BlackBerry Bold 9900 Review
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Review: August 2011 |
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Last updated April 2013.
Phone rating: 
In a nutshell: Bigger than previous
Bolds, the 9900 benefits from a larger keyboard and a better
screen. The screen is touch-sensitive too. Backed up by a 1.2GHz
processor, 768GB of RAM and 8GB of built-in memory, the Bold
9900 has everything a business workhorse needs, including BlackBerry's
peerless messaging and security. We wish it had a larger battery
though.
Best buy: *Free* from BuyMobilePhones
(Black).
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In 2010, we "boldly" proclaimed the BlackBerry
Bold 9780 to be the best business mobile on the market. And it's
stood the test of time as a rock-solid no-nonsense platform for serious
users with zero tolerance for gimmicks. But it's time for an upgrade,
and we've been looking forward to the Bold Touch for some months now.
Well it's here, and the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is bigger and bolder than
ever! It's quite a lot larger in the hand actually, although thinner,
as if it's been sat on by an elephant (a gentle, caring, techno-savvy
elephant). The result is that it's really quite large in the hand, although
the reduction in thickness makes it feel perfectly manageable, and in
any case the wonderful QWERTY keyboard is now larger and even more wonderful
than ever. Overall the device feels rock solid with its stainless steel
frame and looks the business with premium styling.
There are other updates inside the case, which we'll come to in a minute,
but the biggest and most exciting change has to be the addition of a
touch-sensitive screen. The screen is 30% larger than previous Bolds
and with a higher resolution too, making it pin sharp. And now you can
prod it like those iPhone and Android phones! The BlackBerry 6 operating
system first went touch-sensitive on the BlackBerry Torch, and proved
itself to be a capable and easy-to-use interface adding genuinely useful
functionality. And now here on the Bold we have BlackBerry 7, and it
feels so natural we're starting to wonder how we ever managed without
it. There's not a big difference between BlackBerry 6 and 7 as far as
we can tell, but that's fine. RIM have used a smooth and responsive
capacitive screen on the 9900 with pinch and zoom capability and something
called Liquid Graphics (for faster graphics rendering). The familiar
optical trackpad is still here though, and you can drive the user interface
using the buttons and trackpad if you prefer, perhaps just using the
touchscreen for web browsing. That's what we love most about the combination
of physical QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen - you can use the most appropriate
method to make the device do what you want. Which is how it should be.
The Bold 9900 still does everything well, especially messaging. Whether
it's email, SMS or BBM, everything works smoothly under BlackBerry 7,
and in fact it's not very different to older BlackBerries. Some things
change though, and facebook and twitter are now part of the communications
mix, and are integrated well with other forms of messaging. The facebook
and twitter apps have been updated as well. Web browsing isn't as satisfying
as on the iPhone or Samsung
Galaxy S2, and with a smaller screen it's never going to be a great
experience, so don't buy it for that reason. The Documents To Go app
lets you browse and edit office documents. You want more apps? Hey,
this isn't the iPhone, get real!
The hardware has been upgraded, with a very fast 1.2GHz processor and
768MB of RAM, so it never misses a beat. Sure, there are phones around
now with dual-core processors, but the Bold isn't trying to do the graphics-hungry
stuff that require such intense processing. It does the jobs it needs
to without a hitch. There's also plenty of storage available, with 8GB
of built-in memory and the capacity to accept 32GB microSD cards.
Photography has never been part of the core functionality of a BlackBerry,
but the Bold 9900 does have a decent 5 megapixel still camera with LED
flash, and even has the capability of recording HD video. There's no
video calling though.
The connectivity of the new Bold has also been updated with the latest
options. The 9900 supports Near Field Communication (NFC) for connecting
with NFC-enabled devices and smart tags. NFC is probably the way of
the future, but it doesn't do a lot right now. This might change over
the course of a two-year contract, however. There's also dual-band Wi-Fi
(802.11 2.4 GHz b/g/n, 5GHz a/n) in addition to the usual Bluetooth,
USB and 3.5mm audio connections. HSDPA and HSUPA are present and correct
too, as well as GPS.
There's one thing bugging us about the 9900 though, and it's the battery.
The previous Bold 9780 had a 1500mAh battery. The new Bold has just
1230mAh. BlackBerry's own benchmark figures show a marked decrease in
standby time for the new phone, so we're left puzzled and a little frustrated
by this decision. Careful users may get a couple of days between charges
if they turn off GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use. But heavy
duty users might well have to spend a lot of time with their phones
plugged in, and that could be annoying.
The 9900 is the best of the Bold series. It retains everything that
made the Bold such a huge success in the first place - connectivity,
security and ease of text entry. True, it can't compete with similarly-priced
phones when it comes to consumer features like the camera, web browser
and apps, yet it's not a consumer-targeted product. It's such a shame
that the battery sucks.
