A competent browser is an important aspect of a smartphone, and BlackBerry has not been known for having a brilliant browser. If anything, BlackBerry of old, running the legacy BBOS has been known to induce a Hulk-like rage whenever users wait for pages to load. Well, this might be a tad exaggerated, but you get my point.
So with the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, has that changed? Today I will do a comparison with a Nexus 4, which has the latest Android OS in the market.
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Background:
The BlackBerry Z10 is running OS version 10.0.10.90, while the Android is running JellyBean 4.2.2. Both running on the same WiFi network, with the Z10’s cell network turned off, and the Nexus 4’s mobile data turned off (It would not exactly be a fair fight on cellular since the Nexus 4 only has HSPA+ while the Z10 has 4G).
Also, I am not going to clear cache or whatsoever, since no one will clear their cache after every browsing session. Instead, both phone have visited the sites I am testing them with. I will simply bookmark the sites i’m visiting for convenience sake as well. Both devices will be using their stock browser.
With the background info set, let us dive right in.
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Loading Web Pages:
ESPN full site - Nexus 4 wins.
Engadget Mobile site - Z10 wins.
Gizmodo full site - Z10 wins.
The Verge mobile site - Nexus 4 wins. Full site - Z10 wins. Loading embedded content (video) - Z10 wins.
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Conclusion:
As you can see in the comparison above, the Z10 performs admirably against the Nexus 4. In terms of the speed at which web pages loads up, the Z10 is definitely on par with Nexus 4, and in fact most modern browsers. Some sites loads faster on the Nexus 4, some faster on the Z10. But no matter, the differences are pretty minute.
BlackBerry finally has a browser that can be considered within the same leagues as its competitors. If the browser’s capabilities are a concern for you, you should be glad to know that the Z10 has a really decent browser.
But of course there are other things to consider as well. The Z10 has a bunch of goodies, such as “Reader Mode” to allow for easier reading of articles, “Find on Page” the ability to find keywords within a webpage, and of course support for Adobe Flash. It is a fully featured browser without a doubt. But Google Chrome for example has a sync option with desktop Chrome, which is definitely convenient.
Performance could definitely be improved as well, such as the smoothness of scrolling, zooming in and out, text rendering, etc. Often than not, on iOS, WP, and Android, the scrolling and response of the browser is superior to that of the Z10.
For a brand new OS, it is a great achievement for BlackBerry. But there are still much room for improvements. It should not be an excuse, since BB10 is competing with the other more matured platform. BlackBerry should be moving full steam ahead, building on their current momentum, and keep pushing out updates to the OS.
But for now, I think that the Chrome on the Nexus 4 still has a very slight edge over BB10’s browser.
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