|
Top searches: Apple phones BlackBerry phones Google phones HTC phones LG phones Motorola phones Nokia phones Orange phones Samsung phones Sony Ericsson phones Tablets Mobile phone networks Mobile broadband Mobile phone guides: |
BlackBerry Bold 9790 Review
We do enjoy a good BlackBerry at Mobile Phones UK, and the BlackBerry Bold 9790 is one of the best we've tested. The Bold series has always been bomb-proof (not literally: do not use your phone anywhere near explosive materials) and seriously-minded, but the 9790 adds the finesse of the touchscreen user interface first seen on the Bold 9900. "Prepare to be stunned," proclaims RIM's marketing material, and for once that's not an understatement, for the 9790 is one of the most beautiful pieces of hardware we've laid our paws on. It's much thinner than the Bolds of old, and lighter too, but still retains its premium look and feel, as befits a device of this calibre. The keyboard and screen are the same size as the Bold 9780, although there's a slight bevelling to the edge of the casing, resulting in a curvature of the keys at the far left and right. An optical trackpad sits in the centre below the screen, enabling rapid scrolling through menus. The 9790 runs the latest BlackBerry 7 operating system, in common with the Bold 9900, enabling full touchscreen control in parallel with the physical QWERTY keyboard for fast and accurate typing. It's an unbeatable combination, especially for the core BlackBerry activities of email, text, BBM and social networking. Users of older Bold models will appreciate the touchscreen controls and the greater integration of the various messaging platforms. The display is much higher resolution than that seen on earlier models. The physical screen size is the same, at 2.5 inches, yet it's quite adequate for the job. The processor is a new faster 1GHz model, enabling the user interface to respond nearly instantly to touches and key presses. There's plenty of memory onboard too, with 8GB of built-in memory, plus the option to add memory cards of up to 32GB, for a grand total of 40GB. The 768MB of RAM is plenty for running apps too. Connectivity is outstanding, with all bases covered. As well as 3G HSDPA and Wi-Fi for fast data transfer, the 9790 is a quadband phone, so it will work in any country. It has Bluetooth for wireless connections, plus USB and a 3.5mm headset port. And there's also Near-Field Communication, or NFC, which doesn't do much at present but will in the future. GPS with BlackBerry Maps is also present. The media capabilities of the 9790 are quite competent. The 5 megapixel camera has autofocus and an LED flash and does a decent job of capturing images in fair to good lighting. The VGA video recording isn't a competitor with the HD capabilities of the iPhone 4S or the Samsung Galaxy S2, but it's sufficient for a business phone. Audio and video playback are good, with excellent sound quality via the 3.5mm headphone jack, and smooth video on the high-resolution screen. The touchscreen and faster processor do come at a price though - reduced battery life. This would be a worthwhile compromise if RIM hadn't made the stupid decision of reducing the battery size too. This is presumably to enable the ultraslim design. But the result is a significant reduction in battery life compared with the 9780. Careful users who switch off features like GPS, Bluetooth, etc when not in use and who adjust the screen brightness will get 2-3 days between charges. But heavy users may struggle to make it through a single day. That's not good enough for a business workhorse phone. All things considered, the 9790 just scrapes the 5 stars we've awarded it. When you consider that it costs about the same as it's predecessor, the 9780 (which was also a 5 star phone) and does the job so much better, it's only fair, despite the poorer battery life. If you want to splash out a bit more cash, you could choose the BlackBerry Bold 9900, with a slightly bigger screen and a slightly faster processor, but it's a wider and heavier device too. The extra width of the 9900 could be an advantage, as the keys are proportionately wider. But the 9900 has even worse battery life than the 9780.
Features of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 include:
Compare BlackBerry Bold 9790 deals at MobilePhoneChecker.co.uk.
BlackBerry Bold 9790 Consumer ReviewsLove your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising! Average rating from 2 reviews: Reviewed by Robin from N.IRELAND on 8th Feb 2012 Reviewed by mack from LA on 14th Jan 2012 BlackBerry Bold 9790 linksBlackBerry Bold 9790 dealsBlackBerry Bold 9790 unlock codes : unlock BlackBerry Bold 9790 |
|
 |