Features of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 include:
- 5 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, LED flash and HD video
recording
- Transmissive TFT display: 640 x 480 pixels, 2.8 inches
- Media player (Supports MP3, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, Flac, Vorbis,
MPEG4, H.264, H.263 formats)
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, instant messaging, push
email with attachment viewer
- Built-in speakerphone
- Voice dialling
- Voice memo recorder
- MP3 ringtones / polyphonic ringtones
- GPS with BlackBerry Maps and digital compass
- Personal organiser functions
- Vibration alert
- Internet: Web browser, RSS feeds, GPRS, EDGE,
HSDPA
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, USB, 3.5mm stereo headset port,
NFC
- Memory: 768MB RAM plus 8GB onboard memory, plus microSD memory card
slot (up to 32GB)
- Size: 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm
- Weight: 130g
- Quadband GSM (1900/1800/900/850 MHz) plus UMTS (2100/1900/850/800
MHz)
- Battery: 1230 mAHr removable/rechargeable lithium-ion battery
- Talktime: 5.9 - 6.3 hours
- Battery standby: up to 307 hours
BlackBerry Bold 9900 User Reviews
Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this
phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so
please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive
language, and please, no advertising!
Average rating from 72 reviews: 
Reviewed by mjr from wales on 25th Apr 2013
Good phone, but heavier and bulkier and battery provided is a mystery
- badly underpowered. never used the touchscreen as so used to a blackberry
without! Too bulky for my little hands and battery life too much of
a hassle to be reliable for me. Went back to the Curve 9320 - screen
not as sharp etc etc, but lasts the whole day, is small and light and
for what i need a phone for is more suitable.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Haze from England on 21st Jan 2013
I've had this phone for 7 months now and if you're not sure whether
to get it, I would reccomend it! Its an awesome phone in my opinion.
The build quality is much better than any other blackberry out there.
The lock button and volume keys on the metal band arround the phone
work really well. OS 7.1 works amazingly well! the display is good,
the touchscreen is SO useful! I use it alot as it helps out and the
pinch to zoom on the internet works great. The internet overall is okay,
slightly faster than any other blackberry. The light-up track pas is
pretty cool. The qwerty keyboard is the BEST to type on. I type really
fast thanks to it and no-one else should have problems making mistakes,
I have big hands and it still doesn't make mistakes in spelling or stuff.
The LED notification light is alot better and richer in colour. The
camera is really good, flash makes pictures so much better. The battery
life isn't even as bad as some people say. Its all to do with keeping
your phone cool and not over-using the battery. You can always get an
extended battery like i have :) i get pretty much most the day with
it. The Bold 9900 is really user-friendly so most people shouldn't have
problems getting used to it. The flaws of this phone are that sometimes
it lags and the clock icon comes and freezes for a minute. When app
world is loading it takes like a minute loading which is silly. Sometimes
there are delays when you go onto something or are typing something.
Thats about it really. Of course there are much better phones you can
get but if you have your heart set out on this then go for it :) overall
i'm happy
Rating:
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Reviewed by Andy from UK on 17th Oct 2012
I have a Bold 9700 and my wife has a Bold 9900 and both suffer from
the same problem - dodgy charger connection - will only charge the phone
if it is leant against something. Add to that the abysmal battery life
on the 9900 my wife is far from happy with it. I have had 2 Bold's in
the last 4 years and in general have been more than happy, however I
am due to upgrade in December and although I see BB have a new model
coming out in 2013 both I and my wife are moving to the dark side and
will be getting iPhones - I think BB's have had their day. BBM's were
always a selling point but with the amount of contracts with unlimited
texts and calls seems rather pointless now. Especially has you have
to pay extra for the Blackberry side of things...
Rating:
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Reviewed by Anonymous from Isle of Man on 14th
Oct 2012
In the past I have never used blackberry, but I decided to get one.
It is very good but I was disappointed when I couldn't use some things
e.g BBM because I needed to have the blackberry contract. Everything
is very good, the camera is the best I've seem on a phone, much better
then the new iPhone but on the other hand the battery life sent very
good, so I charge it every night. Other than that little glitch the
phone is.l outstanding!
Rating: 
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Reviewed by Haze from England on 25th Sep 2012
I had this phone for a month, loving it for the first 2 weeks. Then
problems started to occur. Also, first day I got it and opened it, the
bottom plate wasn't even fixed in properly. I had to push it into place.
Even though I was taking good care of it when I'd press the lock button
it would lock, when I tried unlocking it, the phone would delay the
function and it was like, SO annoying. My old phone was the Blackberry
Curve 9300 and that always had the timer freezing the phone for like
a minute randomly. And the same thing started to happen AGAIN with the
9900... And the screen plate that has the "end call/call/media key,back
key" was loose and every time I used the trackpad it felt rough and
like it was going to scrape my finger everytime. I'm not putting it
down though. This phone is actually amazing, much better than any other
blackberry. Battery could be better but I don't have any major problems
with it. Lasts me like 8 hours, more or less depending on how much I
use it. It only needs 1 charge a day and I leave it to charge over-night.
The OS is very good, much more improved. The keypad is so good to type
with, so soft and easy to type. I have big hands and I dont make any
mistakes with this phone. Very user-friendly and to be honest I reccomend
it to other BlackBerry fans. I guess I'll have to take more good care
when my new 9900 arrives
Rating:
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Reviewed by Ian from England on 6th Sep 2012
I would be lost without a trusted Blackberry. The 9900 is the best yet.
However it really should have a better battery. Although not a major
issue as I have chargers at work and in the car. Just becomes a problem
when you are out all day. However I still love it. Camera is also the
best that ever had on a Blackberry.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Shah from Pakistan on 4th Sep 2012
Probably one of the best phones I have owned
Everything about it is just topnotch be it the screen, keyboard, touch
input,call quality,or professional stuff that is the core of b.b
The only problem that can be highlighted is the battery life which is
extremely poor especially when compared to Nokia e6
Moreover its slightly on the larger side so slipping it into tight jeans
pockets can be an issue.
