WHETHER you like it or not, BlackBerry never fully went away. And now, it has introduced something new, something that has got people talking again about the smartphone maker.

Behold the BlackBerry Passport, its latest flagship, which has received curious stares and bewildered reactions for its strangely square design.

Do first impressions count? Or does functionality trump all? #edGY puts the Passport to the test.

Looks like a…?

The BlackBerry Passport’s 128x90.3x9.3mm size means it is literally shaped like a passport. It has also been said to resemble a high-end calculator and a Jacob’s cream cracker. But fret not — the device fits into any back pocket just fine.

BlackBerry has a reason for this: The 4.5-inch screen can display about 60 characters per line. The optimal number of characters in a single line in a book that is said to be ideal for readability is 66 characters. Current rectangular smartphones only display about 40 characters.

Due to its width-to-length proportion, users might find themselves struggling to use the device comfortably with one hand. However, the same thing could be said for the iPhone 6 Plus or even a Nexus 5, which really isn’t ideal for small Asian palms.

Oddities aside, the BlackBerry Passport is one sleek machine. The sturdy 196g device comes with a charming metal frame and high-end polycarbonate back, and looks like a premium product.

Matching up

The BlackBerry Passport could arguably match the solid processing capabilities found in iOS and Android devices. It is powered by a swift 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, with 3GB RAM with 32GB of storage, expandable with a microSD card.

However, a major problem is the sluggish boot-up time. It takes over a minute to get the Passport up and running, which is an eternity in the smartphone world.

The square screen is a 1400x1400 HD IPS LCD panel, which gives an impressive and ultra-crisp 453 pixels per inch. This translates into vividly sharp colours, with brilliant contrast and lots of detail. Images and text appear bold and crisp, without any pixelation, whether you are browsing pictures, playing an online game or reading emails.

The downside of Passport’s 1:1 aspect ratio setup is how it affects video viewing. A screen size like that really isn’t ideal, causing viewers to squint in frustration when watching, for example, parodies of Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda, due to its slightly smaller video footprint.

In this case, the Passport does lose out to the more traditional 16:9 aspect ratio of other handsets that enables optimum viewing comfort.

But for capturing the moments, BlackBerry has greatly improved camera specifications too. With a 13MP rear camera and HD recording up to 60fps, the Passport can indeed stand proud alongside high-end devices by Samsung, Sony or Apple.

Its square screen also makes for the perfect Instagram picture.

One good thing about the device is its huge battery pack that can deliver up to 24 hours of usage on a single charge. This is wonderful news for those who are constantly using their device, draining the batteries within hours.

To keyboard or not to keyboard

BlackBerry is almost synonymous with keyboards, and the keyboard makes a return in the Passport.

The device’s screen rests on top of a minimalistic QWERTY keyboard, which also doubles as a touchpad. While some might argue it is the best keyboard-on-smartphone experience yet, to others, it could appear rather antiquated.

Admittedly, the QWERTY keyboard is extremely basic but it sure makes for a comfortable and seamless typing experience. The period and symbol keys, however, are missing as BlackBerry has decided to move them to the display screen, appearing whenever one starts to type.

Shifting the symbol keys to the top helps keep the keyboard small and space-efficient, maximising the screen’s real estate. However, manoeuvring your fingers to the top for punctuations could take a lot of getting used to.

Once you accustom yourself to the strange form and the unusual way the keyboard works, you will find a powerful device after those first impressions.

In fact, one might say that a touchpad can vastly improve your mobile experience in subtle ways. For example, you will start to realise the amount of screen space your fingers cover unnecessarily while scrolling on a touchscreen-only device.

Notable features for the efficiency junkie

BlackBerry Hub is a pretty handy feature for users. It is essentially a place that parks all your messaging tools, apps, email, and live social feeds. It is only a swipe away from anywhere in the BB10 UX, which translates into quick and easy access to emails and notifications as soon as they pop up.

Universal Search on the Passport is pretty impressive too. Users only need to  type something on the search tab and BB10 will open up a dialogue with anything and everything related to your search query, including contacts, emails, videos, notes and pictures, as well as related links on Twitter, Google and Bing.

The verdict

It is worth checking out the Passport because it is one interesting-looking smartphone, packed with competitive high-end specifications.

For those looking to stand out in the crowd and hoping to give productivity a boost, the Passport is a device worth considering.

However, for diehard Android or Apple fans, a glance at the device should suffice.

Available at selected outlets from Nov 1, the BlackBerry Passport is priced at RM2,399.

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on November 10 - 16, 2014.

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