The 8530 is what started it all, at least for me. Almost a year ago (mid-November), I picked up my first BlackBerry and have been mildly content with it ever since. Of course, when I first bought it, I knew nothing of build quality, memory, internet speeds, etc. I was just enamored by my first bout with a smartphone. When I started writing for BBerryDog and learning more about RIM, I started to expect a lot more of them than what I got with my 8530.
…Enter the 9330.
I have to say that I am not blow away by the 9330, but it is a huge upgrade over what I am using at the current moment. It’s easiest at this point to compare and contrast the two phones. While the similarities are astounding, the difference make the 9330 well worth spending extra cash on.
How They Compare
The form-factor of the 8530 and 9330 is almost identical. Upon using the 9330, I found that there was no familiarization period with the keyboard as they are practically identical. Both phones still have the dedicated media keys on top (which I have mixed feelings about), a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top left, mini usb directly under the jack, and 4 soft keys (a volume rocker on the right and two programmable shortcut keys on either side). The camera resides at 2.0MP with no flash on both devices.
I am overjoyed that they kept the form-factor of the 8530 when making the 9330. One of my favorite parts of my phone is that it is so light and thin at 3.7oz and 0.55”. The phone is extremely pocketable, making it great for just sliding in and out of your pocket. My biggest problem with this “upgrade” is that RIM failed to deliver a better camera on the 9330. 2.0MP is just atrocious, as smartphone cameras go.
How They Differ
As far as appearance goes, the only difference between the two is that the 9330 has a shiny, gray bezel around the face of the phone and also lacks the rubber spacers between the 4 face buttons (send, BlackBerry button, back, end/power). According to the specifications offered by Big Red (Verizon), the 9330 and 8530 have the same screen resolution, but I have found that the 9330’s screen has a much more crisp looks to it. I noticed darker darks, lighter lights, and overall better contrast.
Both phones use a 1150 mAh battery said to give you approximately 252 hours of standby time. For the past few days, I have been using my 8530 only for texting and calls (calls have lasted a total of 6:37 with 217 texts) and the 9330 for tweeting (50+ refreshes plus my own tweets) and browsing. The 8530 had to be charged once on Friday in the middle of the day. Both phones had been off the charger since 6 and both had gone through the rigors of being enclosed in cement containers (classrooms). The 9330 still held half of it’s charge after tweeting almost all day. I had sent 4 texts from the 8530 and was in the yellow (under 20%).
My favorite part of the 9330 has to be the keyboard. If you’ve ever used an 8530, the keyboard is the most unstable phone keyboard I’ve ever used. The keys slide all over the place, often resulting in mistypes and buttons not being completely pressed. Thankfully, I did not run into this issue with the 9330, as the keyboard is very tight and responsive. The trackpad was also wobbly and poorly constructed on the 8530, which is not the case with the 9330. The 9330, above all else, has fixed all the issues I had with the physicality of the 8530.
So Should I Spend My Money On This?
My simple answer would be no. If you want the best BlackBerry you can get your hands on without breaking the bank, then the 9330 is definitely the way to go. The 8530 is really what got me to where I am right now, but I can’t, in good conscience, recommend it to anyone, not with the other devices out today. If you don’t plan on being a hardcore user, and the BlackBerry is mostly just for email, then the 9330 wouldn’t be a terrible choice. However, if you want a high-quality smartphone you should probably go with something like the 9650. It’s a little more expensive, but I would definitely say that’s your best bet.