Apart from that it is just an outstanding device which does what it
is intended for superbly
Awesome device & does justice to it's price tag
Rating:
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Reviewed by mse from NZ on 19th Aug 2012
I find that this phone is really for the person who knows exactly what
they want, rather than an 'all in one' package. If you fall in this
consumer category, iPhone is the way to go. I have specific needs (and
also tastes) and Blackberry meets them. The product itself is high quality,
make and design. I have upgraded from the 9000. Blackberry is really
your classic business phone. Nothing more, nothing less.
Rating:
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Reply by Jay from England on 14th
Sep 2012
Blackberry used to be your classic business phone except every modern
phone can perform their functions now (sending and receiving emails
and IM is not unique), it is no excuse to say its not an 'all in one
package'. If the phone has the function it should perform it well that
is not an unfair expectation for $600+, the OS is as flawed as the battery.
I can only imagine your specific needs and tastes consist of having
a phone that lasts until only lunchtime and disappointing your employer/customers
when you are unreachable for half the day. It is no coincidence that
RIM is losing money at a time when they have failed to adequately improve
their product to keep pace with the market.
Reviewed by Jay from Nigeria on 5th Aug 2012
I had been and continue to use a HTC but got this as bbm is essential
in Nigeria it seems, however I am really disappointed as I used to have
the curve but in comparison the battery here is awful. It really is
not an exaggeration to say if you browse for an hour or so the battery
is almost drained, generally you would always have to begin charging
by around lunchtime. In addition to this mine has an annoying habit
of occasionally rebooting for no reason whenever I try to unlock it.
RIM is not going to be around much longer if they don't make a real
effort with their new OS as this one is clearly just a rehash of what
has gone before.The hardware is mostly sound but the OS is so buggy
and slow guaranteed the phone will freeze at least once a day always
when you most need it this phone will test you resolve not to just fling
it out of the window! A blackberry with android would be perfect, the
only reason to keep this phone is bbm and if everyone used whatsapp
its essentially pointless. I have had many phones of differing brands
through the years when this works (which is not often) its excellent
but overall I would say its thw worst phone I have ever owned.
Rating:  Reply
Reviewed by Mark from uk on 23rd Jul 2012
this really is a solid reliable phone,if you remove the social feeds
app the battery life is brilliant easily 2 days using constantly for
emails, messaging and dare i say phone calls which incidently are cyrstal
clear. Sure you cant compare it to an iphone after they really are two
different beasts but as a solid communicator its superb with no issues
to report as yet.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Hassan from England on 20th Jul 2012
I just got this phone 2 days ago and I really like it! Its so easy to
use and I love the bigger keypad and light up trackpad! I wasn't so
sure about getting this because of people complaining about battery
life. But i went ahead and got it and it works perfectly fine. Should
last you most the day. Everything is better than other blackberry's
and i totally recommend it
Rating:
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Reviewed by Brian Adair from UK on 16th Jul 2012
I have got the bold 9900 and i have been looking at all the reviews
about battery life. First of all its an excellent phone for typing and
communicating with. Second its called battery management all phone now
a days use a lot of juice. Deal with it (Manage It) Overall a great
phone. I have been using the iphone for the past 2 years now that is
a battery killer so think yourself lucky. Carry a spare !!!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Katie Price from Brighton on 2nd Jul
2012
Really is a great phone upgraded from a 9780
Rating:
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Reviewed by JH from England on 21st Jun 2012
Amazing! I got this phome and got the iPhone 4s but had to change back
as this phone makes you fall in love. The QWERTY pad is easy to use
and for on goers who don't stop. Excelent.
Rating:
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Reviewed by ian from uk on 14th Jun 2012
i've hada bb curve 8520, bold 9000, torch 9810.. loved and hated them,
i hate bbs! i moved onto iphone and i have a galaxy s2... traded my
torch for bold 9900.. omg i am in love again! its premium quality, the
battery only lasts at most for 10 hours, no matter how many people say
it lasts for days. if you play music or watch vids it'll last around
4 hours. so i got myself a spare battery and portable charger, it's
worth it.. this phone is the best bb out there and sexy as ;)
Rating:
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Reviewed by Rog from UK on 12th Jun 2012
This is my second business issued Blackberry and I remain unimpressed.
The battery life is terrible on this model, and my colleagues agree.
The combination of touch screen and trackpad causes issues when I use
the trackpad (which is what I am used to, having used a 9700 previously)
but catch the screen with my thumb, resulting in many instances of mistakenly
selecting the wrong email/message/webpage etc. Two key strokes to type
numbers is still ridiculous, and I thought having a touch screen would
enable the editing of an email message you reply/forward, and also allow
cut/paste of text, but alas this functionality is still absent. It is
also not as stable as the 9700, therefore I have to rate it lower than
the 9700.
