The BlackBerry Z10 is finally here flying the BlackBerry 10 OS flag, and carrying the hopes of the struggling company. We've already pitted the Z10 against the mighty Apple iPhone 5 in a spec comparison, but the truth is, the Z10 will likely be clawing for market share against another young hopeful – Windows Phone 8. So how does the Z10 stack up against Microsoft's flagship phone, the Nokia Lumia 920? We’re about to break down the two underdogs trailing Android and iOS in this side-by-side spec comparison.

Unlike the uphill battle against Android and iOS, BlackBerry's chances against the relatively new Windows Phone 8 are far more favourable. Both ecosystems are in a transitional stage, looking to recapture the hearts of consumers with some innovative new features.

Hardware

Let's start this showdown with a look at the hardware. These two phones are, from a spec perspective, strikingly similar. They're both powered by the same processor, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, and both use the same 1,280 x 768 resolution display. The Z10 has a smaller 4.2in screen, versus the 920's 4.5in screen, meaning the BlackBerry's display is marginally sharper – to the tune of 23 more pixels per inch.

Realistically, you'd be hard pressed to notice any difference, and the 920's screen has tricks of its own, including the ability to use the phone with gloves on. Though the two phones share similar dimensions, the Lumia 920's brick-like weight has been well documented. It's nearly 50 grams heavier, and the Z10 isn't exactly light – it's 25 grams heavier than the iPhone 5.

Interface

Both operating systems try to distinguish themselves from Android and iOS. Windows Phone 8 has its Live Tiles and BlackBerry 10 has its gesture-based "flow" navigation. BlackBerry's bread and butter has always been messaging, and the universal Hub in BB10 aggregates all your relevant messages into one easy-to-access place. Windows Phone, however, also has a useful People tile that integrates a number of sources like Facebook, Twitter, and text or email messages.

Apps

Now on to apps. Both pale in comparison to Android or iOS, but even Windows Phone 8's limited selection is more than double BlackBerry's at about 150,000 versus 70,000, respectively. At the time of our Lumia 920 review, we found that Windows Phone 8 had only 31 of the top 95 apps found in the Android and iOS app stores.

We didn't break down the exact numbers for BlackBerry, but we discuss the many missing apps in our Z10 review. There’s a long list – including Kindle, Nike+ Fuel Band, IMDB, Sky+, Netflix, Instagram, and Flipboard to name a few. We'll give the 920 the edge now, thanks in part to its solid Nokia branded apps, but keep in mind that BlackBerry is seriously courting developers, so its situation could see a lot of improvement.

Camera

The Z10 and 920 also offer a number of interesting camera tricks to try and lure consumers their way. The 920, with its PureView designation, features optical image stabilisation that produces surprisingly smooth video and incredible low-light images. The Z10's TimeShift feature takes a burst photos, detects the faces, then lets you swap them in or out from other photos to make sure everyone looks perfect. However, Nokia included a similar feature with its Smart Shoot lens, and the Z10's low-light performance is well below what the 920 offers. The edge goes to the 920 here.

Final thoughts

Both Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry OS 10 offer some compelling reasons to choose them over the established Android and iOS ecosystems, and the Z10 and 920 are both respectable contenders. The fact is, if you choose one of these two phones, you're choosing to be a bit of a maverick.

Check out the full spec comparison table below for all the ins-and-outs of these two underdog handsets:

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