Why the Bold 9700 isn’t a downgrade from the Torch

POSTED BY: GuruDaniel | Follow Me

October 25, 2024

(BlackBerry 6 on left, OS 5 on Bold 9700 on right)

I think every Bold 9700 owner wants BlackBerry 6, just because. He can’t quite figure out why, but it’s just better; those smooth transitions, the touchpad-sensitive gestures, the WebKit browser. I’ve seen the Bold 9780 and it is indeed an upgrade from the 9700, but not by a great stretch. On such a small screen, the browser is almost a nonplus, nice to have but wasted.

On the Torch, however, it is gorgeous. I can surf with my finger, touch and pinch-to-zoom. It works like a really slow iPhone 4 or a slow 3Gs. But it works.

BlackBerry 6 is a nice layer, but at its core, the functionality is the same as its predecessor. So, why am I OK losing this layer? Because I found that the issues outweigh the benefits:

1) The battery is better. The Torch lasts 6-8 hours from full charge to depleted. I have one Twitter app updating in the background, and five email accounts with push. On the 9700, the equivalent usage lasts twice as long.

2) The keyboard is better. I didn’t realize until I switched back to the Bold, but the keyboard on the Torch is shallow, and though when slid open the phone is nicely balanced, it still isn’t as comfortable to type on as the Bold. RIM obviously did what they could with the design, but it had to be more recessed than a keyboard flush with the screen. I just didn’t realize how much it changed the speed at which I typed.

3) Touch isn’t what it used to be. Alternating between an iPhone and a BlackBerry Torch is like ridiculing your 6-year old cousin for not being able to do algebra. Sure, he may understand that those are numbers on the page, but can you really expect him to go further than that? RIM has had a long time to get touch right, after getting it so, so wrong for two Storm generations, but the touchscreen is not accurate. In fact, when touching a link on a webpage, I often find myself using the touchpad to navigate, ignoring the screen until I want to zoom. Half-baked touch is not worth it.

4) Text is sharper. I’d rather read text on the 9700, as the smaller screen has the same resolution as the larger Torch.

5) The Torch is too heavy. I love the build quality of the Torch: it feels like a solid phone, but it’s too much of a good thing. It feels like a brick in my pocket, whereas the Bold slides right in, and I forget it’s there.

The Torch is a good device, and I may go back to it eventually. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that RIM really rushed BlackBerry 6 out of the door, and it shows.

What say you? Am I full of it?

BlackBerry, Blackberry 6, Bold 9700, Bold 9780, Editorial, OS5, RIM, Torch

Support

Everything I already suspected. Lol. Good post
cattonb

I don’t know why you are having trouble hitting links via the touch… maybe its your fingers. I don’t think you should make a statement like that unless its a wide spread problem reported by others.

You think there are problems with OS6 on the Canadian Torchs??????? There is no doubt the ATT build was awful, but, the builds released in canada and the recent leak blow the ATT build away. Your last statement seems out of touch given the updated OS builds.

Torch is too heavy? That is subjective, shouldn’t be included in a list like this. I find it hardly noticeable when using and I never think about it until I actually pick up a 9700 and remember how light the 9700 is.

This is more of a rant than anything. The 9700 is clearly a downgrade from the Torch. Maybe not a huge downgrade, but, the difference between OS 5 and OS 6 alone are enough to call the 9700 a downgrade. Give the 9700 OS6 and you close the gap pretty well.

I find the OS snappy, the touch screen near flawless, the sliding mechanism amazing and you can’t discount the camera, it is amazing!
Anonymous

@cattonb, the whole point of articles like this is that they are subjective. You are welcome to believe the Torch is the best phone of all time, while others are free to disagree with you. I disagree with you. I never said the touchscreen was unresponsive, I said relatively so compared to the iPhone.

I can back up each one of these points with empirical evidence, but ultimately it’s my opinion. You are welcome to voice yours, and I appreciate the input.

And for your information, I am running the latest .286 build on the Torch, and I didn’t notice a significant performance improvement, nor accuracy improvement.

And you said it yourself: you don’t realize how light the 9700 is until you pick one up. I’d prefer not to feel a phone in my pocket than have it bog me down as I walk. I’m not likening the Torch to a brick, but rather to the 9700 itself.
Cattonb

Thanks for the resposne!
Snookershack

I love my torch, but then I have been using the storm about 2 years beforeIi move up to the Torch. It is such a drastic improvment.
http://www.thecellularguru.com/blog TheCellularGuru

I still stand by the 9700/80 series.. By far most comfortable
ODAY

I have the blackberry torch, and it I experience no lags whatsoever, but do mind the fact that I’m running a leaked .450 software update, because the original OS version that came with my phone is terrible.
ODAY

I have the blackberry torch, and it I experience no lags whatsoever, but do mind the fact that I’m running a leaked .450 software update, because the original OS version that came with my phone is terrible.

Why the Bold 9700 isn’t a downgrade from the Torch

POSTED BY: GuruDaniel | Follow Me

FEATURED STORIES:

BEST PHONES: