BlackBerry Bold 9700 review: Dare you go
Gsmarena have posted their review of the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Here is the phone's key features, main disadvantages and their final impression.
Key features:
2.44" 65K-color TFT landscape display with a resolution of 480 x 360 pixels
Comfortable four-row full QWERTY keyboard
Quad-band GSM support and tri-band 3G with HSDPA
Wi-Fi and built-in GPS and BlackBerry maps preloaded
3.15 autofocus megapixel camera, LED flash
624 MHz CPU, 128 MB RAM
BlackBerry OS v5
Responsive trackpad navigation
Hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
DivX and XviD video support
Good web browser
Office document editor
3.5 mm audio jack
Decent audio quality
Smart dialing
Great battery life
More compact body and lighter weight compared to the Bold 9000
Good build quality
Main disadvantages:
Many features are locked without a BlackBerry Internet Service account (plan)
Mediocre camera performance and features
No FM radio
No video-call camera
No TV-out functionality
No built-in accelerometer
No built-in compass
When we reviewed the BlackBerry Bold 9000 we said it had everything a BlackBerry fan could want, except for maybe the more compact body of the Curve. And it's pretty obvious that someone over at RIM has been paying attention. They've done exactly that. And no, we're not taking credit, just giving it.
It's been more than a year between the official launch of the two devices and the Bold 9700 understandably faces much tougher competition. Yet the more compact and more powerful handset seems fit and ready to take on its rivals just as successfully.
The tight connection between handset and service is a double-edged sword however. You either have to take the whole package or nothing at all. A Bold 9700 without a Blackberry service plan is about as good as a 100-buck LG GW300 so it's barely worth spending so much on it.
Now, regarding price we have to point out that a BlackBerry Bold 9700 is about 200 dollars more expensive than a Nokia E72 unlocked so some users might find themselves priced out of alternatives. Plus the Nokia ships with a lifetime Nokia Messaging plan - so push email is something you don't need to spend a dime on once you get the handset itself.
That same Nokia E72 is the new Bold's main market rival. A much better camera and overall multimedia experience come in a pretty sleek steel body. So unless you need the level of security of the BlackBerry Servers, we have to admit the E72 does look like the clear winner here.
One can also take a look at the Nokia E71 and its E71x American counterpart. It now sells much cheaper than the BlackBerry Bold 9700 at about 270 US dollars and offers a similar camera and connectivity options. E71 is one of the most successful smartphones ever produced by the Finnish manufacturer and has a tad worse performance due to its slower CPU, but even the outdated Symbian S60 UI is more user-friendly than the BlackBerry OS (be it v5).
Windows Mobile also has a few alternatives to the BlackBerry Bold 9700 to offer. The Samsung B7330 OmniaPRO and the HTC Snap are both powerful messaging tools that will cost you less than the BlackBerry and would offer similar connectivity and organizing capabilities.
Yet all those are mere alternatives and cannot fully replace the Bold 9700. This is not about the phone, it's all about the service you get WITH the phone. If you are a keen BlackBerry fan and user then head straight to the shop - the Bold 9700 is RIM at their best. If you are not, it would be good to know that the Bold 9700 (without BlackBerry service) ranks kinda low in terms of pure bang-for-your-buck.
Key features:
2.44" 65K-color TFT landscape display with a resolution of 480 x 360 pixels
Comfortable four-row full QWERTY keyboard
Quad-band GSM support and tri-band 3G with HSDPA
Wi-Fi and built-in GPS and BlackBerry maps preloaded
3.15 autofocus megapixel camera, LED flash
624 MHz CPU, 128 MB RAM
BlackBerry OS v5
Responsive trackpad navigation
Hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
DivX and XviD video support
Good web browser
Office document editor
3.5 mm audio jack
Decent audio quality
Smart dialing
Great battery life
More compact body and lighter weight compared to the Bold 9000
Good build quality
Main disadvantages:
Many features are locked without a BlackBerry Internet Service account (plan)
Mediocre camera performance and features
No FM radio
No video-call camera
No TV-out functionality
No built-in accelerometer
No built-in compass
When we reviewed the BlackBerry Bold 9000 we said it had everything a BlackBerry fan could want, except for maybe the more compact body of the Curve. And it's pretty obvious that someone over at RIM has been paying attention. They've done exactly that. And no, we're not taking credit, just giving it.
It's been more than a year between the official launch of the two devices and the Bold 9700 understandably faces much tougher competition. Yet the more compact and more powerful handset seems fit and ready to take on its rivals just as successfully.
The tight connection between handset and service is a double-edged sword however. You either have to take the whole package or nothing at all. A Bold 9700 without a Blackberry service plan is about as good as a 100-buck LG GW300 so it's barely worth spending so much on it.
Now, regarding price we have to point out that a BlackBerry Bold 9700 is about 200 dollars more expensive than a Nokia E72 unlocked so some users might find themselves priced out of alternatives. Plus the Nokia ships with a lifetime Nokia Messaging plan - so push email is something you don't need to spend a dime on once you get the handset itself.
That same Nokia E72 is the new Bold's main market rival. A much better camera and overall multimedia experience come in a pretty sleek steel body. So unless you need the level of security of the BlackBerry Servers, we have to admit the E72 does look like the clear winner here.
One can also take a look at the Nokia E71 and its E71x American counterpart. It now sells much cheaper than the BlackBerry Bold 9700 at about 270 US dollars and offers a similar camera and connectivity options. E71 is one of the most successful smartphones ever produced by the Finnish manufacturer and has a tad worse performance due to its slower CPU, but even the outdated Symbian S60 UI is more user-friendly than the BlackBerry OS (be it v5).
Windows Mobile also has a few alternatives to the BlackBerry Bold 9700 to offer. The Samsung B7330 OmniaPRO and the HTC Snap are both powerful messaging tools that will cost you less than the BlackBerry and would offer similar connectivity and organizing capabilities.
Yet all those are mere alternatives and cannot fully replace the Bold 9700. This is not about the phone, it's all about the service you get WITH the phone. If you are a keen BlackBerry fan and user then head straight to the shop - the Bold 9700 is RIM at their best. If you are not, it would be good to know that the Bold 9700 (without BlackBerry service) ranks kinda low in terms of pure bang-for-your-buck.
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