Samsung Galaxy S 4 vs BlackBerry Z10: first look

Crazy to believe it folks, but we’re still only in March, and already, we’ve been bombarded by a handful of flagships. Even crazier to believe, BlackBerry was the first one to out its brand spanking new flagship, which felt so long ago already! And just yesterday, we witnessed Samsung delivering its next big thing in a fancy filled event in the Big Apple – in fact, it was on a grander scale than BlackBerry’s shindig in the city earlier in the year. With the Samsung Galaxy S 4 taking center stage yesterday, we were curious to see how the BlackBerry Z10 can stand to this larger than life smartphone.

Design

Just looking at the two, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Samsung Galaxy S 4 is by far more immense in size than the BlackBerry Z10. To tell you the truth, the size is more of a preference choice, but beyond that, Sammy’s flagship just still comes off as the more attractive one. In fact, it’s both skinnier in frame and lighter in weight than the Z10. However, if there’s one thing going for the Z10, it’s the cleaner finish that the handset is flaunting – whereas Sammy’s beauty is a magnet for fingerprints and smudges. Despite that, we appreciate the sparkly look of the Galaxy S 4, as it’s able to shine more radiantly under the light than BlackBerry’s pride and joy.



Display

Obviously, it wasn’t too long ago that we reviewed the BlackBerry Z10, but already its display seems so yesterday – so when it’s placed side-by-side to the Galaxy S 4, there’s just a huge disparity in almost every single category. For a BlackBerry, the Z10 has a “large” screen with its 4.2-inch 768 x 1280 LCD display. Indeed, it’s pleasant to look at and sharp, but glancing upon the significantly larger 5-inch 1080 x 1920 Super AMOLED display of the Galaxy S 4, it simply just doesn’t compare. Between the two, Sammy’s flagship is flaunting the sharper and more detailed display – and it show unequivocally just by looking at the two. Moreover, the sheer wow factor that’s radiated by its wider viewing angles, stronger contrast, and vibrant color reproduction, Sammy’s new display is remarkably the more attractive one.



Software

As we’ve seen, BlackBerry took a gamble by starting over with its latest venture, as the Z10 is running the QNX-based BlackBerry 10 platform. Needless to say, it’s a huge leap in terms of functionality and presentation from their previous iterations, but it lacks the comprehensiveness that Sammy’s new pride and joy is bringing to the table. Let’s get the obvious out of the way! Frankly, the Galaxy S 4 blows away the Z10 in terms of personalization, as its latest TouchWiz Nature UX experience running on top of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean provides for an endless amount of personalization. In comparison, the BlackBerry 10 experience is a nice leap forward for BlackBerry, but it’s still far from reaching Android’s totality.

Secondly, there’s no arguing that Samsung just demolishes the competition with its tertiary set of functionality. From the new Air Gestures to the plethora of health related experiences that S Health offers, the Galaxy S 4 is equipped in juggling every section of our daily lives. Sure, the BlackBerry Hub is a nice centralized spot for all our productivity and social needs, but the platform just lacks the cool elements and features that the new TouchWiz carries along. We won’t get into too much detail here folks, but rest assure, the Galaxy S 4 is light years ahead of its rival.

Expectations

Despite our short time with the Samsung Galaxy S 4, it’s already looking as if it’s going to take more prominence over the BlackBerry Z10. Certainly, consumers in the US won’t have to wait much longer to experience the Z10, but it begs the question whether they should simply wait out the storm and pick up the Galaxy S 4 whenever it lands. As much as we’d like to determine it’s going to be a close race, we kind of feel as though it’s going to be a downright one-sided battle. Until we see a final product from Sammy, only time will tell.