We’ve just go to grips with the BlackBerry Torch 9860 at RIM’s London press event – photos and first impressions, this way please!
Bad news for any BlackBerry Storm fans out there: to be honest, we’re not liking what we see. Don’t get us wrong: the 3.7-inch screen is perfectly responsive and bright, and BlackBerry 7 isn’t in the same league of awfulness as Symbian currently resides in. In our quick hands on time, it never slowed down, and pinch to zoom browsing was a lot smoother than on the 2010 BlackBerry Torch – thanks to that 1.2GHz processor, no doubt.
But it’s just a bit bland: the plastic feels like a ‘Berry from 2008, and is a far cry from the sexy brushed metal of the upcoming BlackBerry Bold 9900 with QWERTY keyboard. And then there are the buttons below the screen: they’re nasty, lumpy plastic little things that make you wonder if the phone needs a blood test and a check up at the doctor. And do we really even need an optical trackpad anymore?
When the first two touchscreen-only BlackBerry phones were launched, the media was quick to compare them both against the iPhone, but in truth, the slightly larger display of the BlackBerry Torch 9860 pitches against physically larger competition: the likes of the HTC Desire S and Samsung Galaxy S Android phones. And whichever way you cut it, software or hardware, it can’t match them.
What’s so tragic about this is that RIM has clearly had this in the works for years. This exact phone leaked several times last Summer. When it was still too little too late.
This is the phone the 2009 BlackBerry Storm 2 should have been. And while we’ll reserve full and proper judgement for a review later in the month, we’re not holding our breath.
The BlackBerry Torch 9860 is out on Vodafone this month, and will be available through Phones4U.
