After a stint with the Q series, in the form of the Q5 and the Q10, BlackBerry is back with the BlackBerry 9720, which looks to us like another attempt to garner some market share. The device shouts of itself being a mid ranger, 521MB RAM and an 806MHz processor reassure us of the same.
There’s no word on price or availability as yet, the device has only been announced. But that’s almost what we need to go ahead with this quick review, so let us get on to it without any ado.
Camera And Internal Storage
The device comes with a 5MP shooter at the rear, and features no front camera, which is disappointing. What disappoints us further is that the 5MP shooter at the rear is of fixed focus type, which means you cannot change the focus to your required subject. This often leads to low quality images, or undesired results. This again goes to show that BlackBerry are still concentrating on the ‘corporate’ part of their devices. The 9720 comes with a paltry 512MB of ROM, which however, can be expanded via means of a microSD card. We would really like smartphones to go for an 8GB standard. 512MB is really disappointing, be it on a business-centric device.
Processor And Battery
Something which might disappoint once again is the fact that the 9720 carries a single core 806MHz processor, from the house of Marvel Tavor MGI. Unless the device is priced between 5-7k INR (which we don’t see happening, given BlackBerry’s track record of late), there will be buyers hard to find for this one. The 9720 might be one of those devices which comes and goes without making much of an impact, unless the pricing is done really aggressively. The phone packs a 1450mAh battery, which is seen as impressive. This is because the screen on the device is a rather small 2.8 inch unit, which surely won’t be a battery monger. Nor will the single core processor be one. You can expect the phone to deliver according to BlackBerry’s promise of 7hrs of talktime and 18 days of standby.
Display And Features
The device features a rather small display, measuring just 2.8 inches diagonally. However, the resolution on this teeny panel is an impressive (and rather unorthodox) 480x360p, which takes the pixel density to a respectable 246PPI. However, given the size of the screen, we don’t see many users using the device for multimedia purposes, except say, for music. Using the phone otherwise should be an average to good experience. Other features of this device include 3G HSDPA 7.2Mbps, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth V2.1, GPS and A-GPS. All this, on the BB OS v7.1.
Comparison
There aren’t many devices in the market today which compare to this one, solely for the fact that the market has moved towards touch-screen based devices more. However, some tried and tested Nokia touch and type phones might be seen as close competitors. Other devices which can be compared to the BlackBerry 9720 can be Blackberry’s own Q5, and perhaps a handful of Android devices costing about 20,000 INR, which includes the Micromax Canvas 4, Gionee E5, etc.
Key Specs
Conclusion
The device seems like an average BalckBerry. What we hope to see is the device being priced well, which would give it some extra attention. The market is already tending towards Android based devices, and BlackBerry phones have almost become a rarity these days. A smart price tag and good marketing can, however, bring good old BlackBerry back into reckoning. It should be noted that, despite falling in a similar price range, an Android and a BlackBerry appeal to completely different sections of the audience.
