Blackberry Curve 9380 deals & review

The BlackBerry Curve 9380’s move into touch-technology brings the handset a step closer to the young generation of web-users that the BlackBerry Messenger feature initially attracted. Touch-screen technology makes web-browsing easier and faster, and allows BlackBerry to catch up to Android and iOS in the market for mobile internet. The phone also boasts BlackBerry OS 7, the most recent addition to the BlackBerry operating system clan, and by far the most refined. While BlackBerry’s Curve phones are generally not the most advanced smartphones on the market, they provide functionality and style at an affordable price, and the Curve 9380 is no different.

Stylistically, the Curve 9380 mimics the sleek and glossy body of the Torch 9860, which itself has more in common with the iPhone than it does with other BlackBerry smartphones. The handset makes a small compromise on durability in order to remain light and compact, weighing just 98g, but this shouldn’t put off users wishing to find a phone that’s as light in the pocket as it is on the purse-strings. There are also four BlackBerry keys below the screen – menu, return, and a couple of dial keys – so it’s still easy to flip between menus and pick up calls.

With great colour saturation, 16 million colours, and a 360x480 pixel display, the Curve 9380 looks as good on-screen as it does off-screen. Ditching the physical keyboard also means that the 9380’s screen measures a very respectable 3.2”, over 0.7” more than the Curve 9360. With LED flash and auto-focus, the 5MP camera takes clean, sharp images that should suit the needs of any casual photographer. The phone’s 512MB of internal memory, which can be supported by an external microSD card with up to 32GB of storage, is more than ample for most users’ needs.

In terms of performance, the Blackberry Curve 9380 is a solid choice in the busy market for value phones. It runs Blackberry’s latest OS, Blackberry 7, which proves a popular update on OS 6. A great battery life of up to 360 hours on standby will appeal to on-the-go types, and the phone’s Assisted GPS is one of the more sophisticated GPS systems in mobile technology. The 800MHz processor won’t blow you away, but it’s a suitable choice for a no-frills smartphone intended primarily for web browsing. More intense gaming apps will be a little sluggish, but that’s to be expected from any mid-level phone.

The Curve 9380 is essentially a communication device rather than a media device: its target demographic will use their phones to stay in touch via the web and social media. This is really where the new Curve’s touch-screen comes into play. Touch technology allows users to browse the web quickly and easily, and zooming, clicking and scrolling are all possible with a few simple movements. BlackBerry traditionalists lamenting the loss of the QWERTY keyboard needn’t worry, as the on-screen keyboard retains the QWERTY layout for its well-spaced and highly responsive keys.

All of this makes the BlackBerry Curve 9380 a highly-usable phone, particularly for heavy users of mobile internet. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HSDPA ensure connectivity wherever possible, and most e-mail clients are supported. When it comes to media, the phone’s high-quality video-playback and decent media player should still satisfy most, and the brand new BBM Music app introduces an exciting fusion of online music with the already established BlackBerry Messenger app.

If you’re not entirely convinced by touchscreen technology and prefer the tactile response of pushing real fingers on real keys, you may prefer one of the more traditional BlackBerries, such as the Curve 8520. Alternatively, if you’re looking to experience a full colour touchscreen in all its glory, the Samsung Galaxy S Plus makes for a fun, vibrant alternative to the Curve 9380.