Are you on the hunt for the best keyboard phones on the market? In this article we are comparing the best models around, so that you can get the great phone you want. There are plenty of reasons to get a keyboard mobile, but the best reason is that you get a full QWERTY keyboard for typing on. That makes chatting with friends or sending long emails simple, easy and a lot more comfortable than using a touch screen keyboard.
Keyboard Phones- The Best Choice
A great keyboard phone is going to be far more durable than a delicate touch screen model too, without having to worry about shattering that fragile screen you will be able to be a little less careful with your mobile. This makes keyboard phones great options for kids too.
We are looking at the best of the best, so if you are on the lookout, let’s get down to business and find out exactly what these models are.
Which are the Best Keyboard Phones?
If you are a fan of keyboard phones then it should be of no surprise that all three of our top contenders come from BlackBerry. BlackBerry is the king of keyboard models, and they do them better and faster than anyone else. If you are looking for a truly top end model, then you are no doubt looking for a BlackBerry.
We have got three of the best BlackBerry models on shelves to look at today. There is the BlackBerry Q10, the BlackBerry Q5 and the BlackBerry Bold 9900. There are differences between these models, and it is not just a matter of having the highest end features, we are looking for a great combination of features and price too. You can read more about BlackBerry and what they offer here.
Powerhouses
The power behind any mobile is a combination of its processor and the amount of RAM that it runs, this is what keeps things fast, stops you get frustrating lag and also lets you multi-task, so you want some big numbers here.
The BlackBerry Q10 has a dual core 1.5 GHz processor and 2 GB of RAM, so it is lightning fast. The Q5 model has a dual core 1.2 GHz processor, so it is a bit slower, but it is still got that hefty 2 GB of RAM on board. The Bold 9900 has a 1.2 GHz single core processor and 768 MB of RAM, so it is the slowest of the bunch.
When it comes to power, the Q10 is coming out on top, but the Q5 is not that far behind. The Bold, on the other hand, is trailing a little.
Keyboards AND Screens
You are not going for a touch screen phone, but you will still want a display that is good to look at to go along with your keyboard. This means we have got to take a quick look at screen specs.
The Q10 gets a 3.1 inch touch screen with 720 by 720 resolution, so it is big and clear and crisp as well. The Q5 gets exactly the same screen dimensions and resolution as the Q10, so there is nothing to choose between there. The Bold has a smaller 2.8 inch touch screen that has 640 by 480 resolution, so it is not quite as bright and sharp as the other two.
The BlackBerry Q10 and the BlackBerry Q5 rank perfectly equal when it comes to screen specs, but again, the Bold 9900 is not doing so well.
Remember Everything
Obviously, you are going to want to keep some stuff on your phone, music maybe, or some pictures, and that means that you will need quite a bit of memory to store your data. All BlackBerry phones have SD card slots, meaning that you will get internal (or built in) memory, plus you can add extra external memory using a cheap SD card.
The BlackBerry Q10 has 16 GB of internal memory and up to 64 GB of external memory. The Q5 lacks a little in comparison, since it has an 8 GB internal memory and up to 32 GB of external. The Bold ranks up there with the Q5 and has the same 8/32 GB memory ratio.
The Q10 definitely comes top of the pack when it comes to storage, but for most users the memory on the Q5 and Bold will probably be enough any way.
Pretty Pictures
Everybody loves taking pictures with their phones, so camera specs are going to be important. Generally, smartphones have two cameras, a rear facing cam and a lower resolution front facing camera to use for video calling.
The BlackBerry Q10 has an 8 MP rear cam and a huge 2 MP front facing camera, which is pretty good. The Q5 downgrades that rear camera to a 5 MP device, but you still get the same 2 MP front camera. The Bold also has a 5 MP rear camera, but it does not have any front facing camera at all.
In camera specs, the Q10 does beautifully, but even the Q5 is pretty good. The lack of front camera on the Bold is a bit disappointing though.
Connectivity
Any smartphone needs great connectivity, and you will be glad to know that the Q10, Q5 and Bold all have 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities. The Q10 and Q5 have an added advantage though, since they are both 4G phones, so you can get super-fast Internet data speeds, whilst on the Bold you cannot, which is another point for both the Q10 and Q5 models.
Money
We are going to need to think about price tags too, of course. The BlackBerry Q10 is around £500; our most expensive model. The BlackBerry Q5 retails for around £300, and the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is around £270.
The Results
The Bold 9900 just does not measure up to the other two models. The BlackBerry Q10 is obviously high end, but it is kind of pricey too. We love the BlackBerry Q5 though, as it is at an affordable price and you still get tons of great features and specs, making it the perfect package.
Phil Turner wanted to know what the best keyboard phones on the market were so he searched websites like uSwitch for comparisons.
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