BlackBerry Q5 and the BlackBerry Q10 look very similar from a distance, but as you bring them closer and test them, you will begin to observe some differences. This article compares BlackBerry Q5 and BlackBerry Q10, showing you where they are similar and where they differ.
BlackBerry Q5
BlackBerry Q10
Target Market
BlackBerry Q5 is a mid-range smartphone and a low cost replica of the BlackBerry Q10. You can even call it the BlackBerry Q10 Mini, because in the Q5 BlackBerry repackaged the best features of the Q10 into a low cost device targeted at emerging markets like Nigeria, South Africa, and India as well as young people. It will also be available in Europe.
On the other hand, BlackBerry Q10 is a premium smartphone built for consumers who want the best and can afford it.
The Build
Bringing the two devices together, you will instantly notice the difference. While, the BlackBerry Q10 features a stainless-steel build, the BlackBerry Q5 features more of plastic, which gives the BlackBerry Q10 a more polished look and a premium feel. BlackBerry Q10’s physical QWERTY keyboard is also precision crafted and easy to use, while that of the Q5 has been accused of needing a little bit of mastering.
The BlackBerry Q10 and the BlackBerry Q5 seems similar in size, but the Q5 is slightly taller and thicker than the Q10. However, the Q5 is lighter weighing 120g compared to 139g weight of the BlackBerry Q10.
The Display
While the two devices seem to feature a similar sized touchscreen, there is a very remarkable difference. On the surface they both feature a 3.1-inch touch display with a resolution of 720 x 720 pixels, but the technology powering the two displays are different.
While the BlackBerry Q10 features a Super AMOLED display, which offers high contrast, deep blacks, and a more brilliant view, the BlackBerry Q5 features IPS LCD, which does not have as much contrast and deep blacks potential.
The Camera
BlackBerry Q10 and Q5 feature totally different cameras. While the Q10 has an 8 megapixels camera, Q5 comes with a 5 megapixels camera. While the camera on the Q10 can record full HD (1080p) video, it is not clear for now the recording capacity of the Q5, but we expect it to be lower than full HD. Both Cameras feature autofucus, LED flash and cool BlackBerry exclusive features like Time Shift.
The Processor & Platform
Performance wise, the difference may not be very noticeable. Both come with BlackBerry 10 OS, but have different processors. While the BlackBerry Q10 features a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, the BlackBerry Q5 features a 1.2GHz processor. Although, the processor on the Q5 is less powerful, you will not notice much difference in performance, since the Q5 requires less power. Both phones have 2GB RAM.
Internet & Inputs
One feature on the BlackBerry Q10 that you will not be seeing in the Q5 is LTE. This should not be a surprise since LTE is not popular in emerging markets, which is the primary market for the BlackBerry Q5. 3G WCDMA, HSPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hotspot are available in both devices.
Built-in & Expandable Storage
BlackBerry Q10 has 16GB built-in storage and can support up to 64GB microSD memory card for expanding your storage. The BlackBerry Q5 comes with half as much storage with 8GB built-in storage with support for up to 32GB microSD memory card.
The Battery
While both smartphones come with 2100mAh battery, the battery in the BlackBerry Q5 is not removable, which could be a problem for some users. The ability to remove battery could come handy if your use case require that you swap battery.
Which should you buy
It all boils down to your budget (how much you have). BlackBerry Q5 is a pretty good smartphone and is not much different from the Q10 performance wise. If you have no need for the premium look and feel of Q10, buy BlackBerry Q5. However, if you need a classy smartphone with the best physical QWERTY keyboard experience, HDMI port, and/or a removable battery buy BlackBerry Q10.
BlackBerry Q10 could be a great replacement for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 (Bold 5), while BlackBerry Q5 could be an okay upgrade for the BlackBerry Bold 9790 (Bold 6).
For details about these two smartphones read BlackBerry Q10 and BlackBerry Q5 specs.
