BlackBerry Curve 9380: RIM’s All-Touch Smartphone

Amongst the five newly launched BlackBerry phones in the Philippines, the BlackBerry Curve 9380 is probably going to be one of the most successful in this line-up. It’s the first affordable (SRP: Php16,990) full-touchscreen offering of RIM and given the proper push from either Smart or Globe this will be a surefire smash hit locally. We were able to spend time with this phone two times already. The first was when we were in Jakarta, Indonesia for it’s global launch. The next occasion was the Philippines launch. Here are some of our initial impressions and observations.

The Curve 9380 is basically an entry-level version of the BlackBerry Torch 9860. It has lower resolution and screen size coming in at just 3.2″ with 360×480 pixels. It runs on an 800MHz processor and has 512MB RAM which is actually more than enough for this device. The apps run smoothly and it’s actually smoother than the BlackBerry Torch 9800. This model has a decent 5MP fixed-focus camera with LED flash. Note that this doesn’t have a front facing camera for video conferencing. You’ll find four physical buttons and the optical trackpad at the bottom of the screen which are the basic BB controls. There’s a 3.5mm audio jack as well.

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 falls into the “pocketable” category. People with big fingers might have a problem with the 3.2″ screen. Here’s a photo of what the on-screen keypad looks like:

Here’s a quick video we put together of the BlackBerry Curve 9380 PH launch as well as a quick hands-on so you get a better feel for the product.

Here’s another video from GSM Arena which focuses on the user interface:

So… is it good?

If you get this bundled with a postpaid plan, yes. Why? Because BlackBerry Unlimited Data Plans are cheaper versus the Unlimited Data Plans for other phones. Globe has a sweet P599 BlackBerry max plan and I heard that Smart will also be coming up with something affordable as well soon. For Php599 you get unlimited browsing, e-mail, BBM, and SNS. Awesome.

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 will sell for Php16,990 unlocked and without any contract via official resellers and distributors starting January 13, 2012. We’ll edit this post again once there’s more information from Smart, Globe, and Sun.