Welcome the BlackBerry Passport, a unique and innovative device that stands out due to its form factor. It's not only loaded with top-notch specs, but also boasts some very interesting and useful features. It does cost a pretty penny, and we'll find out whether it can justify its premium work-oriented positioning or not.

1. BlackBerry
Passport
Review in pictures
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2. 2
It’s W I D E
DESIGN
There’s no other way to put it – it’s W I D E. Unless you’re accustomed to using one of those
tablets with voice-calling capabilities, you’ll find it a tad uncomfortable to hold
The keyboard on the stubby handset is positioned low on the fascia, and while typing two-handed,
the device feels top heavy – something that takes time to get used to
The design inspiration for this device comes from the globally-recognised symbol of mobility
that goes by the same name

3. Bomb-proof build
The Passport boasts solid build quality. The steel frame that reinforces the device
is visible around the sides, and adds a bit of flair to the looks
The metal keys on the right also add to the premium feel
The three-row QWERTY keyboard at the front looks quite elegant and clean since
there are no symbols or numbers
DESIGN

4. Fair and square
The Passport offers a square 4.5-inch
screen carrying a resolution of 1,440 x
1,440 pixels
Thanks to those square dimensions, it
becomes easier to work with documents,
presentations and spreadsheets, and
browsing the web. (Judging by the X-ray,
this person on the left suffers from an
increased heart rate by looking at the
Passport’s price tag)
The screen is razor-sharp when it comes
to visuals and the colours look nice and
vivid
Display settings allow you to tweak the
white balance and colour saturation
Sunlight legibility and viewing angles are
good too
DISPLAY

5. A no-fuss camera app
The 13-megapixel shooter
boasts some cool features like
optical image stabilisation and
1080p video recording at 60fps
The camera app is pretty basic in
terms of the features but offers
modes like burst, panorama and
HDR
Offers a nifty Time Shift mode
that starts shooting images in
quick succession even before
you actually hit the shutter key,
and allows you to save the best
one of the lot
As a new feature, the app now
recommends modes depending
upon what you’re trying to shoot
CAMERA

6. … but this baby can shoot
The Passport’s camera isn’t the
fastest when it comes to app launch
and shooting times
But makes up for it by delivering very
good results
It can churn out lovely images in
daylight, while it can also serve up
very good results when shooting
close-ups and HDR
Low light images aren’t as noisy as
we’re accustomed to seeing with
other devices, and while they’re
usable, suffer from lack of sharpness
CAMERA
Sunlight
Low Light

7. The touch-enabled QWERTY
The keys on the keypad don’t include any
numbers, symbols or special characters,
and a smaller virtual keyboard appears
below the screen whenever you’re in a
text input screen for this
The touch-enabled QWERTY functions as
a large touchpad that recognises swipes
in four directions. So you can scroll up
and down through lists and web pages by
just running your finger lightly over the
keys in the desired direction
When it comes to entering text, the
Passport throws up three word
suggestions above the virtual keyboard
when you start typing and you can just
flick upwards on the QWERTY from below
the desired suggestion to enter it into the
text field
USER INTERFACE

8. Flicking through the Passport’s pages
Version 10.3 of BB OS 10,
comes pre-loaded
BlackBerry Hub, a
dedicated area on the
leftmost side of the app
drawer that displays all
your email and social
accounts in one place
The BlackBerry World
storefront includes most
staple apps
Android app support with
the preloaded Amazon
Appstore boosts the
ecosystem significantly
USER INTERFACE

9. Loads of new features
BlackBerry Assistant is the
brand’s answer to Apple’s
Siri and Google Now,
letting you control the
phone via voice
Instant Actions lets you
delete or archive any
message quickly
BlackBerry Blend lets you
control your Passport and
view its contents on
another device such as a
laptop or tablet
USER INTERFACE

10. Always in a hurry to catch a flight
Taking care of performance is a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, paired
with 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU.
Day to day performance is commendable, with no freezes and very smooth operation.
Graphics-heavy games didn’t display any lag or stutter
24.5GB storage available to use out of 32GB. MicroSD card slot present and USB OTG
supported too. Tons of other connectivity options available
PERFORMANCE

11. But in no rush to kiss a power socket
The 3,450mAh battery lasts
quite long
Gave us just about eight
hours of run time in our
video playback test, but
performs much better in
actual usage
Can be stretched into the
second day if usage is low,
but should last a day
comfortably even with
heavy usage
PERFORMANCE

12. At a glance…
4.5-inch, 1,440 x 1,440 pixels
(453ppi)
2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm
Snapdragon 801 processor
Adreno 330 GPU
3GB RAM
32GB in-built storage with microSD
slot
13MP primary camera with flash,
2MP front camera
BB OS 10.3
3,450mAh battery
Nano-SIM, Wi-Fi ac dual-band,
Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC, DLNA,
USB OTG, Miracast

13. Pros and Cons
Standout design
Solid build
Useful software features,
including BlackBerry Hub
Android app support, with pre-loaded
Amazon Appstore
Capable camera
Smooth performance
Good battery life
The form factor and QWERTY
keypad take time to get used to
Uncomfortable to hold and
pocket
Screen not apt for viewing
widescreen videos
Costs a pretty penny

14. Pricing & Verdict
“The Passport is the best BlackBerry yet and has a
lot going for it – including a standout design, great
build, an innovative text input mechanism, useful
software features, a capable camera, smooth
performance and solid battery life. It isn’t perfect,
but is in a league of its own and is unmatched as a
work partner. Go for it if you can stomach the price
and need a reliable workhorse.”
Price:
Rs 49,990