The Blackberry Q5 or the Sony Xperia SP – This is Why Blackberry is Quitting

Looking for a new mobile phone but not sure which model to go for? Don't worry, you're not alone. There are just so many mobiles on the shelves these days that knowing which one to choose can be an absolute nightmare. Firstly, you want to make sure that you're not spending too much money and that you're making a good investment. But you also need to know that you're getting a good quality and dependable device.

So many of us rely on a mobile phone either because of work or for more personal reasons so getting a decent phone is essential. So out of the thousands of models on the market, how do you know which one to choose? Technically, you could spend a few evenings going through all of the spec sheets for all of the phones within your budget and comparing them to find out which offers you the best value for money.

This takes time, and it can often be overwhelming to the average shopper as well, since mobile spec sheets have a lot of jargon and big numbers. So instead why not let us help you out? We've looked at some of the most popular models with UK operators and run head to head comparisons so that you can easily tell which the better phone is. Interested in the two phones we're looking at today? Then keep reading to find out more...

Introducing the Two Phones...

We've got two big name brands for you today. The first is Sony, who is renowned on the mobile market for creating some sleek and highly featured devices. Their Xperia series has something for everyone from the top end Xperia Z1 to the budget Xperia Tipo, and today we're looking at the Xperia SP, a good, mid-market model. It's got great features and some good build quality too, so is it worth buying? Blackberry isn’t as popular as it once was, and has steadily being losing market share for a few years now. They do tend to rely on an older physical keyboard phone design, and their newest mid-market model, the Blackberry Q5 is no exception. The Q5 is more affordable than the average Blackberry, but can a keyboard phone really compete against a touch screen these days?

What You'll be Paying...

Prices on mobiles really depend on where you shop, through a retail store, online or with a mobile operator. Today we're giving you prices from the mobile operator Orange, since they tend to be pretty average. The Blackberry Q5 is going to run you around £270 from Orange SIM only. If you prefer to sign and incentive contract, then you can get the Blackberry for no money down on a £20.50 a month contract.

The Sony Xperia SP is going to be a little more expensive, costing around £300 from Orange SIM only. On contract you can again get the Xperia for no money down on a £20.50 a month calling plan contract.

The Similarities...

Both of these models have an 8 GB internal memory, which is fairly standard for the middle of the market and should give you enough space for plenty of music and photos. They're also both 4G capable, so you can get faster mobile internet speeds, though you'll need a specific 4G data plan from your mobile operator to use this feature.

The Sony Xperia SP...

The Sony Xperia SP has an awful lot of advantages over the Blackberry Q5. It runs a much faster processor, coming with a 1700 MHz model as opposed to the 1200 MHz model on the Blackberry, so it's more powerful and more responsive.

Obviously, since it doesn't need to sacrifice screen space to a keyboard, the Xperia has the larger screen and it measures in at a massive 4.6 inches versus the 3.1 inch screen on the Q5. This means that you get a much better viewing experience for web pages, emails and videos. Plus, it's a better quality screen too. The Xperia has a TFT LCD display rather than the older LCD style display on the Blackberry, so you get much better colour reproduction. And 80 per cent higher screen resolution means that the picture is clearer and brighter than that of the Q5.

Camera resolution is higher too, the standard 8 MP camera on the Sony capturing more fine detail than the small 5 MP camera on the Blackberry, so you get better quality photos. If you're into using Bluetooth, then the Xperia offers you better support since it runs Bluetooth 4.0 rather than the much older 1.0 version on the Q5. The newer version gives you faster data transfer and means that your phone uses less battery power when connecting to a device. The Xperia is an Android phone, so you get access to the Android App Market which makes finding and installing new games and apps easy and convenient.

The Sony can run multiple apps at the same time, so you can surf the web and chat on Skype simultaneously. The Xperia does have better battery life too, getting more than double the amount of standby time per battery charge cycle than the Q5, with an average of 29 days versus just 14 days. This means that you'll be charging your phone a lot less often. Finally, the Xperia does also have a built in FM radio, whereas the Blackberry doesn't.

The Blackberry Q5...

The only real advantage that the Blackberry offers is that it's lighter, weighing in at just 120 grams versus the 155 gram Xperia. This does make it a little more portable and easier to carry around with you all day though.

Which is Better?

Given how similar these two phones are in cost we really though that there'd be many more similarities. However, the Sony Xperia SP is clearly a far better phone than the Blackberry Q5. Because you get much better performance and many more features, we vote the Xperia the winner of today's competition.

The orange sim only option seemed the right choice for Phil Turner after reading comparison articles on uSwitch.