BlackBerry Bold 9700 vs BlackBerry Torch 9800
A spec-by-spec comparison of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and the BlackBerry Torch 9800, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Torch 9800 |
|---|
| Price | $4,995 | $2,499 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Battery | 1,500 mAh | 1,270 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| Screen size | 2.44 in | 3.2 in |
| Main camera | 15 MP | 5 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 122 g | 161 g |
| Released | Nov 2009 | Aug 2010 |
Summary: BlackBerry Bold 9700 is ahead on our rating, battery, main camera, weight (lower is lighter). BlackBerry Torch 9800 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 Torch 9800 is the cheaper option.
Researched with AI assistance by infozme.com from manufacturer and retailer sources — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Torch 9800 |
|---|
| Type | TFT, 65K colors | TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 2.44 inches | 3.2 inches |
| Resolution | 480 x 360 pixels | 360 x 480 pixels |
| Pixel Density | ~246 ppi | — |
| Pixel density | — | ~188 ppi |
Platform
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Torch 9800 |
|---|
| OS | BlackBerry OS 5.0, upgradable to 6.0 | BlackBerry OS 6.0 |
| Chipset | Marvell PXA930 | — |
| CPU | 624 MHz | Marvell PXA940 624 MHz processor |
Memory
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Torch 9800 |
|---|
| Internal | 256MB RAM, 256MB Flash memory | 4GB storage, 512MB RAM |
| Card slot | microSDHC (up to 16GB, 2GB card often included) | microSDHC, up to 32GB (4GB card included) |
Main Camera
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Torch 9800 |
|---|
| Single | 3.15 MP (or 3.2 MP), autofocus | 5 MP |
| Features | LED flash, 2x digital zoom | Autofocus, LED flash, image stabilization, face detection, geo-tagging, zero shutter lag |
| Video | Yes | VGA (640 x 480) |
Selfie Camera
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Torch 9800 |
|---|
| Single | No | No |
Battery
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Torch 9800 |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery | Removable Li-Ion 1270 mAh battery |
| Talk time | Up to 6 hours | Up to 5 h 40 min (2G) / Up to 5 h 30 min (3G) |
| Stand-by | Up to 19 days (or 21 days) | Up to 312 h |
Body
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Torch 9800 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 109 x 60 x 14 mm (4.29 x 2.36 x 0.55 inches) | 111 x 62 x 14.6 mm (4.37 x 2.44 x 0.57 in) |
| Weight | 122 g (4.30 oz) | 161 g (5.68 oz) |
| Keyboard | Full QWERTY | Sliding QWERTY physical keyboard |
| Navigation | Optical trackpad | — |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | Regular-SIM |
Comms
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Torch 9800 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | 2.1, A2DP | 2.1 with A2DP |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS | Yes, with A-GPS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 |
Launch
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 | BlackBerry Torch 9800 |
|---|
| Announced | October 2009 | August 3, 2010 |
| Status | Discontinued (December 2011) | Released August 2010 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, BlackBerry Bold 9700 or BlackBerry Torch 9800?
BlackBerry Bold 9700 — 1,500 mAh for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 versus 1,270 mAh for the BlackBerry Torch 9800.
Which is lighter, BlackBerry Bold 9700 or BlackBerry Torch 9800?
BlackBerry Bold 9700 — 122 g for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 versus 161 g for the BlackBerry Torch 9800.
Which is newer, BlackBerry Bold 9700 or BlackBerry Torch 9800?
BlackBerry Torch 9800 — Nov 2009 for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 versus Aug 2010 for the BlackBerry Torch 9800.
Is the BlackBerry Bold 9700 or the BlackBerry Torch 9800 rated higher?
We rate the BlackBerry Bold 9700 7/10 and the BlackBerry Torch 9800 6/10.
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