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Welcome to the BlackBerry Classic review, the first ever official one for us. Before the very popular iPhone and Nokia the various BlackBerry models where at the top of the game in terms of text and talk communication. Back in the day Blackberry had genuine secure communication hardware and software before anyone else hence the choice of the VIPs, rich an famous. Unfortunately like Nokia, BlackBerry failed to innovate fast enough on their user interface and their App stores fast enough to compete with Apple hence their dire situation in 2015.
So a brand new Blackberry Classic was the top of our collective must try review lists and the conclusion... The new Blackberry Classic recommended retail price is around the $500 mark outright which is probably just about right but a $400 tag would help gain sales traction but it is available on various plans which is good for new users. After all - let's face it existing users and demographics will probably buy one outright because they can afford it!
In terms of construction the new Blackberry Classic is very good. Despite being the entry level model it is solid and very well made phone. The Blackberry is a retro design in some eyes but perfection in others. It genuinely does not have any design flaws like the iPhone for example. You can mumble about the plastic rear back but it does serve it's purposes of be tactile to hold and use securely. Perhaps it's could be considered heavy but not really since if feels good in the hand. If the weight tires you out you really need medical help. In the world a slabs with featureless faces with curve edges it's a stand out and classic design. Put it this way it has a business class look the latest flawed iPhones or even Samsung's simply cannot match.
In terms of hardware the BlackBerry has the latest relatively large high res screen equal to the latest phones in terms of clarity it just happens to the half the length. Thanks to the touch screen being genuinely 3.5 inches wide is better than the narrow iPhone despite the larger overall size for example. Sure the screen should have been bigger fair enough and often quoted viewing angles but isn't that the point of security? I don't want the person next to me reading my email? Apart from that it's CPU and other hardware is modest but thanks to an efficient orating system it seems quicker and smoother than Android based mobile phones running the same hardware spec and just a slick as the latest iPhones although none is as smooth as Windows Phone OS.
In terms of use the latest BlackBerry Classic OS is quite logical. For those coming from Windows Phone or iPhone may find it different at first but it doesn't take long to workout how things works. It's all about BBM software really and the user interface which is a logical combination of touch screen and keypad. Aside from that the BlackBerry Classic is also reasonably quick to load and run apps and browse the internet as any other reasonable mobile phone we can think off. The focus of the BlackBerry is that is focused as messaging, video and voice comms for formal or business/professional use. If you're a younger person who simply can't deal with actually talking or responding to emails then this is not the phone for you, it's not a multi-purpose App platform like the others.
A great keypad, decent touch screen, security, some entertainment options but limited apps make the BlackBerry Classic a great phone for communicating not really for entertainment. The Blackberry Classic is great at what it was designed to do and if it meets your requirements than its the phone for you. There is no other phone bar the entry level phones that is targeted so specifically at a particular type of user.
Specifications
- Blackberry Classic (2014 edition)
- Network
Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Quad-band 3G and 4G 850/2100/900/2100 (depend on country)
- Design
Keypad and Touch screen
- L131 x W72.4 x D10.2 mm
- Weight 177 grams
- Display/s
3.5 inch 720 X 720 pixels
- Camera
12MP
- Video Camera
1080p @ 30FPS main video camera
2MP video phone
- Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth V4
- CPU
1.5 Ghz Dual core
Separate Graphic CPU
- Memory
2 Gig RAM
Up to 16Gig for user
Up to 128Gig micro-SD expansion
- Features
Ambient light, Proximity, Accelerometer
FM radio
A-GPS
- Li-Po 2515 mAh battery
Up to 2 weeks Standby
Up to 11 hours Talk Time
- Price history
Approx $500 AUD Jan 2015 (Outright)