Rating: Reply
Reply by Mark from England on 20th
Jul 2012
After reading lots of complaints about the battery I was a little worried
however I stumbled across a forum where the advice was all the usual
things like brightness, update etc but also it seemed that the best
thing to do was delete the social feeds app. This is only my 2nd day
with the phone so it's only had 1 charge it's now now been on for 14
hours and I'm on 60%, I've used my phone for quite a few calls,emails
and messages as well as having a bit of play.So try it and see if it
helps and let us know
Reviewed by Kat from England on 20th May 2012
Rubbish phone 4th one int 3 months!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Brian from UK on 12th May 2012
RUBBISH!!! Had a curve 8900 before that was fab, upgraded to the 9900
and have had nothing but problems - i have 3 contracts for myself and
family and within 5 months we've been through 7 handsets!
Battery is dire, as someone who travels on business this phone is only
any good if you turn everything off, otherwise lucky to get 12 hours
out of it. Various software issues - although still in contract have
convinced vodafone to swap all handsets to something else - anything
other than BB!!!
I predict them going bust very soon
DONT TOUCH WITH A BARGE POLE
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Was from UK on 19th Mar 2012
this is my third blackberry and just upgraded from a 9780 Bold which
was excellent. This new 9900 Bold howevere is useless. The touch screen
is pathetic and the battery life will last half a day if you put the
phone to some use. It amazes me as I use this phone and think why is
it so hard for blackberry to make a phone which can compete with others
on the market?? It seems they are going backwards with their technology.
The only thing holding me on bb was the bbm function, however the Bold
has now gone and the Iphone 4s has been purchased, and I tell you what
you notice the difference in quality, ease of use, apps, battery life
and overall excellence. DO NOT GET THIS PHONE.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Harv from UK on 5th Mar 2012
I'm a big Blackberry fan. Recently got the 9900 which is my 5th consecutive
Blackberry. The phone looks great but the battery life was so atrocious
that I had to swap it for a 9810 after a couple of weeks.
Rating: 
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Reviewed by Jasper from England on 19th Feb 2012
UTTERLY DREADFUL DESIGN FAULT...Had the Bold 9700 before the 9900, that
was quite a good phone. Upgraded to the newer model and within a day
was cursing the track pad. The old Bold has a raised track pad surrounded
by a crome bezel, this new one is flat and flush with the cheap feeling
plastic which is less than 1mm from the bottom of the touch screen.
So with it being a touch screen when you put your finger or thumb on
the track pad if you touch the screen ... which I did frequently, it
jumps to whatever you have touched...Battery...has it got a watch battery
inside ??. Sold it.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by kamran from united kingdom on 17th
Feb 2012
not good
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by tom from northern ireland on 10th
Feb 2012
AWESOME PHONE LET DOWN BY A POOR BATTERY, HEAVY USERS BEWARE. BETTER
BATTERY AND THISE PHONE WOULD BE PERFECT.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Tahel Miah from Bangladesh on 27th
Jan 2012
Had this phone for a week now and i love it to pieces, much better than
the iPhone by far!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Elizabeth from England on 26th Jan
2012
Honestly, some people that review these phones say the most ridiculous
things at times. Saying ignore reviews about the battery as people text,
tweet, email, play games etc.! isn't that the reason we use the phones
for these days especially when you are on the go, as a business person,
i use the email an awful lot and a lot of other things on it that helps
my business and i find that the battery runs down very quickly and i
have got very frustrated with it. I can assure you that just because
i complain, doesn't mean that i am not using it correctly either!!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Jack from Ireland on 12th Jan 2012
This is my 4th BB HAVE IT 1 month and I love it but it froze today.
I took out battery and reloaded and that did the trick but I am concerned
that it migh happen again. Battery time isnt an issue as I have a THB
Bury Car kit which charges the phone as well. its the Take and Talk
which I have had for the last two curves (you just change the cradle
for a new set)- brilliant.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Marc from London on 10th Jan 2012
Having read mixed reviews about this phone, mostly about battery life
I was uncertain if I had made the right decision. All I can say is that
I am delighted with the 9900! It has a quility feel, the touchscreen
is a dream to use (as good as iPhone etc)and the querty keyboard is
just outstanding. I have disabled features that I don`t use on a regular
basis such as wifi and GPS and also set the screen brightness to a sensible
level along with the vibration settings. This has helped battery life
and I get about 2 days with moderate use. Ignore people who bang on
about battery life. These are people who text, tweet, facebook, email,play
games and listen to music all day, then moan the battery is flat! Transferring
all my settings and cotacts etc from my old Blackberrywas soeasy, it
took 3 minutes using the Blackberry desktop software. I didnt even have
to re send my BBM contacts my new pin, all sorted automatically. In
summary, a great looking quality phone that does all it says and more.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Stuart from UK on 9th Jan 2012
Had the Bold 9900 and its the Worst phone ever, battery life is terrible,
hangs all the time, a rubbish phone to say the least. If your a heavy
business phone user don't get this phone!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Donal from Ireland on 28th Dec 2011
Got this phone for Xmas one word - EXCELLENT!!! Tricky to set up at
first since its my first Blackberry but its working like a charm now.
Battery last for 2 days. People who are complaining are just not using
it correctly. If you after a QWERTY phone then this one for you.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Jodie from England on 23rd Dec 2011
WOULDNT RECOMEND ANY ONE TO BUY THIS PHONE! I have to fully charge it
2ce a day. When i 'try' to unlock my phone it take about 1min to finally
unlock. It freezes all the time even whilst i'm on the phone sometimes.
