BlackBerry Torch 9800 vs. iPhone 4

Wirefly Learn » Resources » Cell Phone Comparisons

August 10th, 2010

Overview

Tormented by the likes of the Apple iPhone and a barrage of touchscreen Android-powered devices, faithful BlackBerry users have long dreamed of the day when they too could tool around their devices with nothing but their index finger, while at the same time never straying from the comforts and conveniences of their beloved BlackBerry keyboards. On August 12, BlackBerry’s minions have great cause for celebration as RIM’s next generation BlackBerry hits Wirefly’s virtual shelves. The AT&T-bound BlackBerry Torch boasts a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard along with a spacious touchscreen and BlackBerry’s all new operating system.

The difficult choice between the Apple iPhone 4 and BlackBerry Torch 9800 is sure to make some AT&T subscribers lose sleep. While we can’t give you a definitive answer as to which of these two smartphones is going to be your best bet, we can offer to make your decision an educated one.

Key Differences

• Operating system: Launching alongside the revamped and much-improved BlackBerry OS 6, the Torch 9800 touts the highly anticipated latest bake of BlackBerry’s mobile operating system. With a web browsing experience that rivals that of the iPhone, the Torch 9800 also offers an enhanced media interface, close integration with social networks, a revamped homescreen and more. The Apple iPhone 4 is running iOS 4, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system. iOS 4 brings the iPhone multitasking abilities, along with a number of usability improvements and feature updates. Certainly, there are many differences between the two powerful operating systems that are beyond the scope of this relatively succinct comparison. Of course, the decision between the two operating systems is one of personal preference — and perhaps a decision easily swayed by familiarity with one operating system or the other. Familiarity aside, both operating systems offer a great users experience and are easy to learn no matter what device you may have had in the past.
• Power: All things considered, the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and Apple iPhone 4 are powerful solutions for both work and play. Both devices boast 512MB of RAM — the current industry standard for high-end smartphones, and the mark of a capable multitasker. The iPhone 4, however, has a faster processor than that of the BlackBerry Torch, making the iPhone an overall more powerful device. Particularly when running more processor-intensive applications such as advanced games, the iPhone 4 will outshine the BlackBery Torch 9800. In most day-to-day activities (web browsing, email, etc.), however, both devices will offer a comparable level of performance.
• Display:With a crisp and mid-sized display (3.2″, 360 x 480 pixels), the BlackBerry Torch is a certain competitor in the realm of high-end smartphones. The Apple iPhone 4, however, bests the Torch with a high-resolution industry best 960×640 pixel display dubbed a “retina display.” At 3.5-inches, the iPhone also offers a slightly larger display. A device’s display size and resolution undoubtedly plays a large role in any number of activities, notably web browsing and movie watching.
• Camera: Both devices are equipped with an advanced 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and a bright LED flash. The iPhone 4, however, has the ability to record HD-quality video at 720P and offers on-board video editing capabilities by way of a mobile version of iMovie. The iPhone 4 also touts an impressive video chat experience (limited to WiFi at the time of this comparison) that can utilize either a front-facing VGA camera or the rear 5-megapixel camera.
• Keyboard: Of course, the Apple iPhone 4 boasts one of the best virtual (on-screen) QWERTY keyboards of any full touchscreen device. The BlackBerry Torch, however, offers a fantastic physical slide-out QWERTY keyboard reminiscent of that found on the BlackBerry Bold 2.  Users preferring a physical QWERTY keyboard will likely favor the Torch over the iPhone.
• Apps: While the BlackBerry platform has a growing number of available apps, there are many more applications available for the iPhone than the BlackBerry.  Of course, however, many of the popular applications available for the iPhone are also available in some form for the BlackBerry.

Side-By-Side Comparison

	BlackBerry Torch 9800	Apple iPhone 4
Wirefly’s Price (as of publish date)	$99.99	Not available at Wirefly
Carrier	AT&T	AT&T
Operating System	BlackBerry OS 6	iOS 4
Interface
Display	3.2″, 360 x 480 Pixels	3.5″, 960 x 640 Pixels
Data Speed	3G	3G
Global Roaming	Yes	Yes
WiFi	802.11 b/g/n	802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 2.1	Bluetooth 2.1
GPS	aGPS	aGPS
Mobile Hotspot	No	No
Camera	5-megapixel, LED flash and autofocus	5-megapixel, LED flash and autofocus
Front-facing Camera	No	VGA
Video Capture	Yes; Up to 640×480 picels	HD; Up to 720p
HD Output	None	None
Apps	BlackBerry App World	Apple App Store
Adobe Flash Support	No	No
Storage Space	4 GB on-board; 4 GB microSD card pre-installed (support for up to 32GB card)	16GB or 32GB on-board flash drive
Keyboard	Physical slide-out QWERTY	Virtual QWERTY
Battery	Up to 5.5 hours talk time; up to 400 hours standby	Up to 7 hours talk time; up to 300 hours standby
Processor	624 MHz	1GHz Apple A4
Memory	RAM: 512MB	RAM: 512MB
Microsoft Outlook Support	Yes	Yes
View Word Docs	Yes	Yes
Weight	5.68 oz	4.8 oz
Dimensions	2.44″ x 4.37″ x 0.57″	2.31″ x 4.5″ x 0.37″

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