The Blackberry Leap is an excellent blend of new smartphone technology with all things that make Blackberry a familiar face. Reviewers tout it as the go-to phone for young professionals.

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For the most part, Blackberry phones have always been focused on keyboards, which is why the company constantly finds itself exploring unfamiliar waters, with big-name competitors circling around them when it comes to touchscreen phones. The brand new Leap isn't exactly, as it name implies, a big leap forward, nevertheless, it proves to be a capable work phone with decent mid-range capabilities.

The all new Leap comes with a 5-inch screen with HD capabilities, as well as a pixel resolution of 1280x720. This mid-range phone clocks in at 1.5 GHz, thanks to its dual-core processor and 2 GB of RAM. The smartphone runs with the latest Blackberry 10 OS.

Its internal hardware looks not much different from the infamous Z10 of 2013, albeit with a few changes to make it suitable for modern-day use. Like the Z10, it also comes with a Snapdragon S4 processor, an 8 MP rear camera, and a 2 MP front camera. One of the most notable changes is the upgraded battery capable of 2,800 mAh of power. Moreover, the Leap has an expandable microSD card slot (up to 128 GB).

While the Leap is primarily aimed for business, and not for taking selfies, the smartphone has a surprisingly versatile primary camera. A handy viewfinder menu that allows users to access selections like flash behavior, aspect ratio, timer, and even a selection of shoot modes like panorama, burst-capture, and more.

When it comes to aesthetics, the Blackberry Leap does not aim to impress, but rather it kept a sleek and simple, if not basic, design. It doesn't have a removable back, because it has its SIM and microSD slots right outside, at the left side, while the volume and BlackBerry Assistant buttons are on the right.

As with the Blackberry Classic, the Leap runs in the Blackberry 10 OS. The system relies rather heavily on gestures. For instance, a simple swipe to the left brings up the app grid when browsing from the home page. When running an app, swiping up from the bottom bezel minimizes the app and pins it on the home screen.

Tagsphone review, Blackberry, blackberry leap