BlackBerry Curve 9380

Available now
15th November 2011

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is the first smartphone in the Curve range to feature a touchscreen. But of course, that means that it isn't really a Curve at all.. so what is it?

In essence, this is a cut-down version of the BlackBerry Torch 9860, a handset that hasn't really made much of an impact in the market. Presumably, Research in Motion believe that coming up with a cheaper version will boost sales, but we suspect that this isn't the real problem here.

Before we go any deeper, perhaps a look at the technical specifications are in order. The BlackBerry Curve 9380 has a 3.2" 360 x 480 pixel touchscreen display, a 5 megapixel camera on the back, WiFi and 3.5G support and GPS, plus the latest (and last) edition of the BlackBerry OS, version 7. NFC support is included, but there really isn't a lot of consumer demand for that yet.

The problem is that specifications of this sort might have been vaguely impressive in mid-2009, but as we are now coming up to the end of 2011 it is looking like a pretty low-end device with similar specifications to the €190 HTC Gratia. We suspect though that BlackBerry will be charging rather more than that for the 9380.. and if they do, then the question is why?

Despite improvements in the latest version, the BlackBerry 7 OS is not really very competitive with rivals. RIM know this, and the next generation of BlackBerry handsets will run a new OS called BBX, based in part on the operating system in the unsuccessful PlayBook tablet.

If you are a long-time BlackBerry fan then you will probably want a physical keyboard. If you are shopping for an inexpensive touchscreen smartphone, then you will probably want an Android device. If you are seriously considering the Curve 9380 then the iPhone 4S is probably out of your price range, but perhaps a more interesting alternative will be the forthcoming Nokia Lumia 710.

If, despite all this, you still want a Curve 9380 then they should be available sometime in the next few weeks.