![]() ![]() The front-facing camera and earpiece are joined by a large, red notification LED on the face of the device that screams, "Check your phone," and another silver BlackBerry logo (this time with the name alongside it) sits below the display. The back has an industrial look to it, with the dimpled gray canvas highlighted by a square, punched-out loudspeaker grille, sunken silver BlackBerry logo and glass band covering the camera lens, announcing its specifications in futuristic font. Beyond the usual buttons and holes, BlackBerry's added some subtle accents here and there. Since the Leap's back panel is fixed (the battery is nonremovable), the micro-SIM and microSD slots are hidden behind a panel on the left edge. The volume rocker - or rather, the two volume keys on either side of the BlackBerry Assistant button - is more sensibly placed toward the top of the right edge, and the micro-USB port is exactly where you'd expect at the base of the device. This serves to reinforce the feeling that the Leap is huge for a 5-inch device the power button's central placement on the top edge next to the headphone jack doesn't help much either. I was constantly shifting my hand position so my thumb could reach the edges of the display, primarily because the BlackBerry 10 OS is centered around several swiping gestures that have to start off-screen. The Leap's 5-inch display is flanked on all sides by healthy bezels, and while my spidery hands didn't struggle to manipulate the device, my thumb was always leaning over dead space to get at the screen. Sure, the dimpled back, with its slight curvature as it meets the sides, gives ample purchase and comfort but, the device is tall, wide, thick and verging on heavy at 170g (six ounces). On the other hand, however, the Leap being a solid square block makes it a tad cumbersome in the hand. Also, the dimpled, rubbery material that covers most of the device feels like a built-in shock case, giving the impression that the handset can shrug off a fall or two. ![]() The build quality is admirable: All the parts fit together snugly, though the seams around the glass frontage are prone to trapping dust and lint. That's to say it's solid as a rock, to the extent that the body won't flex or twist, even under considerable pressure. On the one hand, it looks and feels like you could hammer nails with it. There are positives and negatives to this "all work, no play" design. It's a black and gray slab with sharp corners, meant for serious business, and I can't help but find it lacking in character - unless that character is a middle manager at a logistics conglomerate. The company isn't exactly breaking the mold, though: The Leap takes more than a few design cues from the BlackBerry Z3, a lower-end touchscreen device that has only been released in a few developing markets.ĭistancing itself from the soft curves of the Z series, the Leap is a real blunt object of a phone. That being said, the new Leap is at least a stark change from the two touchscreen BlackBerrys that came before it. Even the Porsche Design collaborations, the pocket-stretching Passport and the as-yet unreleased, curved-screen slider are all variations on a weary theme. ![]() The recent keyboard-toting Classic is almost an admission of that, it being a regression for the company an homage to the Bold devices that found popularity many moons ago. Let's be frank: BlackBerry isn't known for inspired design. You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. But, if your own money is on the table, you're probably going to want to take it elsewhere. Don't get me wrong: If a Leap lands on your desk to replace an old work phone, you'll no doubt get on with it just fine. Instead of trying something different, BlackBerry has kept well within its comfort zone and pushed out another mid-range, touchscreen handset that's marginally divergent from its predecessors. There's little that separates BlackBerry's three main touchscreen devices as far as internals are concerned, and therein lies the main problem with the Leap. BlackBerry is no longer a stranger to the form factor: It quickly followed up the Z10 with the Z30, and now the new BlackBerry Leap. Despite it being a costly flop, the company formerly known as RIM has continued to explore touchscreen territory with the help of its poke-friendly BB10 OS. Two years ago, BlackBerry finally broke free of the monotonous cycle it had entrenched itself in by launching its first all-touchscreen device, the Z10. ![]()
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