BlackBerry Bold 9700 vs BlackBerry Bold 9900
A spec-by-spec comparison of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and the BlackBerry Bold 9900, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Bold 9900 |
|---|
| Price | $4,995 | $250 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Battery | 1,500 mAh | 1,230 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| Screen size | 2.44 in | 2.8 in |
| Main camera | 15 MP | 5 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 122 g | 130 g |
| Released | Nov 2009 | Aug 2011 |
Summary: BlackBerry Bold 9700 is ahead on our rating, battery, main camera, weight (lower is lighter). BlackBerry Bold 9900 is ahead on storage (max), screen size.
★ Which should you buy? BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the cheaper option.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Bold 9900 |
|---|
| Type | TFT, 65K colors | TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 2.44 inches | 2.8 inches |
| Resolution | 480 x 360 pixels | 640 x 480 pixels |
| Pixel Density | ~246 ppi | — |
| Protection | — | N/A |
Platform
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Bold 9900 |
|---|
| OS | BlackBerry OS 5.0, upgradable to 6.0 | BlackBerry OS 7.0, upgradable to 7.1 |
| Chipset | Marvell PXA930 | Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon |
| CPU | 624 MHz | 1.2 GHz |
| GPU | — | Adreno 205 |
Memory
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Bold 9900 |
|---|
| Internal | 256MB RAM, 256MB Flash memory | 8GB storage, 768MB RAM |
| Card slot | microSDHC (up to 16GB, 2GB card often included) | microSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32GB |
Main Camera
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Bold 9900 |
|---|
| Single | 3.15 MP (or 3.2 MP), autofocus | 5 MP, LED flash |
| Features | LED flash, 2x digital zoom | Geotagging, face detection, image stabilization |
| Video | Yes | 720p@30fps |
Selfie Camera
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Bold 9900 |
|---|
| Single | No | No |
Battery
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Bold 9900 |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery | Removable Li-Ion 1230 mAh |
| Talk time | Up to 6 hours | Up to 6 h 30 min (2G) / 5 h 50 min (3G) |
| Stand-by | Up to 19 days (or 21 days) | Up to 307 h (2G) / 307 h (3G) |
| Music play | — | Up to 50 h |
Body
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Bold 9900 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 109 x 60 x 14 mm (4.29 x 2.36 x 0.55 inches) | 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm |
| Weight | 122 g (4.30 oz) | 130 g |
| Keyboard | Full QWERTY | QWERTY physical keyboard |
| Navigation | Optical trackpad | — |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | Mini-SIM |
| Build | — | Plastic back, stainless steel frame |
Comms
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Bold 9900 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | 2.1, A2DP | 2.1, A2DP |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS | — |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 |
| Positioning | — | GPS, with A-GPS |
| NFC | — | Yes |
Launch
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Bold 9900 |
|---|
| Announced | October 2009 | May 2011 |
| Status | Discontinued (December 2011) | Available |
| Release Date | — | August 2011 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, BlackBerry Bold 9700 or BlackBerry Bold 9900?
BlackBerry Bold 9700 — 1,500 mAh for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 versus 1,230 mAh for the BlackBerry Bold 9900.
Which is lighter, BlackBerry Bold 9700 or BlackBerry Bold 9900?
BlackBerry Bold 9700 — 122 g for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 versus 130 g for the BlackBerry Bold 9900.
Which is newer, BlackBerry Bold 9700 or BlackBerry Bold 9900?
BlackBerry Bold 9900 — Nov 2009 for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 versus Aug 2011 for the BlackBerry Bold 9900.
Is the BlackBerry Bold 9700 or the BlackBerry Bold 9900 rated higher?
We rate the BlackBerry Bold 9700 7/10 and the BlackBerry Bold 9900 6/10.
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