BlackBerry Bold 9700 review
By Laura June 
posted November 5th 2009 12:00AM
posted November 5th 2009 12:00AM
As we already mentioned, we were serious fans of the original Bold's hardware, and it would be pretty hard for a successor to live up to it. As far as we were concerned, it really had no close competitors in terms of mobile phone design and, you know, attitude. What we liked most about it aesthetically was its fearless defiance of conventional phone stylings at the time of its release. Faux leather and chrome edging rather than plastic all combined to produce a phone that was just a little off the beaten path, that felt substantial in our hands, and that definitely caught and kept our attention. The 9700 has kept some of those details -- there's still bits of chrome and leather here -- but it's also dropped nearly any flourish of attitude from the original design. RIM's chucked out the weird metal surrounding the camera on the back, and the full, old timey-looking leather battery cover, in favor of what essentially amounts to a Tour with an optical trackpad. Honestly, we recognize our own personal oddities, and understand that a lot of RIM's choices here favor modernization of the handset, which we heartily support. However, we also sort of wish the designers had had some exciting new ideas to add to this Bold -- but it feels like they didn't. The new Bold is all about, well, normalizing the handset and bringing it up to speed with other new RIM offerings, a la the 8520 or the Tour, as we previously mentioned.
We do, however, love the smaller, more sleek form factor of the whole package, and the device feels nice in the hand. Much more streamlined than the previous Bold, the 9700 feels light without feeling overly cheap, though it does feel a little less substantial than older BlackBerrys to us. We prefer the leather-strip on the back's feel over the slightly more rubberized Tour, and the rubberized volume rocker on the right side is preferable to the 9000's variation.
RIM's gone ahead and popped its new optical trackpad into the 9700, too, and this is one modernization we can really get behind. Yes, it takes a little getting used to -- but in our opinion it makes a far superior navigational tool and provides a smoother experience. Regardless, we were also big fans of the old trackball, but this is probably the right direction for RIM to move its hardware in. All of the 9700's other hardware buttons feel great and clicky, and we have no complaints about them.
The 480 x 360 display on the 9700 is up from the 480 x 320 of the original Bold, but in practical terms, it looks very much the same -- also terrifically clear, crisp and beautiful. The colors are bright, but we find ourselves wishing for a bit more screen real estate, (which is par for the course in our experiences with BlackBerrys), especially in the increasingly sad browsing experience. More on that in a moment.
This brings us to the performance of the 9700 in terms of user experience. Although the processor is clocked at the same 624MHz as its older sibling, the 9700's obviously got some special sauce under the hood, because with no interface changes in sight, this device is much snappier overall. Navigation, which has always been pretty quick on a BlackBerry, is tightened up a bit, and we found that opening up a bunch of applications stressed our device out a lot less than the original Bold, which was sometimes inclined to give us the dreaded clock. Thankfully, we haven't seen much of the old lag here -- and the fact that the 9700 ships with BlackBerry's OS 5.0 probably helps it along a bit, too. The battery -- which RIM says gets about 6 hours of talk time -- seems like a real strong point on the phone, and is more than adequate to get through a full day's heavy use.
Call quality is good, and the volume is nice and loud, though we can't help but feel the speaker phone is a bit weaker than the 9000's, but that could just be our weakening hearing, of course. RIM says it's enhanced the browser on this newest device, and we'll admit it's a bit faster, but as we said earlier, we are left with the feeling that browsing on a BlackBerry will not be satisfactory until there's a serious updating of the software.
^^^^Jimbo I am in the same boat.
I understand that this is the new Bold, but since it's on T-Mobile, why not compare it to the Curve 8900? Are the only differences between the two the keyboard, 3G, optical trackpad, and exterior? Is it worth an upgrade from the 8900?
The Bold 9000 is far from clunky. I love the look and feel and functionality. That being said, I could do without the trackball. The Bold 9000 is one of the best phones I have ever owned.
