BlackBerry Torch 3G - Review

“Torch 3G’s large touchscreen and slide-out keypad are definitely its unique selling point. But the mobile’s redesigned user interface makes this BlackBerry a top-notch smartphone”

A BlackBerry with touchscreen and keypad

The ideal set-up?

BlackBerrys are like Marmite - you either love them or you hate them. Some love their no-nonsense looks and Qwerty keypads, others despise their lack of a touchscreen and bland user interface.

The new BlackBerry Torch (aka the BlackBerry Torch 9800) is different because it has a large touchscreen and slide-out physical Qwerty keypad - the best of both worlds, perhaps?

The touchscreen let me easily zip between and around webpages and apps. The keypad - cramped as it is - meant the Torch 3G was equally as good as other BlackBerrys at typing out emails and text messages.

The phone’s touchscreen still has the standard five physical buttons that other BlackBerrys, including the BlackBerry Curve 3G, have. Though a side-mounted button can be programmed do anything you like, such as open the web browser or camera.

The Torch 3G also has a redesigned user interface that, in addition to making the smartphone work more like an iPhone 4, makes finding features and apps simpler than ever.

Packed with features

Torch 3G: Heavier than most BlackBerrys

Gone is the bland homescreen with only a list of available features. In is a mini sideways scrollable menu system with apps and features grouped into categories, such as “Favourites” and “Media”.

Up to four smartphone apps can go into any section, but swiping upwards (as opposed to left or right) opens up that section’s full list of available features.

Life-long BlackBerry users may find this a little confusing at first because there’s no standard “Main Menu” anymore. The touchscreen’s over-sensitivity also means apps sometimes open when you’re simply side-swiping. But I stuck with it and the new layout soon becomes second nature.

A handy “Universal Search” bar for quickly finding apps or features by name has also been pinned to Torch 3G’s homescreen. It also includes an option to search the Internet through Google.

Surfing the internet is far simpler on the Torch 3G than older BlackBerry phones, thanks mainly to the touchscreen. The smartphone’s redesigned browser also arranges multiple web pages into tabs - very handy if you’re simultaneously reading the news and looking at pictures.

BlackBerry App World is still sadly disappointing. Its virtual shelves lack the range and quality of apps available from Google Android Market and iPhone App Store. Its layout also leaves much to be desired.

Build quality is pretty good

The 5Mp camera's images were impressive

Big name apps including Facebook and Twitter are available, though. A “Social Feeds” app is also preinstalled on the smartphone for managing feeds from within a single window.

Torch 3G has a 5Mp camera with flash that captured some decent quality pictures. Niche shooting modes, including “Face Detection” and “Snow”, usually only found on digital cameras also helped jazz up my smartphone photos.

A “Text” photo mode is even available for office-bound workers who may need to, say, snap a quick picture of the Q4 financial results while the boss isn’t looking.

Videos, on the other hand, weren’t such good quality and any films stored on the smartphone’s removable memory card looked pretty iffy because of the Torch 3G’s low resolution screen.

Despite its keypad/touchscreen combo, Torch 3G isn’t much thicker than a normal BlackBerry. It is considerably heavier, though: 161g compared to the 122g of the BlackBerry Bold 9700.

Battery life is respectable, provided you don’t leave too many apps running in the background. But it’s worth noting that the phone takes ages to start up - not ideal if you turn your phone off at night.

Find your perfect BlackBerry Torch 3G

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