Surprise! The BlackBerry Z30, complete with BlackBerry 10.2, is official (Updated)

By Andy Boxall Published December 31, 2013

BlackBerry Z30 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Check out our review of the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone.

Here’s a pleasant and quite unexpected surprise, the BlackBerry Z30 is official. The phone has been consistently leaked over the summer, when it has been known as the Aristo and the A10, and appears to be almost exactly as we expected. It’s an important product for BlackBerry, as it’s not only the firm’s first big-screen device, but also the second full-touchscreen handset running BlackBerry 10.

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While the BlackBerry Z10 sports a 4.2-inch display, the Z30 is more in tune with current trends, as a big 5-inch Super AMOLED screen is fitted to the device. While this is excellent news, the resolution isn’t quite up there with the Galaxy S4 or its peers, as it’s a less than spectacular 720p, or 1280 x 720. This provides a very acceptable 356ppi on the Z10’s smaller screen, but the Z30 must make do with 295ppi. Not a disaster, but it’s a crucial difference in this spec-obsessed world.

Inside the Z30 things have been improved, as a dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon processor with 2GB of RAM is powering the phone. BlackBerry has also given it a larger, 2880mAh battery, and claims it’ll provide 25 hours of regular use before it needs to be recharged. It’s fixed inside the Z30 though, and sadly there is no mention of wireless charging, one of the last major rumors surrounding the phone.

BlackBerry 10.2 installed

BlackBerry has equipped the Z30 with 4G LTE connectivity, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel video call lens, NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0. A total of 16GB internal memory is yours to fill up, plus a microSD card slot is on hand to give that figure a boost. BlackBerry has also fitted a new antenna to the Z30, which it says improves the signal in poor coverage areas.

The Z30 will come with BlackBerry 10.2 installed as standard, which offers performance and stability improvements, plus a selection of new features. Look out for the BlackBerry Priority Hub, where all messages, emails, and social networking notifications are collected and organized in one place, plus BBM messages are shown and can be interacted with no matter where you are in the OS, or what app you’re using.

BlackBerry’s not hanging around with the Z30, as it’ll be on sale in the UK and the Middle East next week, with the rest of the world – which we’ll take to include America, although it’s not specifically mentioned – over the next few months. The price is to follow, and we’ll update here when announcements are made.

Updated on 09/18/2013 by Andy: If you’re in the UK, you now have the chance to pre-order your BlackBerry Z30 from Selfridges, where it has been priced at £600. Yes, that’s around $950. If you do, deliveries are scheduled to take place on September 26.

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Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Deals

Amazon discounts latest iPad 10.2 in new early Prime Day deal

iPad 10.2-inch hero

Apple's eighth-generation iPad with a 10.2-inch Retina display is already part of early Prime Day deals, less than a month after its release. The popularity of tablets has grown over the years, so there will surely be many people looking for good iPad deals once Prime Day starts on October 13. You don't have to wait to start taking advantage of Prime Day iPad deals though, as the latest iPad is already on sale for $299, for a $30 discount from its original price of $329.

The latest-generation iPad features a striking 10.2-inch Retina display with crisp colors and superb clarity, which is perfect for watching videos and browsing images. Apple promises 10 hours of battery life, but under light to moderate use, the tablet may last several days on a single charge.
The latest iPad, however, is not yet updated to the all-screen design that debuted with the first-generation iPad Pro and expanded to the fourth-generation iPad Air. That is not entirely a bad thing though, as Apple has perfected the structure of the tablet, while also keeping the Touch ID fingerprint sensor as a security option.
The eighth-generation iPad keeps its predecessor's 8MP rear camera and 1.2MP selfie camera, which are serviceable but will not produce high-quality photos. Both versions are also capable of running iPadOS14, which introduces redesigned widgets, better search features, and improvements to many of Apple's apps.
The major selling point of the eighth-generation iPad, however, is the upgrade to Apple's A12 Bionic processor, which will allow you to take advantage of the tablet's multitasking features as it enables better performance while multiple apps are open. While older iPads are prone to slowdowns, the new iPad breezes through the tasks without a hitch to ensure that you get your tasks done as quickly as possible.
The eighth-generation iPad may be considered an incremental upgrade to its predecessor, but the faster processor makes it a much more valuable tool for work, studies, and even leisure. The tablet already offers so much value at its original price of $329, but an early Prime Day deal slashes $30 off to bring it down to $299. For a device that only launched in September, the discount only adds to the many reasons why you should take advantage of the offer.

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Prime Day arrives early for the shiny new Apple iPad 10.2 (2020)

iPad (2020)

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Deals

Hurry! Latest iPad 10.2 (2020) is already discounted — save $30

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Amazon just gave all their Apple lovers a big surprise this morning by discounting the latest Apple 10.2
to $299, down $30 from its original price of $329. This deal was totally unexpected and tons of shoppers are all quietly celebrating from their work-from-home setups while jumping off of their Zoom calls to buy this must-have tablet. This is clearly one of the best, most unprecedented discounts we've seen on an Apple iPad in a while so buy it now before you miss your chance.

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