RIM BlackBerry Curve 9380 Pro Reviews

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 betrays its lower end leanings with a fairly low resolution screen and underpowered processor, but it’s got a decent camera and messaging capabilities. The lack of content on BlackBerry App World will be a frustration for some however. While it will make a welcome upgrade for existing BB fans, the Curve 9380 hasn't really enough on offer to distinguish it from similarly priced Androids.

It's like we already met with the Curve 9380. Since it’s a completely different approach to the Curve lineup there is just no basis for parallels with older Curves. But remembering the previous BlackBerry OS 7-based smartphones we had, the Torch 9860 will surely ring a bell. The touch-only Torch packs a bigger 3.7" WVGA display and a faster 1.2GHz processor. And these are all the differences over our guest of honour - the Curve 9380. Saving on the hardware makes sense though - it fits perfectly on the Curve's idea for a cheaper price tag. But don’t get too excited yet, the RIM's understanding for cheap have always been a lot different from the traditional smartphone user opinion. So, the new Curve 9380 is not something we haven’t seen so far, it's a downgrade on an already familiar phone. But surprisingly, this actually works. While the Torch 9860 was big and not every RIM user's choice, the new Curve is smaller and lighter, but still equally capable and running the OS 7 as smoothly as any other OS 7-based BlackBerry. And don’t worry about the screen - its ppi, contrast and sunlight legibility are very good so you'll hardly notice the lower resolution.

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is an interesting foray in the touchscreen-only jungle by RIM, which probably meant to create a decent consumer-oriented budget device with its services staples. Yet when you get rid of one huge advantage for BlackBerry aficionados, which is the physical keyboard, and replace it with an on-screen one plastered over a wimpy 3.2-incher, eyebrows are bound to be raised.

RIM has usually tried to chase the high end of the smartphone market when it adds a touchscreen: the Storm, the Torch, and the newest Bold phones are all aimed at the same crowd as the iPhone and top Android hardware. With only a limited amount of success, then, it's taken a fresh strategy of bringing a touchscreen to the Curve line for the first time. We'll see in our review of the BlackBerry Curve 9380 if shrinking down and aiming for cost has given RIM a chance at carving out a lead in a young category.

There's definitely the potential within the BlackBerry Curve 9380 for it to be a good smartphone, and for many BlackBerry addicts on a budget, hungry for some touchscreen action, it could serve well. Frankly, we'd rather have the BlackBerry Curve 9360 within the BlackBerry range, but if it's a touchscreen phone you want in this price bracket, we'd go for the iPhone 3GS, thanks to its slicker operating system. If you can stretch to a few more pounds per month on a contract, though, you'll find all manner of Android phones with vastly improved specs over the Curve, and a more mature operating system. Although the BlackBerry Curve 9380 has much to commend it, we don't think it's the best option in its price range, and for only a little more money, you could get much more handset.