The OS might be showing it's age, but it gets the job done. Reason? BATTERY LIFE. C'mon now, what's the point of having an advance OS on your phone where you still need to limit yourself to even get through a full day? I'm actually thinking of switching my pre to a blackberry for this reason.
Switch to the Hero. I switched from the Pre to the Hero. The Pre's battery life was absurdly aggravating. With the Pre, the phone would be dead within 6 hours for me. I get around 18 hours with the Hero.
If you think the Bold has good battery life, you obviously havent used one for a day. We will see how the new one does.
Most requested extended battery I have ever seen.
@ kyle
I'm actually thinking about it, it looks really sweet. But with the hero, would the docview app come pre- included? It is a must for me. (or anything where i can at least read documents)
Android + Blackberry = How come I can come up with ungodly ideas but they can't!??!?! lol
Don't worry, you're not the only one who's been fantasizing about that very combo.
RIM decides to switch to Android instead of continuing to evolve the current BBOS (or even more potentially epic and "iphone killing," Google buys RIM altogether)
Just think of a Pre-style portrait slider (but since it's RIM, non-ugly and built like a tank) with a Bold/Tour style keyboard + Android 2.0 + All the software things that make a BlackBerry a BlackBerry (ie: BBM and general kickass messaging function)
Excuse me, I need to clean off my screen.
It's not just you guys, the speakers are weaker because there is only one external speaker where the Bold 9000 has three. The 9700 sounds worse than the curve 8900 as well. And though the screen is 480 x 360, it is only 2.44" while the Bold is 2.65" so you gain more pixels but lose some screen size.
I've found this is just too small. I held the dummy unit and it is the size of the curve 8900 which is too small for me.
Why does every pic at BGR have the leather back? Are there multiple backplates perhaps? I like that retro look.
All BB are stupid, ugly red neck phones. So many people in US love them. It is clear that US is becoming a 3rd world country and all the real best phones are released in Asia and Europe, not in US!
Rednecks carry BlackBerries? What the hell are you talking about?
It's true. All of the best phones are released in Europe... Damn BlackBerry's
Except blackberry are released in Canada most of the time first... R.I.M. is Canadian you know. Motorola is the only U.S. phone maker i can think of right now unless android and winmo count but they are software.
I think you are bitter because you don't have a BlackBerry.
why do people pay $200 for a messaging phone? i don't get it. Windows Mobile Standard 6.1 is a much better messaging o/s and you don't have to go through a blackberry server just to get your mail. You can pull your mail from all over the place.
On the flipside you can't beat that blackberry keyboard :)
Just me, or does RIM release new, nearly identical handsets every month? Seems ridiculous, seeing that nobody who has an existing blackberry will fork out more cash to get a new model that is infinitesimally better.
It's not just you: it's also every other Engadget commenter who doesn't pay attention.
Just because Engadget posts about new BlackBerry handsets often doesn't mean all those posts are about different models. Just about every post you've read for the past four or five months has been about only two models: this one and the Storm 2.
You would be surprised. Head over to any BlackBerry site and check out the forums and tell me you can't find people who just got a BlackBerry 6 months ago and aren't willing to fork out cash for the newest BlackBerry. For every person who's willing to buy the newest BlackBerry there are a bunch of people who are willing to buy that "outdated" BlackBerry and with that money it goes towards a new one.
It's the same as the iPhone. Even iPhone fanatics will argue that the 3G to 3GS really didn't have much in terms of additional features and expected much more but 3G owners were willing to upgrade to the 3GS only a year after. The 9700 is replacing the 9000 which was released last year.
I love Blackberries, but BES can be such a pain. It costs so much more (some places charge 10 dollars per Blackberry for Exchange support vs 3 for other smart phones) and the process can be very trying. The internal memory really needs to be increased. A lot of execs (read not tech savvy) tend to want to set their emails to be retained forever. I think I lose more hours at work for major projects just fixing Blackberry problems.
