The Case for BlackBerry Z3

 Back when I reviewed the BlackBerry Q5, my parting thoughts of the device was that it was still too expensive for what should be the cheapest BlackBerry 10 device. The argument was simple, BlackBerry needs a device that is cheap enough, and good enough. So is the BlackBerry Z3 that device?


Shortly before I reviewed the BlackBerry Q5, I reviewed the cheapest Windows Phone 8 device back then, the Lumia 520. The title of the post is, "Nokia Lumia 520: The Most Important Windows Phone?", and I still stand by my words back then. The case was simple, the Lumia 1020 was the device that attracted the attention of tech lovers, and fans of the platform. But the phone that was going to sell in large numbers is going to be the Lumia 520, and in mid-July last year, reports were coming in that the Lumia 520 has become the most popular Windows Phone.

Which brings me back to the points, “cheap enough”, and “good enough”. The Lumia 520 fulfilled both criteria. The phone was cheap enough to buy on impulse, cheap enough to buy just to test out WP8, cheap enough for a first smartphone, cheap enough to be free with a basic contract, cheap enough to buy simply as a spare device, cheap enough to… you get the idea. Then, the Lumia 520 was also good enough a phone to provide a good experience for users. It did not have the most cutting edge of specs, it simply had enough.

A similar strategy was then employed by Motorola with the Moto G. While there are certainly Android phones that are cheaper than the Moto G, but none of them had a good enough experience due to sub-par hardware. Motorola nailed “cheap enough”, and more importantly “good enough”. The result? The Moto G has been the most successful, highest-selling smartphone in Motorola’s history according to Motorola’s senior vice president of product management, Rick Osterloh.

So… this is my case for the BlackBerry Z3. It has the potential to be one of the most important device for BlackBerry, but it needs to be “cheap enough”, and “good enough”. It doesn’t matter who buys it and for what purpose, as long as there is a nice number (BB10 devices sold) for BlackBerry to tout to both developers and consumers alike. With more BB10 devices in the market, developers might be more willing to make apps for the platform. With more BB10 devices in the market, perhaps even the consumers’ view of BlackBerry might change for the better.

Even then there is no guarantee since the demand for BlackBerry 10 is so low. For Nokia, at least the Lumia 1020 provided a unique selling point which was its camera technology, that would at least entice people to want to give Windows Phone a try. As far as I can tell, BlackBerry lacks that draw. Security, and productivity isn’t really something that makes people excited.

Well, at least the BlackBerry Z3 is a start. Even if the device doesn’t sell well in the consumer space, at least the Z3 might be cheap enough that enterprise customers might be willing to adopt it.