I had the Blackberry Curve 3G last it was great had no problems with
it. If i was to choose between this phone or my old one I'd pick the
Curve 3G.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by peter from manchester on 16th Dec
2011
got this phone for my daughter and had nothing but trouble changed it
3 times lots of problems with the lock button and also screen freezing
and unable to use some of the apps its very disappointing as she waited
for this phone to come out after having the curve with no trouble for
2 years now changing to the iphone
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Barney from Australia on 15th Dec
2011
Well i recently switched to BB. Always had nokia, except for the very
early motorola. I think that the best use for the BB is to prop open
the back door to let the breeze in. tried both 9800 torch and when it
had to go in to be replaced (would not send SMS) they lent me a 9900
bold, (GPS did not work). seems that everytime i connect to the PC i
have to remove the battery. i am running the latest software. ran the
latest in both phones. Orientation is another very annoying bug bear.
I have an old samsung touchphone that beats the BB hands down.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Qaiser Walvir from India on 10th Dec
2011
RIM has lost it! I used 9900 for few months and tried almost every possible
software update but battery life sucks big time. Awesome phone otherwise
but I wouldn't have complained if it was a little thicker to have a
bigger battery that would at least run through out a day (Min 15 Hrs).
I still love and prefer a 9780 and if OS 7 is that good for you then
9790 instead. I don't know why RIM opted for 1000 to 1230 mAH battery
for os 7 devices?
Rating:
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Reviewed by tommy from London on 4th Dec 2011
BEST PHONE ever !!!!! That's all that's got to be said here I've had
best part ofblackberry and iphones over the past few years and never
have I had a phone that does what its meant to do and that is just works.
My battery is the best I have ever had on a phone it last me right the
way through till 1:00 in the morning on heavy usage. WIKITUDE is a gimmik
but its nice to have on your phone. Its soo well built and when you've
had your phone charged all night and you go to pick it up and the steel
band is freezing it makes the phone feel soo nice I enjoy holding this
phone. I was a bit worried it would be a bit too big upgradeing from
9780 but actually its a wicked size it fits judt right in the hand and
its very solid. If you ask me RIM have made all the right moves with
this phone and BB os7 its a masterpiece :)
Rating:
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Reviewed by Sarah from UK on 2nd Dec 2011
After reading these reviews I was in two minds whether or not to upgrade
to the 9900 due to the poor battery life, however two days after giving
it a quick (not a full) charge, I am still waiting for the battery to
drain - this is after constant texting, a few calls,using the twitter
app and a couple of games. If you dim the backlight and shorten the
time for the backlight to blackout, use auto on/off, check the vibrate
and LED settings you should have no problems. Anyway about the phone,
I love it, has a good solid feel to it, much better keypad to the Curve,
the camera is good quality 5 megapixels is ample for me on a phone as
I own a camera) plus the addition of a flash and different shooting
modes is an excellent bonus compared to my old curve. Internet browsing
is fast, the home screen is excellent, with the choice of viewing all
icons, or only favourites etc, and also much easier now to change your
wifi settings or turn off your mobile radio as it's all on the home
screen. Anyone concerned about having to use the touchscreen, you don't
really need to, it still has the trackpad. Overall this is an excellent
phone, I cannot find anything to fault with it.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Tony from UK on 27th Nov 2011
This is my first BB nut after setting my wifes curve up I fell for the
simplicity of it, so decided on my next upgrade to get the 9900. My
previous phones have always been SE so was a bit apprehensive. I neednt
have worried - The 9900 is an outstanding phone for emails, texts, BB
messenger and internet browsing (Im not a game player). I was worried
about the battery life but perhaps this problem has now been sorted
because It lasts from 0600 through to 2200 no problem (an its not even
on low then). Had the phone a month now and I will say you will not
be disappointed as its the best phone I have ever had since my first
Nokia in 1996 :)
Rating:
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Reviewed by Tina from United Kingdom on 26th Nov
2011
Those of you complaining about the battery but love the phone itself
- get yourself a spare battery and carry it with you in emergency just
incase it dies when you need it. Problem solved!! :)
Rating:
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Reviewed by Liam from United Kingdom on 21st Nov
2011
I'm still sort of a BlackBerry newbie, but I have been on the BlackBerry
shop now for a couple of months and I am thoroughly impressed indeed!
I originally started on an 8520, then a 9780 for a couple of weeks and
now the 9900. I've owned the phone for just a few days but already,
I am absolutely blown away by how impressive this Blackberry really
is! This is by far, the best Blackberry out at the moment - yes this
phone may of suffered firmware and software issues during the release
and shortly after but these have very much now been phased out and fixed!
The first thing I noticed about the phone was WOW! The look and feel
of this Blackberry is absolutely lovely, especially the stainless steel
frame. The build quality of this phone is also spot on - much, much
better than the previous Blackberry's I have owned. One on my key things
about this 9900, is the awesome keyboard it comes equipped with - I
near enough got used to it straight away. Compared with my pre-owned
9780 & 8520, the keyboards on them took some time for me to get used
it. One thing I like about the 9900 as well, is how slim it is, it fits
into the hand lovely. The touchscreen on this Blackberry is absolutely
briliant too, the screen really is crystal and crisp and is very bright.
