BlackBerry Torch 9800 Review

In a nutshell: The Torch is a groundbreaking phone for BlackBerry, with the new BlackBerry 6 operating system and a slide-out keyboard design. The new OS is a definite improvement over the previous version, but won't alienate existing users. The slide-out keyboard and capacitive touchscreen work very well. The Torch comes with integrated social messaging, a 5 megapixel camera, GPS, a media player, excellent connectivity, outstanding battery life and plenty of memory. Its negatives are its chunkiness, its high cost and its slow processor.

The BlackBerry Torch is a totally new design concept for a BlackBerry - a touchscreen phone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard - and is being pushed as a flagship phone with initial prices even higher than the Bold 9700. At launch, this is the most expensive BlackBerry on the market - almost in iPhone territory. So it had better be mind-blowingly good. Is it? We'll check out each aspect of the phone in turn, starting with hardware and moving on to the new operating system and user interface.

Despite the new shape, the Torch is very recognizably a BlackBerry, and in some ways looks ever so slightly dated compared with other recent additions to the BlackBerry family. Nevertheless, the new form factor gives it a design edge, and it retains the solid build quality that we've come to expect from the company. The solid feel is reflected in the weight of the device, because at 161g it really is a heavy phone, even compared with the Bold 9700. And it's larger than the Bold too, even before you open the slider. Slide open the keyboard and it dwarfs the iPhone 4, even though the Torch's screen is smaller. All this is sending a strong message - that the Torch is designed to appeal to people who really like QWERTY keyboards. Fortunately, at Mobile Phones UK we do, and so do most BlackBerry users.

With a phone costing this much, you'd expect every box to be ticked when it comes to media and the Torch does just that. The media player is well featured and syncs with iTunes or Windows Media Player. The camera is a 5 megapixel device with an LED flash and can record video at VGA resolution. This is really the minimum required at this price point, with HD video becoming standard in high-end phones, but BlackBerry phones have always followed rather than led when it comes to media. The camera is very easy to use however. AGPS is present, together with BlackBerry Maps.

The memory is large, with 512MB RAM plus 4 GB fixed eMMC and a 4 GB media card included. This can be expanded with a microSD card to 32GB. The battery isn't the highest powered, with a rating of 1300 mAh, which is surprising when you recall how heavy this device is. Yet equally surprisingly, the Torch seems to last for several days between charges, unlike many rival smartphones. On the other hand, the 624MHz processor isn't as powerful as the 1GHz SnapDragon CPU seen in the HTC Desire, and this can sometimes show. It's most noticeable when multi-tasking, for example when switching between applications.

In addition to the new slide design, the company have rolled out their new operating system, BlackBerry 6. This is a definite improvement, with improved ease-of-use and clearer menus. The email and web systems have been redesigned, with the new web browser offering full tabbed browsing. The BlackBerry email experience remains intact, with full support for corporate email accounts as well as gmail. The home screen is more customisable, and there are plenty of shortcuts and helpful features to enable you to do what you want more quickly. It's a welcome change, but won't cause existing BlackBerry users much trouble in adapting.

When it comes to the user interface, the Torch offers a wide choice of methods. First off is the touchscreen, which is capacitive with pinch and zoom capability, and much easier to use than the Storm's touchscreen. The screen size is adequate for such a device, but at 3.2 inches and 480 x 360 pixels it looks already to be a year out of date compared with the iPhone 4 or the Samsung Galaxy S. Having said that, it's bigger than the screen on the BlackBerry Bold 9700. The touchscreen supports both landscape and portrait virtual QWERTY keyboards. There's also a virtual portrait SureType keyboard. The SureType word recognition software monitors your own personal word use and suggests word completions. And, of course, there's the physical QWERTY keyboard that will surely be the preferred method of typing, otherwise why choose the Torch in the first place? The keyboard is certainly our preference, although the convenience of the virtual keyboards makes it unnecessary on occasions. We're also pleased to see the optical trackpad, which has now become standard on all BlackBerries, replacing the irritating old trackball of earlier generations.

Call quality and reception seem to be problem-free. The Torch continues the BlackBerry tradition of integrated communications, with text messaging, email, facebook, twitter and RSS all easily available.An integrated social feeds app brings together all your social network and RSS feeds. Fast HSDPA and Wi-Fi connections let you stay in touch in real time.

In common with others in the BlackBerry family, the Torch comes with a full array of security, including password protection with a keyboard lock and AES or Triple DES encryption with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server (BES).

In many ways, the Torch could be described as the best BlackBerry ever. We like the slide-out keyboard design and we like the new OS. The Torch is in many ways an incremental improvement over previous models, offering everything that the Bold 9700 offers and more. And yet ... two things have happened. First, the smartphone market has jumped ahead, with Apple, Google and even stalwarts Microsoft and Nokia powering ahead with new and better phones, practically on a monthly basis. Second, RIM have chosen to price the Torch right at the top end of the market, which makes it inevitable that people will make comparisons between the Torch and phones like the iPhone 4, HTC Desire HD and Samsung Galaxy S. It's definitely a step in the right direction, and will probably be a hit with existing BlackBerry fans, but we wish it had a better screen and a faster CPU.

Features of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 include:

• 5 megapixel camera with flash, autofocus, image stabilisation and 2.5x digital zoom
• Video recording (640 x 480 pixels)
• Display: Touchscreen, 480 x 360 pixels, 65,000 colours, 3.2 inches, user selectable font size
• Media player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA and other audio formats supported)
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, instant messaging, push email with attachment viewer
• Built-in speakerphone
• Voice dialling
• Voice memo recorder
• MP3 ringtones with LED and on-screen indicators and vibration alert
• GPS with BlackBerry Maps
• Personal organiser functions
• Memory: 512 MB memory plus 2x4GB cards included with support for microSD card up to 32GB
• Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, USB, RIM wireless modem, 3.5mm stereo headset port
• Internet: Web browser, social media
• Size: 111 x 62 x 14.6 mm (when closed)
• Weight: 161g
• Quadband GSM plus 3G HSDPA, GPRS, EDGE
• Battery: 1300 mAh
• Talktime: 5.5 hours
• Battery standby: 310 - 410 hours