Home : Mobile : Reviews

BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 review

By Sandra Vogel, 19 Aug 2010

Rating:

Price as reviewed:£281 ex VAT

The latest BlackBerry is here. However, without the as-yet-unreleased OS 6, should anyone but serious email addicts even consider it? Read on for our verdict.

The screen is rather disappointing. It's a bit small at just 2.4 inches across the diagonal, and it has a decidedly dated and cramped resolution of just 320 x 240 pixels. This simply isn’t enough for activities like streaming media and web browsing. It's not as clear or as sharp as the displays we are used to seeing in higher end smartphones either. If you're new to smartphones, then you might not notice, but if you are considering switching from another smartphone the screen could be a reason to think twice.

Another disappointment is the camera. At just two megapixels and with no flash it is, on paper, very much an entry level specification. Not surprisingly, photos in general are lacking in definition and crispness and indoor shots look very disappointing. The camera is OK for very casual use, but it is a definite low point. Video fares even worse with the highest shooting resolution at just 360 x 240.

Voice call quality was superb, but battery life was more of a mixed bag. With a smallish screen to power, the 1150mAh battery actually managed to deliver more than a day’s battery life in our informal tests, as long as we stuck to mobile email and voice calls. Push the GPS, Wi-Fi, web browsing or music playback and a battery fully charged in the morning will probably need a recharge by the afternoon.

The BlackBerry Curve 3G isn't anything we haven't seen before. As expected, it's great for mobile email, but without version 6 of the BlackBerry operating system, it falls down when it comes to web browsing. Nor were we impressed either by the poor quality screen and camera.

The Curve 3G will appeal to already committed BlackBerry owners and first-time smartphone buyers on a budget, both of whom will appreciate the handset's low price on contract. However, existing BlackBerry owners with more money to spend will probably be better off waiting for the touchscreen Torch and there's little here to tempt existing owners of other smartphones.