BlackBerry Bold 9780 - Review

“The Bold 9780 is indistinguishable from the Bold 9700 and offers only minor improvements. However, the 9780’s updated operating system and better camera mean it’s still a powerful smartphone”

More memory, better camera

Bold 9780: The Bold 9700's twin?

I reacted with indifference when I first saw the BlackBerry Bold 9780 because despite superseding the BlackBerry Bold 9700, both phones look almost identical.

The Bold 9780 also weighs the same as its predecessor - 122g - and has near identical features, so I was left wondering what the point of the BlackBerry Bold 9780 was.

Its biggest difference is its operating system (OS). While the Bold 9700 used version 5.0 of the BlackBerry OS, the 9780 uses version 6.0 which BlackBerry calls “fresh, approachable and engaging”. I’d simply call it “slick”.

Version 6.0’s main difference from version 5.0 is that it splits apps into categories, such as Media, making everything much easier to find and navigate between.

Improvements to the internet browser let me browse in tabs - as Firefox and Internet Explorer on PCs do - and also ensured that oddly designed websites now appear in a more regimented fashion on the 9780’s screen.

Bold 9780(black) £0.00

50 min Unlimited texts

£15.50

For example, text “auto-wraps” in columns and zooming in on it using the touch-sensitive trackpad is quite easy.

Admittedly I often found the phone’s trackpad overly sensitive, but was later assured by BlackBerry’s PR that the trackpad sensitivity can be custom set from within the smartphone’s settings menu.

BlackBerry OS 6.0

A quality feel and luscious leather backplate

One major improvement between the two models is camera quality. Though the Bold 9700’s 3.2Mp camera took reasonable photos, the 9780’s 5Mp camera performed much better.

Test shots of a fountain roundabout with cars whizzing past turned out nicely and I was impressed by how sharp the cars looked despite their passing speed.

Various shooting modes, such as Sport, also help set the camera up for optimum performance.

In respect to typing and managing work emails on the go - very little has changed. This is probably because BlackBerry knows only too well how good its smartphones are for their emailing excellence.

Typing on the 9780’s keypad was extremely easy and bashing out 180-word emails takes no time at all. Replying and filing business emails was also easy.

I wouldn’t advise buying the Bold 9780 if you want to watch films and videos while going back and forth to the office, though.

Measuring a paltry 2.4in and offering a resolution of just 480 x 360 pixels - identical specifications to the Bold 9700 - the phone’s screen is just too small and grainy to watch decent video on.

BlackBerry App World

Good pictures from the 5Mp camera

BlackBerry App World is still poorly stocked in my eyes, especially when the likes of the Android Market and the iPhone App Storeboth have well over 200,000 apps.

But at least all the big name apps, such as Facebook and Twitter, are available for download.

The Bold 9780 has one extra hour of battery time than its predecessor, giving the phone an excellent 22 hours of juice in all. This makes the phone much more reliable than, say, the HTC Desire HD.

Find your perfect BlackBerry Bold 9780 deal

---

Compare Phone Plan: PAYG Monthly

Compare Compare contracts costing up to: £5