Galaxy S4 vs BlackBerry Z10 comparison review - which is best, the Samsung or the BlackBerry.

Price: From £32.00 p.c.m

Manufacturer: RIM (BlackBerry)

By Matt Egan | PC Advisor | 17 May 13

We compare Samsung's Galaxy S4 Android phone with the best of BlackBerry, the BlackBerry Z10. Here's our Samsung Galaxy S4 vs BlackBerry Z10 smartphone comparison review.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is a great smartphone - a faster, bigger, slimmer, lighter version of the ultra-successful Samsung Galaxy S3 - the Android phone that went before. But how does the Galaxy S4 shape up when compared to the best BlackBerry phone: the BlackBerry Z10. We compared the two phones to find out. Updated 17 May 2013

See also: Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom release date, price and specs in the UK.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs BlackBerry Z10: Design

The Galaxy S4 looks similar to the Galaxy S3 in design: it's pretty different to the BlackBerry Z10, which from the front at least looks like a squarer iPhone 5. The Galaxy S4 is rounded and pebble-like, the BlackBerry Z10 a thin-and-stylish rectangular slab of black. The Galaxy S4 is mostly plastic with a removable cover, while the Z10's front is almost all black, but it also has a thin plastic removable cover.

With a 5in screen and measuring 69.8x136.6mm the Galaxy S4 is a pretty big smartphone. It is wafer thin at 7.9mm and at 130g light too. By contrast the Z10 measures a smaller 66x130mm and is a not quite as slim 9.2mm. It's nice and light at 135g and fits snugly in your hand.

The Z10 is BlackBerry's first fully touchscreen smartphone - it has no physical keys or buttons for navigation. It is clean, simple and stylish; with straight edges and rounded corners.

The Z10's rear cover is slightly rounded at the edges making it more forgiving and comfortable in the hand than the iPhone. The rubbery texture made up of tiny dimples is very similar to that of the Nexus 7. When you take off the rear cover it feels thin and bendy, but robust.

The BlackBerry Z10 has a slightly less premium feel than some current smartphones in part because of its removable plastic back cover - given the Galaxy S4's similar plastic build this is no criticism. Use either phone for a while and you'll see that there are sound reasons for this. The Z10 and S4 are both workhorse smartphones, designed to travel everywhere and fulfil a variety of work and play functions without breaking. They are both designed and built beautifully - for me the S4 takes it because it is more striking, and bigger, whilst also being thin and light. But if you want a discreet and slick handset, you won't dislike the BlackBerry Z10.