BlackBerry Torch 9860 / Reviews

The BlackBerry Torch 9860 eschews the QWERTY keypad of previous BlackBerry generations. Instead, it has a 3.7in touchscreen placed above a set of push buttons and an optical trackpad. It’s unclear if the move to a touchscreen is meant to attract new customers or move loyal customers over to touchscreens.

Read original review at Expert Reviews.

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There’s not much else to say about this handset really. The 5-megapixel camera is pretty bad, snapping noisy images that lack detail and clarity, as is the 720p video playback. Connectivity is all there, bar support for HSPA+, and there’s a lot to like about BlackBerry OS 7, providing you haven’t used Android, iOS or Windows Phone, such as Social Feeds and the excellent messaging facilities onboard. But none of this is enough to save the handset, unfortunately. RIM’s BlackBerry platform has very little left to offer in the way of USPs – BBM is now gone, as is push email. Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android platform and even Microsoft’s Windows Phone all do everything RIM’s BlackBerry OS does and more. For this reason it’s almost impossible to recommend this device, or any BlackBerry handset for that matter, partly because BlackBerry OS 10 is just around the corner and none of these handsets will run it but mostly because RIM just fails to offer anything in the way of value anymore.

Read original review at Know Your Mobile.

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Blackberry have managed to create another stunning device in its own way. It’s not really an Android or iPhone killer but I still love the device. The whole form factor that makes the Torch 9860 very different to other handsets, with so many key features and specifications it makes this device worth considering.

Read original review at Coolsmartphone.

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Compared to the competition, it's hard to know exactly who the BlackBerry 9860 is going to appeal to. For your average man on the street, mid-range Android handsets beat it for price and features (if not build), and have a much better stocked app store. And it certainly doesn't have the might to take on the likes of the iPhone 4S or Samsung Galaxy S II. This only leaves the corporate market and BlackBerry fans. With regards the former, the touchscreen form factor may not sit well with the majority of users, particularly when the typing experience isn't quite good enough. Likewise, don't BlackBerry fans buy them primarily for the keyboard anyway? Whatever the case, this certainly isn't a bad phone, just not one we'd outright recommend.

Read original review at TrustedReviews.

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With a price tag of Rs. 26,500 for a totally touchscreen BlackBerry that’s way better than anything the Storm series was able to offer, the Torch 9860 does seem like a good option. However, it does have chinks in its armour and one tends to expect a little more from a 1.2GHz processor. It’s a decent handset, sure, but you’d be better off with the Bold 9900 that offers a full QWERTY physical keypad and manages to function just a little better than this device. The lack of volume in apps available for the OS is still a bit of a downer though so you might wish to consider another OS if you’re not a BES user.

Read original review at tech2.

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The BlackBerry Torch 9860 is an impressive offering from RIM that all but dispels the memories of the dissatisfying Storm and Storm 2 touchscreen phones. The Torch 9860 is easy to use, features a good camera and the Liquid Graphics interface looks stunning on the 3.7-inch screen.

We were disappointed with the layout of the virtual Qwerty which, in contrast to the beautifully designed UI, was clunky, old-fashioned and not that easy to get to grips with. We know that there are better touchscreen typing experiences out there, which doesn’t sit well with the rest of the BlackBerry stable in our minds - you think BlackBerry, you think a top class typing experience and that’s not what you get here.

Read original review at Recombu.

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Overall the BlackBerry Torch is a great Smartphone and performs well in virtually all areas. That said it is still a BlackBerry and the big question you need to ask yourself is that if you are getting a BlackBerry would you be better suited to one with a hardware keyboard.

I think the 9860 is perfect for those of you that use a lot of media such as watching videos and browsing photos as well as using the web. I am a big BlackBerry fan but I have to be honest and say that if the answer to the above is 'yes' then would you be better suited with an Android device or an iPhone? As far as I can see the only real advantage to using the Torch 9860 over other platforms is BBM.

Read original review at Tracy and Matt.

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RIM has at last proved it can produce a workable toucscreen-only smartphone, finally laying the ghost of the Storm handsets to rest.

But in doing so it raises another spectre. We're so used to a widget-based screen system that, on a handset with a 3.7in. display we were surprised to be faced with a blank home screen that requires you to draw up application menus. At the very least we'd like calendar reminders and/or a much larger time and date display in the blank space.

Read original review at ZDNet.

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The BlackBerry Torch 9860 turned out to be a great surprise and is excellent value for money. It has a gorgeous screen, decent battery life and plenty of multimedia features that are surprisingly fast. It also features a whole host of extra services, including BBM. All that's left to improve is the OS, which isn't quite yet 100% right for a touchscreen interface.

Read original review at Digital Versus.

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Some areas of the BlackBerry Torch 9860 feel a little antiquated as a consumer device. Diving into the menus you still need to "save" as you make changes. We also can't help feeling that, although the sliding app tray, and the choice of homescreen menus is useful, it isn't as dynamic as other operating systems. Without the app tray up, you're looking at a simple wallpaper, so you don't get the same sense of immediate control as you might from widgets, notification bar controls or lockscreen controls.

Read original review at Pocket-lint.

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