When I got the phone, it originally came from the .261 firmware version
but after various research I have upgraded to the latest official .540
version. I can confirm that the battrery life has vastly improved a
lot (as other reviewers have confirmed) but their again, one of the
minor bad points about this phone is that it only has a 1230 mAHr battery
(compared to the 9780 and other modern smart phones, which have much
rated higher battierties). In general though since the update, the phone
runs even more faster on its BB OS 7. Overall, I would give this phone
8 or 9/10. The only single and most noticable bad point with the phone
is the battery - in my opinion, this is the only thing that is stopping
the phone getting a possible 10/10.
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Reviewed by Darcyc77 from UK on 18th Nov 2011
Always been a Blackberry fan and recently upgraded from my long suffering
battered 8900. New 9900 is fantastic. The keyboard is arguably Blackberry's
finest and the overall build quality of the handset is fantastic. the
touch screen works a treat and OS is good too. Email FB Twitter and
the internet are all pretty spot on as you would expect. Having read
the reviews on this site (and other sites), a common thread is the poor
battery life which I personally dont agree with. The trick is to not
keep any apps open whilst not in use and then the battery is fine. Simply
hold down the Blackberry key to see which apps are open and close off
FB Twitter etc when not in use. also, dont keep the internet open, simply
click on the tabs icon on the top right and close off when not in use.
Problem solved.
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Reviewed by Dazza from UK on 15th Nov 2011
Just wanted to give an update on my previous review, Over the past few
weeks i've been trying different OS versions & i have to say the latest
official version OS7.0.0.503 is superb, not only is the handset even
faster to use overall but the battery life has increased for me by around
50%. this OS update is a must for all heavy users & i cant recommend
it highly enough, as i type my phones been off charge for 16hrs & ive
still got 35% battery left after heavy useage - couple hrs of calls,
fb,twitter, bbm & browsing. This update has now given me the best Blackberry
i've ever owned :)
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Reviewed by Ruth Pickering from England on 13th
Nov 2011
Purchased the Blackberry Bold Touch & after 2 weeks I had an issue where
the phone needed to be charged up & it would'nt work !! T-Mobile agreed
to exchange it for another one! Now this one is the same . When I contacted
T-Mobile the first time this happened ,I was informed by the Customer
Services Agent that they had other customers contact them with this
problem !
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Reviewed by Alex from England on 7th Nov 2011
I love this phone! Was scared cos of the reviews about battery life,
but it is absolutely fine! I do miss my htc though :(
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Reviewed by Laney from UK on 5th Nov 2011
This is my 2nd BlackBerry upgrading from a 9700, was worried about the
battery so purchased a car charger and a pod charger for work. Love
the phone, and has a keypad, only regret is the camera does not have
auto focus. Email, docs and fb , twitter great 10 stars for this. well
done BlackBerry.
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Reviewed by Chris from Glasgow on 2nd Nov 2011
Had my bold now three weeks and it is superb. My battery is lasting
nearly 3 days with moderate use. It's fast, crisp and clear screen and
a good camera. Music player is excellent. My iPod gave up and this is
now my sole device for Internet and music. I'm not missing my apple
at all. You won't regret getting this phone
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Reviewed by Kev from Uk on 2nd Nov 2011
Great phone, upgraded from bold 9780 and it works really well.touch
screen is great addition and it's very quick especially on web browsing.the
phone feels real quality and after a few days of using the battery seems
allot better than I feared and with my job I'm using phone all day.
Great phone all round.
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Reviewed by Andrea from United Kingdom on 31st
Oct 2011
Great love to bits was worried because i heard about the dreaded battery
life but then went with my instincts glad i did has all i want plus
a touch and the keyboard :) well done blackberry
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Reviewed by Dazza from UK on 23rd Oct 2011
This is the fourth Blackberry i've owned & i have to say i have mixed
feelings, the build quality and premium feel & speed of the handset
are superb but they are all let down by what can only be described as
"terrible" battery life. Such a shame as battery life has never been
an issue for me with any BB i've owned before but i struggle to get
6hrs out of this handset with moderate useage. I have have tried a few
different OS updates, both official & leaked but tbh they dont make
much difference, but i live in hope that an OS update will come along
to improve the batt life. Its a real shame as the 9900 is perfect in
every other way but you WILL find yourself constantly checking the batt
levels & charging every chance you get. Summary: only 3*** due to battery
but i still rate this phone as the best BB to date & im happy to stick
with it until the new BBX handsets come out in 2012.
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Reviewed by The Tiger That Eats Towerblocks from Croydon
on 19th Oct 2011
Best phone ever spoilt by a weak battery
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Reviewed by John from uk on 5th Oct 2011
very poor battery
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Reviewed by Massive Dwarf from England on 27th
Sep 2011
Im on my 3rd 9900 bold in last 10 days. First one kept changing date
to 2043 and invalidating many features on the handset. Second one i
got decided to delete the os and any software on it so as left with
a completely blank phone. PIcked up my 3rd one just now so fingers crossed
because despite all the problems with the software (and there are many)
and the pants battery life i love this phone, i never want to put it
down. Ill send a further more in depth review once i see how my 3rd
one gets on haha wish me luck
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Reply by Your replies from The same place
as you on 1st Feb 2012
Hahaa put it down, it's not your dog!!! But I totally agree with you,
don't worry I had to replace all of my bolds so far but this one has
that great holiness about it and it hasnt broke yet!! Bye and thanks
xx
Reviewed by Paul from UK on 24th Sep 2011
Took this as an upgrade mainly based on the quality/premium feel to
the handset, but wanting to have touchscreen functionality. The screen
is clear, and the operating system is 'ok'. The touchscreen isn't great
when you've come from using an iphone. However, take note of the reviews
on battery life - it is terrible. Very lucky if it gets through the
day on light usage - i thought people might have been exagerating a
bit, they're not! Taken it back to the shop...