Blackberry, I love ya, but you guys need to move towards the future and change. Get bolder (pun, intended, sorry).
Can't really speak on BES other than it's love/hate. Love that it works but hate the additional costs to implement it.
As for storage, I'm assuming that you're working with the 88xx models? If so, I can see how it could be a problem. My 8830 has months worth of e-mail (no problems with memory in that regard) but it's the memory leak that causes problems. But if you're deploying anything post-88xx, it should be ok. Memory leaks aren't as bad and 64MB is good amount if the user is using it strictly for work only (no media, themes, applications, etc.)
This is a beautiful update to the 9000; I just wish it weren't narrower than that phone. Personally I'm waiting 'til next year for the BlackBerry Dakota; it's said to feature a full qwerty/touchscreen combination.
Alleged AT&T reps are saying the 9700 is coming to AT&T on the 16th.
Is this correct?
The RIM's Blackberry design philosophy is akin to Lenovo's for their Thinkpads. Take that how you will.
Let's face it. The Bold 9000 was inspired by the iPhone--everyone saw it at the time. The 9700 is more Blackberry.
*Design wise that is.
Yeah. Except it fell very short. Starting with the 3.5" screen. I don't see how people settle for a small a$$ screen. iPhone set the standard. No doubt.
I suppose the iPhone has a tiny screen because of the hd2 now! if you know you will be downranked, please dont comment.
So many models with cripples 3g or wifi or gos or memory. Archaic.
That's y I said to hell with bb n just went to iPhone 3g wifi gps a2dp 32gb memory compass auto focus sensors galore n never looked back. Bb sayonara foe life. Keyboards ugggh. So played out. I owned 3 bb phones from 2004-2007.
It's 2009 every single smartphone should come standard with 3g wifi gps mp3 compass autofocus accelorometer proximity sensor ambient light sensor a2dp. Thaws should be standard features If u r missing even one of these device should not be called a smartphone. Agree?
Yeah Compass!! Technology!
No, you should be able to multi-task to be called a smartphone. You know, stuff running in the background..... doing more than one thing at a time like listening to some music and maybe perusing Google Maps or bangin' out an email. Hmm, I wonder which "smartphone" can't perform these tasks...
ok, hear me out. @Travis is really on point & I want to add to it. RIM needs to stop making great keyboards & hardware with little (although great looking) screens attached. In 2009, they put out a different model JUST to add or remove or leave off 3G, WiFi, trackball (white>black>trackpad....) RAM, updated UI, etc. WTF?!?? Why does this 9700 & the Tour need to co-exist?? Ohhhh, the trackpad vs trackball, fake leather, better camera & WiFi. Just blend this 9700 & the Tour, the 8520 & the 8900 and focus on the major problem with all these devices --->once you get past the minor tweaks of your "new" blackberry it's the EXACT same user experience!!! The OS is tired. Dated. Boring. Bland. Pathetic. Pretty much an absurdity considering RIM makes you buy a "New" device just to update a previous model they dropped the ball on intentionally( ?!???) like the Storm>Storm2, 8900>Tour and now the 9000>9700. The Bold 9000 came out last Nov....RIM makes the public wait a year to strip the Bold of it's identity (there is nothing Bold about this 9700) and make it nearly identical to the Tour.
Build a new UI, stop recycling your devices and realize there's a reason your stock price is beat up and your 40% market share is declining while Apple's (of course this rant would lead to those guys!) is up to 30% and rising. Overhaul your UI ASAP. Apple is about to eat your lunch....
If Apple is "about to eat their lunch", how is it that the Curve actually REPLACED the iPhone as the world's best-selling smartphone?
