RIM BlackBerry Torch 9860 Pro Reviews

It’s an older phone, but we really like the Torch 9860. If you’re a fan of BlackBerry OS but have always wanted a touchscreen, this is the smartphone for you.

Is the BlackBerry Torch 9860 good enough to arrest RIM’s decline? On balance I'd say, yes. It’s fast, well made and mercifully free of dependency on the likes of Zune or iTunes. The UI may not be the last word in cool but it works well enough and media file support is impressive. The lack of third party apps and the absence of Flash are enough to ensure BB7 won’t lure me away from Android but it no longer feels like switching would be an excessive compromise to gain access to BlackBerry messaging services.

There's no point telling RIM to mind their own business. That's what they've been doing all along. It's what made them the brand of choice for corporate customers. Some may argue that corporate users don't quite get to choose - and we can see a point there. But choice is something RIM are not afraid to make. The new BlackBerry generation offers better specs and improved user experience. They are closing the gap, although still catching up with last year's top performers. We guess it's a comfortable position for RIM, behind but not losing sight of the leaders. Safe in the knowledge that they have something unique to offer, but not too complacent to learn and do better. On the other hand, they had something to unlearn too. Sometimes, short-term memory loss can be a good thing. RIM had to forget about the Storm if they wanted to make a difference. They can take something from the experience but the Storm belongs in the closet with the other skeletons.

The BlackBerry 9860 is a perfectly competent handset with a smart design, easy to use interface, and a healthy selection of features. However, when compared to the competition, it's hard to know exactly who the BlackBerry 9860 is going to appeal to. For your average man on the street, mid-range Android handsets beat it for price and features (if not build), and have a much better stocked app store. And it certainly doesn't have the might to take on the likes of the iPhone 4S or Samsung Galaxy S II. This only leaves the corporate market and BlackBerry fans. With regards the former, the touchscreen form factor may not sit well with the majority of users, particularly when the typing experience isn't quite good enough. Likewise, don't BlackBerry fans buy them primarily for the keyboard anyway? Whatever the case, this certainly isn't a bad phone, just not one we'd outright recommend.

The Torch 9850 and 9860 are no doubt the best touch-only BlackBerrys ever made. If you liked the idea the Storm line brought to the table and were interested in getting a refinement of that formula, RIM has addressed most of the concerns. Even if you're not a RIM fan, it's generally a solid performer and might be worth exploring, especially if you can get a good deal.

Some areas of the BlackBerry Torch 9860 feel a little antiquated as a consumer device. Diving into the menus you still need to "save" as you make changes. We also can't help feeling that, although the sliding app tray, and the choice of homescreen menus is useful, it isn't as dynamic as other operating systems. Without the app tray up, you're looking at a simple wallpaper, so you don't get the same sense of immediate control as you might from widgets, notification bar controls or lockscreen controls. Pair that with strong camera performance, great video, and good screen and speedy browser, all packed into a phone that's actually rather attractive to look at and there is something going for the 9860. It's a shame then that minor software details are what really let the package down: the lack of app support for BB7 and tendency to become unresponsive are challenging, but not insurmountable, problems.

The BlackBerry Torch 9860 is a touchscreen-only smartphone like the iPhone or any generic Android. Given that the BlackBerry calling card has always been excellent physical keyboards (and excellent mail) we’re a bit confused as to the Torch’s purpose. The phone itself is built to a high standard and is powerful, but its imperfect touchscreen keyboard makes the Torch inferior to its tactile counterparts.

There's lots to boast about on this phone, no doubt, but we just can't recommend it over the rest out there for anyone other than those desperately tied into RIM's services who want a slick new all-touch experience.