440 resolution on a moderate 4.5″ screen. Unlike other models on the market right now, they are sticking with Qwerty, which is set at the very lowest part of the phone. This could make them popular for those who dislike the unavoidable touchscreen typing that has become commonplace.
Under the hood, the Passport boasts a full 3 GB RAM, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 with 2.2GHz Quad-Core processor, with an Adreno 330, 450MHz GPU.
Rather than offering several options for on board storage, they have gone with 32 GB.
There are two cameras: a back cam that is 13 MP, and a front facing that is the standard 2 MP you see with most smartphones these days.
It runs BlackBerry 10 OS.
They aren’t offering anything new, per se, but the Passport looks like it will be a strong option for those who want a high performance phone. Blackberry won’t have to rely on die hard fans to keep the brand alive, and they do seem to have gotten things right. Even if they are pushing the gimmick of the shape and design a bit too much.
To be honest, I always thought Blackberry got a bit of a raw deal. Yes, there were some performance issues a few years back. But it was a black mark on an otherwise impressive record for devices that had deservedly become one of the three biggest in the world.
Now, they are struggling for even a small bit of relevance. It isn’t quite fair, though perhaps this will turn it around for them. We could use another contender on the high performance market again, and one that is less pretentious than Apple, and less over the top than Samsung.
Source: Blackberry
