Today it’s the turn of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 to come face to face with the HTC Desire HD. The BlackBerry Torch was hailed by BlackBerry as a device which would “ignite” customers (hopefully not literally), whereas HTC said the HTC Desire HD would bring “feelings of delight” to its users. Which smartphone, the HTC Desire HD or the BlackBerry Torch 9800, makes good on its metaphors?
Screen
When we reviewed the Blackberry Torch 9800, we said the screen was “grainier than a harvest festival”, which, when stacked up next to crisp expanse of the 4.3” HTC Desire HD screen, frankly, doesn’t stand a chance. The HTC Desire HD floors the BlackBerry Torch on this one. The Torch has a 3.2” 360×480 touchscreen, whereas the HTC Desire HD packs a whopping great 4.3” 480×800 WVGA touchscreen in comparison. The HTC Desire HD was pleasingly sharp and bright when we got our hands on it. The BlackBerry Torch 9800, not so much.
Winner: HTC Desire HD
Operating system
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is boasting the new RIM operating system, BlackBerry 6. The HTC Desire packs Android Froyo 2.2. In review, we loved the BlackBerry 6 universal search, which pulls up options as you type (Google Instant style), although it doesn’t search email body text. It does mean it’s quick to pull up a contact and make a call, maybe even quicker than it is on Android. The new app layout was well needed in BlackBerry 6 too, and this gives it a boost. Froyo, on the other hand, has a better browser, despite the improved UI and speed of the BlackBerry browser, plus the ultimate add-on: Chrome to Phone. Until we really put the HTC Desire HD through its paces in our rigorous testing lab though, it would be unfair to give a definite verdict.
Winner: Place your bets…
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Body
While the two devices weigh in at about the same, the tidy aluminium body that wraps around the HTC Desire HD screen puts the BlackBerry Torch 9800 to shame. While the slide out keyboard is solidly built, and will be a boon for those who do a lot of typing on the go, the screen part of the body is chunky and clunky. The Torch also packs an unpleasantly ribbed back, like some sort of hunchback, where, in this case, the HTC Desire HD is putting in a sterling performance as Esmerelda. For looks and feel, the HTC Desire HD wins hands down.
Winner: HTC Desire HD
Storage
The HTC Desire HD has 1.5GB of internal storage, which can be expanded by up to 32GB with a microSD card. The BlackBerry Torch 9800 has 4GB of internal memory, plus a microSD/SDHD slot which can be loaded with a card of up to 32GB. BlackBerry though, gives you a 4GB card, meaning that out of the box, the BlackBerry trumps this one.
Winner: BlackBerry Torch 9800
Read our full review of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 here!
Apps
Problem is what to do with all that space BlackBerry gives you. The BlackBerry App World is still the poorest app store of the big three by a mile. In the last 18 months Android has marched onwards and upwards, trampling the BlackBerry App World in its path, and the state of the App World is still one of the most compelling reasons not to get a BlackBerry. While Android becomes the second platform for apps, BlackBerry gets left even further behind. In stats: Android has around 80,000 apps in the Android Marketplace, BlackBerry has around 10,000 in App World.
Winner: HTC Desire HD
Conclusion
While the HTC Desire HD is far better looking, with a better screen, body, and operating system than the BlackBerry Torch, it’s worth noting that BlackBerry has always been good on a few key features, namely, email push, and notifications. Still, we still can’t see much reason to opt for the BlackBerry Torch 9800 over the HTC Desire HD, unless a keyboard is an absolute must.
What do you think? Is the HTC Desire HD a decidedly better device than the Blackberry Torch 9800? Drop us a line in the comments and tell us what you think!
