BlackBerry Bold 9700 vs BlackBerry Curve 9300
A spec-by-spec comparison of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and the BlackBerry Curve 9300, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Curve 9300 |
|---|
| Price | $4,995 | $20 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Battery | 1,500 mAh | 1,150 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| Screen size | 2.44 in | 2.46 in |
| Main camera | 15 MP | 2 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 122 g | 104 g |
| Released | Nov 2009 | Aug 2010 |
Summary: BlackBerry Bold 9700 is ahead on our rating, battery, main camera. BlackBerry Curve 9300 is ahead on storage (max), screen size, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so BlackBerry Curve 9300 is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Curve 9300 |
|---|
| Type | TFT, 65K colors | TFT LCD, 64K colors |
| Size | 2.44 inches | 2.46 inches |
| Resolution | 480 x 360 pixels | 320 x 240 pixels |
| Pixel Density | ~246 ppi | — |
| Pixel density | — | ~163 ppi |
Platform
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Curve 9300 |
|---|
| OS | BlackBerry OS 5.0, upgradable to 6.0 | BlackBerry OS 5, upgradable to OS 6 |
| Chipset | Marvell PXA930 | Marvell PXA930 |
| CPU | 624 MHz | 624 MHz |
Memory
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Curve 9300 |
|---|
| Internal | 256MB RAM, 256MB Flash memory | 256MB RAM, 256MB ROM |
| Card slot | microSDHC (up to 16GB, 2GB card often included) | microSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32GB (2GB card often included) |
Main Camera
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Curve 9300 |
|---|
| Single | 3.15 MP (or 3.2 MP), autofocus | 2 MP |
| Features | LED flash, 2x digital zoom | No flash |
| Video | Yes | Yes (basic) |
Selfie Camera
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Curve 9300 |
|---|
| Single | No | No |
Battery
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Curve 9300 |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery | Removable Li-Ion 1150 mAh |
| Talk time | Up to 6 hours | Up to 5.5 hours |
| Stand-by | Up to 19 days (or 21 days) | — |
Body
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Curve 9300 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 109 x 60 x 14 mm (4.29 x 2.36 x 0.55 inches) | 109 x 60 x 13.9 mm (4.29 x 2.36 x 0.55 in) |
| Weight | 122 g (4.30 oz) | 104 g (3.67 oz) |
| Keyboard | Full QWERTY | QWERTY physical keyboard |
| Navigation | Optical trackpad | — |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | Mini-SIM |
| Colors | — | Shadow Blue, Violet, White, Red, Black, Graphite Gray, Smoky Violet |
Comms
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Curve 9300 |
|---|
| 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 |
| Positioning | — | GPS |
Launch
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Curve 9300 |
|---|
| Announced | October 2009 | August 2010 |
| Status | Discontinued (December 2011) | Discontinued |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, BlackBerry Bold 9700 or BlackBerry Curve 9300?
BlackBerry Bold 9700 — 1,500 mAh for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 versus 1,150 mAh for the BlackBerry Curve 9300.
Which is lighter, BlackBerry Bold 9700 or BlackBerry Curve 9300?
BlackBerry Curve 9300 — 122 g for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 versus 104 g for the BlackBerry Curve 9300.
Which is newer, BlackBerry Bold 9700 or BlackBerry Curve 9300?
BlackBerry Curve 9300 — Nov 2009 for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 versus Aug 2010 for the BlackBerry Curve 9300.
Is the BlackBerry Bold 9700 or the BlackBerry Curve 9300 rated higher?
We rate the BlackBerry Bold 9700 7/10 and the BlackBerry Curve 9300 6/10.
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