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Reviewed by Russ from Uk on 23rd Sep 2011
Why why why! The battery has undone all bb's work. It's amazing but
the battery runs out by 3 pm on normal usage. Back using my bold9780.
Gutted. Why not just put a battery that can last a day that's all 1
day!
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Reviewed by James from UK on 23rd Sep 2011
Got this as an upgrade from 9780. Excellent phone, quick and very well
made - but the battery life is poor, otherwise would have been 5 stars!
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Reviewed by Alex from UK on 20th Sep 2011
I just got this phone and the first version had a security problem.
They sent me another the next day with no problem. This phone is fantastic,
it's very fast and very usable, it has to be the perfect balckberry
out there. The only downside is the battery, you'll have to charge this
phone everyday at least and that only if you use it lightly. This would
is the phone that if they put the right battery in (like the 9780) then
business women and man would have get this. SUCH A SHAME
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Reviewed by Uzair from UK on 17th Sep 2011
I have previously had the bold 9780, iphone 4 and samsung wave 2, now
have the 9900 and it is the BEST phone I've ever bought, I've handled
over 100 phones and this new bold is a SUPERB phone and it is the keypad
that does it, very satisfying, and for someone who doesn't like touchscreen
typing and prefer buttons like me then this is the phone for you. Bought
mine for £407 unlocked and brand new, best phone out now, everything
is perfect, not froze once, amazing interface, touchscreen is responsive
and gives NO lag, the battery life is a little disappointing, turning
all connections off including the mobile network at night has saved
me some battery life, lasts me about a day, but far too small to nag
at or blemish the positives of this phone
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Reviewed by John J from UK on 16th Sep 2011
Simply --- Awesome!!
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Reviewed by Richard from London , Hackney on 16th
Sep 2011
i got this phone yesterday and it is the best blackberry so far the
key pad is wicked and fast to type on...the screen is a little small
but ok i have just come out of a torch , i would have kept the phone
but the key pad was to small. the biggest problem with this phone is
the battery is stinks,the phone had a full charge last night so i switch
it on this morning i made a call at about 10 am for 20 mins and from
that call i lost 50% of my power by 12 am i was out of power, what a
joke i will be taken ths phone back to the shop and will be changing
it for a android phone, i think blackberry have shot themselves in the
foot launching this phone with such a rubbish battery life....silly
silly..i have used blackberrys for 5 years now and i will change tomorrow
to a android phone as all i want is a mobile that will last a day, IS
THIS TO MUCH TO ASK ?
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Reviewed by temi from nigerian on 15th Sep 2011
i love blackberry
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Reviewed by Minibraveheart from England on 14th
Sep 2011
Fantastic feel to it, great keyboard compared to older bold, touchscreen
a nice little touch to finish off a well put together phone BUT !!!
battery is a bit poor will need charging every day if not more.would
of been 5* but battery haslet it down slightly
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Reviewed by Sandra from UK on 11th Sep 2011
great phone but DO NOT GET THIS OR ANY OTHER PHONE WITH NETWORK OPERATOR
FIRMWARE IT MESSES UP MANY GOOD PHONES buy from an independant store
sim free
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Reviewed by Rodney from Peckham on 6th Sep 2011
Lovely phone, qwerty, touch screen and everything, cosmic at last a
phone to replace my E61i, well done Blackberry
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Reviewed by Cris from UK on 3rd Sep 2011
Got the 9900 a week ago. Unfortunately the phone is going back to Vodafone
this week. I have owned Blackberrys for the last four years I have loved
them all. Then I tried an iphone and I was amazed, except for not knowing
when I had received an email. I sent the iphone back and a few days
later I started missing the iphone!!! I rang Vodafone and I'm now getting
my iphone 4 back. I made a mistake,but going back to Blackberry made
me realise what I was missing much more by no having the iphone. Iphone
is great, you can still get your emails, media is great, applications
are amazing, phone feels quality, overall feels great! As much I have
loved Blackberrys all these years, now it's time for a change and iphone
seems to be the answer. The touch screen on BB 9900 is dissapointing
(only if you have tried an iphone), battery life isn't as good as BB
9000 or BB 9700 or BB 9780. Screen is too sensitive which is annoying.
Phone looks like a modern version of BB 9000. I don't use Facebook or
Twitter or any other social networking sites so can't give an opinion.
Overall great as any BB. I'll give 4 stars because of the battery life
as I'm a heavy user. Hope this helps. If you like BB it's a definite
buy. If you like the iphone 4, don't buy it.
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Reviewed by Matt from UK on 29th Aug 2011
Got this as an upgrade from the Iphone 4. Thought it wouldn't be able
to compare but it really does. Works brilliantly haven't had any problems
with it. The features you get with the phone are good but the only thing
I found from upgrading from an Iphone is that the app store isn't as
good but you do get an app store which isn't to bad. All in all an amazing
phone and well worth getting.
