BlackBerry Curve 9320 Pro Reviews

It's been quite a while since we last reviewed a BlackBerry handset. Android and iOS have dominated the market for the past couple of years and it's hard to see where exactly a business-centric QWERTY device can fit in. That said, it's hard to ignore the fact that BlackBerrys still have a following - the Curve 9320's high daily interest at the time of writing is a testament to that. And so is RIM's own dedication to improving their operating system from the ground up with the almost complete overhaul that is BB10. Whether or not BlackBerry 10 will be enough to bring them back into contention is a tough call at this point, but for now we have to look at what exactly the BlackBerry Curve 9320 brings to the table. There are several factors which make the 9320 a really hard sell, not only in terms of what it offers but also in regards to what else is out there.

A retro BlackBerry that doesn't satisfy our business or leisure needs

Is it possible to get beyond the poor web browsing experience and the generally dated feel of the Curve's display, OS and camera? Well, yes: just look at the price. The BlackBerry Curve 9320 is not for those who demand the latest and the best, but it is well put together, offers a decent feature set and is priced to shift. If you want a smartphone principally as a communications device, and multimedia and style are less important to you, the BlackBerry Curve 9320 will offer everything you need at a good price.

Overall, there isn't much that the BlackBerry Curve 9320 doesn't do. Apart from the lack of NFC, now a feature of high-end BB handsets, and a touch interface, you pretty much get everything that Blackberry offers. Sure, you don't get the best hardware, the device isn't the best when it comes to build and specification, but this is a very affordable smartphone. The small display does limit some of the excitement and BlackBerry App World also lags a long way behind Android and the iPhone, not helped by the dependence on buttons and menus for interaction and a general lack of screen real estate. But when it comes to social or business interaction, then this BlackBerry will deliver, much like any other handset in RIM's range. It might not be fashionable to praise RIM for its BlackBerry handsets at the moment, but if you are a fan of messaging, have friends using BBM and are on a budget, then you can't go far wrong.