Look. You're an iPhone fan; we get it. But you need to get over the fact that not everyone likes the same things you do. We don't all like typing on touchscreens. We don't all find the BB OS "archaic" (and how is it so? The UI has the same basic structure -- a basic info desktop and an expanded screen with an icon grid representing all your stuff -- that every other modern smartphone has). We like the BB's more robust email capabilities. And we simply don't all want iPhones. If it's not your cup of tea, that's fine, but don't go on about how they need to drastically change something that many, many people across the world already like.
may buy an e72 after reading about this smaller than the tour keyboard, i tried tour; it's great, but i feel if it got any smaller i would not touch it.
"Unless your life revolves around Blackberry Messenger, I don't see why anyone would use a Blackberry"
Do other BB users concur w/ this? I like smartphones, thinking about finding something new since I'm tired of this G1 already... but I doubt I'm going to be "pinging" too many people on a BB. I use smartphones more for apps and texting and internet (oh, and for talking to people too)... so if this is pretty much a true statement in regards to BB, I don't think BB is for me. But curious to see if others agree...
Will I be able to tether the 9700 to my laptop with T-mobile?
Meh. I had an 8330 and now have a 9630. I'm done. Completely disappointed in RIM and the absolute lack of any innovation. They just keep changing the form factor, making the interface slightly more pretty and maybe throwing in an extra 128MB of storage. Forget it. My Tour is only marginally better than my Curve was. My next phone will likely be an android device. RIM has spent the last couple years resting on its laurels. Nothing new here.
I don't understand why so many people complain about the BlackBerry OS. If you weren't aware, BlackBerry started out as being a business customer focused company, not consumer. To that regard, the OS is simple and easy to navigate for a business user. It was not meant to be a media centric, flashy OS that would appeal to the consumer market. If it ain't broke, why fix it? If BlackBerry completely revamped their OS, I'm sure that there would be more people complaining about it rather than praising the new interface. Yes, RIM has been slowly creating devices that would also appeal to the average consumer, but who wouldn't take this opportunity to make an extra buck? Their main focus will always be the business customer. Basically, if your main concern about a phone is about the OS and not the functionality of an actual smartphone, you should probably be looking at another device.
RIP CRACKBERRY
Where's the touch screen?
Awesome Awesome phone.....i currently have the Nokia E71 which according to me is the best nokia device to date......however i would like to switch to the blackberry for its trackpad and the Hi-Res Screen....I was wondering if i get a sim-free blackberry in the UK and run let's say the 3 pay as you go sim on it....would i be able to use 3G Internet???...ive heard that you can only do that if you have a contract phone...So my question is 'Would i be able to run the blackberry bold 9700 similarly to the Nokia E71'...hope ive made my self clear...cheers guys
I just purchased the Bold 9700. A very intuitive device! The trackpad has the perfect sensitivity level and is extremely accurate. 3G is a huge inprovement from the EDGE network
I'm so grateful they've done away with the trackball. It's way fiddly and a pain in the ass to repair yourself. I'd get it repaired by a shop but they charge money and it'll eventually break again so I'd rather fix it myself on my terms knowing that I can.
I have been lusting after this phone for the longest time now and was disappointed to find that it feels too fragile to buy. I stopped by the local Tmobile and compared it to the other BB offerings and I'm going to have to go with the Curve 8900: the trackpad is nice but it is the most delicate feeling part of the entire phone (the next most delicate part is the top end of the phone... you can feel it flexing with the slightest pressure from your fingertip... I don't think this thing can survive many falls). Also, the trackpad does work smoothly but it is not nearly as responsive as I would like it to be and it certainly feels like it was rushed into production. The 8900 (3.9oz) is lighter than the 9700 (4.3oz) but feels much more substantial. Ixnae on the Oldbae.
cant waitt !!!!
Apparently it goes on sale today from AT&T for $450 off contract.
The phone is absolutely gorgeous. I had a 3gs but decided I wanted a blackberry. So far Im not missing a thing! Display and overall phone functionality is great as well. Everyone will have there opinions on OS's and on other phones being greater, But one fact is, is that Blackberry phones/ OS has been the most consistent and reliable.
This is a great phone, but will be my last Blackberry until they dramatically upgrade the software.