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Reviewed by Craig from UK on 29th Aug 2011
Quite simply the best phone I've owned. Looks and feels wonderful; so
sleek and elegant. The keyboard is great for typing out those long emails.
Perhaps the best keyboard to appear on a Blackberry. Battery life is
around 25% less than the Bold 9780, but this isn't a problem for me
because it's still a hundred times better than any HTC phone. There's
not a lot of Apps around, but apps are overrated for me. The in-house
Twitter & Facebook apps are extremely reliable and easy to use. RIM
has also updated their Social Feeds app and it now has a ton of new
features to keep you up-to-date with RSS feeds and social networking
all in one place. The camera is superb, despite no autofocus. HD video
is crystal clear, as is the screen. This is the first Bold with a touchscreen,
which is super-responsive and a joy to use. The trackpad still comes
in handy though and is by no way a redundant feature. Standout feature
has to be the browser. It's around 40% faster that the Bold 9780 and
it really shows. Works superbly well and has some nice features, like
the ability to add your own search engines so you can search eBay and
Amazon right from the address bar. Wouldn't trade it for an iPhone 10.
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Reviewed by Phil D from UK on 28th Aug 2011
Had this phone for a week and having had BB's for years together with
other phones including the iphone 4 there is no contest The 9900 beats
them all A quality piece of kit its easy to give it 5* rating well done
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Reviewed by coco from uk on 26th Aug 2011
This phone is one word - amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely love it screen
quality and brightness is superb and internet is fast. Love how its
so light too. Way forward better than an iphone - has bbm!!!!
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Reviewed by Paul B from England on 26th Aug 2011
I got my shiny new Bold 9900 a few days ago for my O2 upgrade. Wow.
I am quite lucky in the fact that this will only really be used for
work as I have the Samsung Galaxy S2 as my personal handset. The two
phones are not comparable as they are designed for different things
- I use my Galaxy for satnav a lot using the very intuitive Google Maps
Navigation (hasn't missed a beat) and the BlackBerry cannot compete
with this, but it's not meant to. I rate my mobiles on what they are
designed for. The email and messaging function on the BlackBerry is
unrivalled. I often receive my mail on the handset before my PC. Having
the bonus of a touchscreen brings the Bold right up to date with the
current market and works very well and isn't just a gimmick. There is
a noticeable speed difference with the new processor, the keys are a
pleasure to type on and the whole feel of the handset oozes quality.
I would thoroughly recommend the 9900. As an owner of quite a few mobiles
over the years I can honestly say that this is one of the best I have
owned. Buy it for the purpose that is was designed for, not comparing
it to the iPhone or latest premium Android handsetsand you will not
be disappointed. Plus, BlackBerry have seen fit to include a decent
leather pouch and cleaning cloth - bonus!
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Reviewed by phil da'drill from uk on 23rd Aug
2011
got rid of my iphone. this is in my opinion the ultimate smartphone.
with the exception of the amount of apps available on the iphone this
is superior in every way. the keypad is easy to use, call quality is
brilliant and the battery life isn't half bad. top that off with bbm
and everything in the garden is rosy... i cannot recommend enough...
6/5...
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Reviewed by LEO from UK on 22nd Aug 2011
Bold 9900 is a Blackberry on steriods. The speed of this thing is amazing.
The best QWERTY out there by a mile, you can type without looking even.
The screen is good and the 640x480 res makes a lot of difference. Im
not a fan of touchscreens so I hardly use it and I wish there was a
option to disable it. The only downside of this phone for me is the
battery. Where I was use to getting 2-3 days moderate-heavy use on my
9700 I only get 13-15 hrs from the 9900. This is quite disappointing
from RIM as one of the reasons why I stuck with BB is for their battery.
Would of got 5 stars.
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Reviewed by Simon Maxwell from England on 18th
Aug 2011
This is a wonderful phone! Rock solid build, blindingly fast messaging
and browsing, terrific call quality, beautiful to look at and immediately
compatible with Outlook, this is the best business phone on the market,
bar none. Thoroughly recommended - five stars!
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Reviewed by Steve C from UK on 18th Aug 2011
Received my 9900 on the 15th and sadly sent it back as the software
had not been fully installed by vodafone, therefore couldn't actually
open any emails. Replacement received yesterday and it is absoloutely
brilliant. I had the Storm 2, and the touchscreen software was so glitchy
that it became very frustrating. All these issues seem resolved. It's
super fast and very light - I highly recommend this to the hardcore
BB community - RIM have done really well on this one!
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Reviewed by BB Fan from UK on 13th Aug 2011
I got my Blackberry Bold 9900 yesterday and i think its an excellent
phone! I have also owned Bold 9700 and the Bold 9780 and i loved them
both, but this phone is by far superior. They phone is bigger than the
9700 and 9780 making the keypad extremely easy to use if you have wide
fingers, and the new and improved icons are very crisp! The touch screen
is very responsive i haven't had to touch an icon more than once to
get it to load, and the internet is very quick compared to other blackberry's.
The only downside to this phone is that the trackpad is a little slower
than on the bold 9780, (although it improved when i turned the trackpad
sensitivity up to 100) but its not really a problem because you don't
really need to use the trackpad at all thanks to the amazing touch screen!
Another great feature if you use your blackberry for work is the fact
that 'Documents To Go' comes pre-installed on the 9900, so that you
can view, create and send Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents
and also view PDF documents. I give this phone 5/5
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