BlackBerry today announced the full details of the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 devices – its new devices that will be running on the brand new BlackBerry 10 operating system.  Little information was given about the hardware; however we were told that the Z10 has a 4.2-inch touchscreen (which is in line with smartphone user requirements) and the Q10 keeps the full BlackBerry QWERTY physical keyboard – so consumers will have options.

From the hands-on experience I had with the device, plus what was shown during the launch demos, BlackBerry 10 has a very sleek UI. Transitions are slick, and it looks great - you can see the work that has gone into it from The Astonishing Tribe (the design capability that RIM gained via its acquisition of TAT).

BlackBerry Flow and Peek provide users with a real-time multi-tasking experience. This has been designed to provide a very innovative experience, and is something that has the potential to be extremely useful for the end user - they can now quickly glance at updates in the BlackBerry Hub before deciding whether to move to the Hub, or continue with what they are already doing.

One of the biggest challenges that BlackBerry needs to overcome is the potential steep learning curve that a gesture driven UI provides. BlackBerry has consciously decided not to include a 'home' key, and in the short time I used the device, every time I wanted to end an application and find my main menu of apps, I found myself looking for this key. The other challenge with gestures is their intuitiveness, and how easy they are to discover. I am told that a tutorial at the start will help users to discover and learn these gestures, as well as educational advertising, and that once familiar, navigation and accessing applications is quick and straightforward.

The other big challenge is the ecosystem. BlackBerry has been working extremely hard to help develop this, and at launch, BlackBerry 10 will have around 75,000 apps available. This is a great number for the launch of a new platform, but is still lacking considerably behind Apple and Android - will consumers be prepared to give up their current platform and switch to a less complete eco-system?

On the face of it, BlackBerry 10 seems a very viable alternative smartphone operating system. It has some great innovative features, and BlackBerry Flow and Peek look like they provide a fresh new approach to the user interface. Time will tell if BlackBerry can persuade consumers to give BlackBerry 10 a try?

*A full UX benchmark of the first devices will be available to WDL clients shortly after launch.

- Paul Brown

For the first time since the Apple iPhone was released in 2007, the number of iPhone owners who say they definitely will or probably will purchase their next phone from the same brand has declined in both the US and Western Europe (see iPhone Owner Loyalty Declines: Is Apple Losing its Innovation Edge?)

In 2012 only 75% of iPhone owners in Western Europe say they are likely to buy their next phone from Apple, down from 88% in 2011. Despite this decline, Apple retains a higher repeat purchase intention level than any other major phone manufacturer surveyed by Strategy Analytics. Respondents who say they probably or definitely will not buy their next phone from Apple is low.

It is respondents in Western Europe and the US who are unsure whether they will remain with the same brand or not for their next phone that Apple should be concerned about. Having launched the game-changing original iPhone in 2007, Apple is no longer the innovator it once was. At the launch of the Apple iPhone 5, one of the biggest changes compared to previous iPhones was an increase in display size from 3.5" to 4.0". However, previous Strategy Analytics research suggest that existing smartphone owners want something even bigger, with 4.3" the most preferred size in our 2011 size preference research (Smartphone Owners Want Thin Devices with Larger Displays), while early provisional results from an update to this research suggest that 4.5? may be the most preferred size for respondents surveyed from June-December 2012. It should also be noted that most of Apple's leading competitor's flagship devices have a considerably larger screen - the Samsung Galaxy SIII at 4.8", the HTC One X and Motorola RAZR HD at 4.7" and the Nokia Lumia 920 at 4.5".

There is no doubt that Apple is continuing its success (figures released by Apple show that the over five million iPhone 5's were sold in the first three days alone). However, on the back of a lack of recent innovation from Apple we are starting see growth in the number of previously highly loyal consumers who are considering whether or not they will purchase a new iPhone for their next device.

- Paul Brown

Following the big success of the MiPhone M1 (3.52 Million sales volumes reported by Xiaomi), Xiaomi have just announced two new models - M2 and M1s. As a brand focusing on young consumers and enthusiasts, Xiaomi chose a very appropriate place, the 798 Factory in Beijing, which is the most famous art zone in China, to announce and introduce the new models. The choice could help Xiaomi to give consumers the association that MiPhone is artistic and design centric.

Xiaomi M2

Most famous for the outstanding user interface ‘MIUI’ and the best value for money in China, Xiaomi’s new models appear to maintain and consolidate these advantages. Compared to the M1, the new M1s comes with higher specs but at a lower price (1,499RMB), while the M2 comes with a new and fresh physical appearance, latest Jelly Bean based MIUI operating system and high specs while maintaining the same price (1,999RMB) of the original M1.

With the value for money reputation that has been built by M1 and the superior user experience brought by MIUI (see Smartphone Platform Benchmark: Meeting the Needs of Advanced Smartphone Users in China), Xiao has already gained a lot of consumers who aspired to buy a MiPhone. Xiaomi appears to have improved the product value of M2 by providing the latest operating system along with a quad core processor. The biggest pain points of the M1 were mostly reported as ‘lack of front camera’, ‘bad rear camera’, and ‘bad display’.  With its new models, Xiaomi has improved these features with a better camera lens and better display, which could persuade consumers who have concerns over these issues to consider the phone. Additionally, the M2 provides a larger battery capacity (2000mAh), and the option to choose an even larger battery capacity (3000mAh with 3mm thicker), which provides the opportunity for consumers to choose the trade-off between battery life and thickness themselves.

Many Chinese consumers complained about the hardware quality of the original MiPhone, and the changes that Xiaomi made for M2 and M1s should give users the feeling that they were actually heard – Xiaomi listened to their advice and made improvements accordingly. With the MIUI forum and the easy way to provide advice directly from the phone, current users will be pleased as they will feel they were involved in the development of the phone.

Strategy Analytics’ user research in China is available to Wireless Device Lab clients or for purchase here. Strategy Analytics’ China Handset Market Share report for Wireless Smartphone Strategies clients can be found here.

- Alvin Wu

As smartphone hardware becomes commoditized, smart accessories can help to provide differentiation, as well as potentially extending the life-cycle of devices. Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Lab recently undertook focus group interviews with smartphone owners in the US and UK investigating consumer interest in smart accessories, and found that they have the ability to optimize the user experience of a smartphone for dedicated use cases, leading to increased levels of satisfaction.

Consumers experienced 27 different smart accessories, and interest was highest in the Nokia Play 360 wireless speaker, Jawbone UP and HTC Rhyme Dock.

In order to provide value, smart accessories should:

• Be designed with specific use cases in mind, and they should provide an enhanced experience for that use case;
• Be wireless and portable. Due to their smartphone or tablet already being portable, participants liked the convenience of wireless accessories, with no need to plug in for power or use, making the accessory portable as well;
• Be compatible with multiple devices (not just smartphones) and across multiple operating systems is important. The ability to use an accessory with multiple devices also provides added value, with participants indicating that they may be reluctant to purchase a smart accessory that is designed only for a specific device, as they run the risk of it becoming obsolete over time.

The full report, including which smart accessories are currently being used, how interested respondents were in each of the 27 smart accessories evaluated, and what the highlights and lowlights of each accessory were, click here: Smart Accessories Extend Device Capabilities and Enhance the User Experience (subscription required)

- Paul Brown