The BlackBerry Z10 is officially out and all eyes are focused on what fresh offerings will the new handset bring to the table after successive quarters of struggles and disappointments.

Initial reports suggest that the general mood on the Z10 debut is upbeat. The tech world is somehow appreciative of the fact that the long months of hardwork for its BB10 platform led to a solidly-built and considerably powerful Z10.

Yet side-by-side with the hugely popular Samsung Galaxy S3, one would wonder if the Canadian is able to match what have been packed with the top-selling Android smartphone.

Setting aside for awhile the fact that the S3 has so far lured more than 40 million buys and counting, let's see how the Samsung handset will measure up against its new BlackBerry nemesis.

Design and build

BlackBerry has a business pedigree that is hard to shed. Thankfully, that attribute is manifested in the design of the Z10, which according to numerous first takes retained the famed BlackBerry identity of black and slick.

But the revisions were readily apparent. The BlackBerry of yesteryears was heavyset and brick-like. The Z10 was a radical departure, now boasting a trimmed down body that looks durable and lightweight built that is easy to handle.

It's easily noticeable: Sex appeal comes right out of the box with the Z10.

And the same is true with the Galaxy S3. After all, this phone was able to woo millions of hearts around the world. However, tech experts will surely agree that Samsung remains at fault when it comes to the overall built that the company has deployed with the S3.

It is light and even an eye-candy. In short, it is sexed-up but the cheap-factor, tracing back to the first two Galaxy S smartphones, remains a bother.

Screen and specs

Super AMOLED is not a strange term anymore. It means that a Samsung gadget with the screen technology is able to deliver Full HD mobile viewing experience, that's exactly is the Galaxy S3. Its 4.8-inch screen is bright, probably the best in its class, and the colour rendering would leave no room for complaints.

Obviously, the Z10's 4.2-inch LCD screen, with a 1280 x 768 resolution, can only offer a scant challenge on the superiority proudly flexed by Samsung. It should be interesting if BlackBerry will do better in second serving of the Z10.

On the chips department, the S3 seems getting the upperhand on its quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos processor matched with a 1GB of RAM but early reviewers noted that what the Z10 is flexing - a dual-core processor that collaborates with a 2GB RAM - is nothing short of a beast. These are two pocket-sized machines that will gladly perform and deliver what are expected from them.

Platform and pricing

This is where Z10's shortfalls will be highlighted. BB10 will be up against the vaunted Android ecosystem that counts more than 750,000 apps on its collection. BlackBerry can only offer 100,000 apps by launch time, which remains in paper as the company is still working to attract more developers on its nascent territory.

BlackBerry has been working to seal partnership with telcos around the world for a more effective distribution of its fresh handset offerings. In the process, network service providers will subsidise the retail price of the Z10, which in UK will be offered by Vodafone for £69 with contract.

The Galaxy S3, on the other hand, sells at around £397 in the same region or $US99 in the United States with contract.