BlackBerry Motion Phone Review and Buying Guide

The BlackBerry Motion is a solid choice for anyone looking for a reliable smartphone. It features a 5.5-inch display.

This phone is known for its durability, with a water-resistant design that can withstand being submerged in water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. It's also got a sleek look, with a metal frame and a soft-touch back.

The BlackBerry Motion is powered by a 4000mAh battery, which provides long-lasting battery life. You can expect to get up to 32 hours of mixed use out of it.

The BlackBerry Motion's design is a mixed bag. It's surprisingly heavy, with a smart aluminium trim around the edges that adds class and bulk. However, the metallic strip on the back is actually plastic, which might be a disappointment for some.

The phone's back panel features a textured carbon fibre-esque pattern with the BlackBerry logo embossed in silver. This design element is a nice touch, but it's not the only thing that catches the eye. The physical home key on the bezel below the screen is also worth mentioning, as it incorporates a fingerprint sensor and can be swiped up and down to control the notification shade.

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However, the home key can be a bit finicky to use, and you need to swipe slowly and decisively for it to work properly. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to read ebooks on the phone and the backlight keeps turning on and off.

The left edge of the handset is surprisingly bare, with no buttons to speak of. However, this is a design choice that's not without its drawbacks. The power key and the programmable 'convenience key' are located on the right edge, and it's easy to mix them up. This is particularly annoying because the convenience key is textured to look like the power key, making it even harder to tell them apart.

Despite its flaws, the BlackBerry Motion's design is not without its advantages. The phone's display is a 5.5-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 1080p and 401 pixels per inch. While it's not the latest tech, it's still a good display that's fine for the price.

However, the screen is a bit slippery, and it's easy to accidentally knock it off a surface. The phone's back panel is grippy, but the screen itself is not, so you need to be careful when placing it face down.

Here are some key specs for the BlackBerry Motion's display:

The BlackBerry Motion is a mid-range phone that packs a punch. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, backed by 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB flash memory.

The Motion's display is a 5.5-inch Full HD (1080p) resolution screen, perfect for watching videos or browsing the web. You'll also appreciate the large 4,000 mAh battery, which supports Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 for fast charging.

Here are the Motion's specs at a glance:

The Motion also features a 12 MP rear camera with a f/2.0 aperture, capable of recording 4K video, as well as an 8 MP front camera for taking selfies or making video calls.

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The BlackBerry Motion is a powerful device with a solid foundation in software.

It originally shipped with Android 7.1 Nougat.

This operating system provided a smooth user experience and was suitable for daily tasks.

In August 2018, BlackBerry started rolling out Android 8.1 Oreo updates to the Motion, which further enhanced its performance.

This update brought various bug fixes and improvements, making the device even more reliable and efficient.

Overall, the BlackBerry Motion's software capabilities are impressive and well-suited for its intended use.

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The BlackBerry Motion has some notable pros and cons. It's built to be secure and sturdy, with exclusive software features designed to help you get things done faster.

One of the biggest cons is that it's quite expensive, starting at $449. This puts it in the same price range as other high-end phones like the OnePlus 5T, the Essential Phone, and the Moto X4.

Here are some of the key pros and cons in a nutshell:

The BlackBerry Motion has some great features that make it a standout device. The phone's water resistance is a major plus, allowing you to use it in the rain or near water without worrying about damage.

One of the most convenient features of the BlackBerry Motion is its programmable key. This allows you to customize the key to perform any action you want, making it a super useful feature for anyone who wants to streamline their workflow.

The BlackBerry Motion also boasts an endless battery, which is a game-changer for anyone who's always on the go.

The BlackBerry Motion has its downsides, and one of them is its price. It starts at $449, which is on par with other high-end smartphones like the OnePlus 5T, the Essential Phone, and the Moto X4.

The design of the BlackBerry Motion is also a drawback. It's been described as "bulky" and "boring", which might not be what you're looking for in a sleek and stylish phone.

Here are some of the key cons of the BlackBerry Motion:

While the BlackBerry Motion has its strengths, its price and design are definite areas of improvement.

The BlackBerry Motion is priced at $449, which gets you 32GB of internal storage and an unlocked device compatible with GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile.

You'll also get a microSD slot that can expand your storage up to an additional 2TB, so you can keep all your files and apps without running out of space.

The Motion costs a little less than its sibling, the KeyOne, but still competes with other high-end devices like the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact and the OnePlus 5T.

Here are the key details about the Motion's price and availability:

The BlackBerry Motion comes equipped with the largest battery ever in a BlackBerry device, at 4,000 mAh. Despite its size, the Motion surprisingly lasted for 11 hours and 44 minutes in our testing.

The phone's battery life is a bit of a letdown, considering the size of the battery. The KeyOne, a previous BlackBerry model, managed to last nearly 13 hours on a smaller 3,505-mAh pack.

The Motion's battery is powered by Qualcomm's QuickCharge 3.0 system, which allowed it to reach 30 percent in the first 30 minutes connected to the stock wall adapter. This is a relatively fast charging time.

However, the Motion's battery life doesn't quite live up to the competition. The Pixel 2 XL, for example, lasted 12 hours and 9 minutes despite having a battery about the same size as the KeyOne's.

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The BlackBerry Motion's design has its fair share of criticisms. The phone is surprisingly heavy, and the metallic strip on the back is actually plastic.

One of the biggest design issues is the massive bezel at the bottom of the phone. It's comically large and would have been dated three years ago. This makes the phone harder to hold in one hand and less attractive compared to its peers.

The phone's buttons are all crammed onto the right edge, which can lead to confusion. The power button is very close to the volume rocker, and the Convenience Key is easily mistaken for the power button.

The Convenience Key's design is baffling, with a texture that makes it feel like a power button. It's placed too far down the side, making it hard to reach.

The phone's bottom bezel is also home to the 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C charging port, and speaker. This can make the phone feel cluttered and less premium than some of its competitors.

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