Our definitive top 5 BlackBerry smartphones

Here at e2save we have always been strong admirers of the folks at RIM and their BlackBerry smartphones. Not only for their wide appeal to all age groups and walks of life but also for their longevity and timeless design.

So in tribute to BlackBerry we have compiled together a list of our top five BlackBerry phones that have given our customers more mobile for their money.

In fifth place: BlackBerry 8520

Possibly one of the most popular Blackberry’s of all time the 8520 holds the quintessential features that make a BlackBerry phone what is today. They are of course the inclusion of BlackBerry messenger and a revolutionary keyboard.

One of the first BlackBerry’s to switch from the trackball to the trackpad the 8520 was so much more than just another BlackBerry. Relatively cheap, cheerful and excellent for firing off a quick text or instant message the 8520 paved the way for BlackBerrys growing youth market.

However, the absence of 3G and GPRS means that the 8520 is sitting pretty in our fifth place slot

In fourth place: BlackBerry Curve 9300 3G

Now at a glance there isn’t that much of a difference visually between the Curve 3G and the 8520. This however isn’t necessarily a bad thing; after all we do still get to keep the fantastic keyboard we were so fond of on the 8520.

As you may have already seen by the name the 9300 has one all important difference and that is of course the inclusion of 3G. Now your mobile internet is that much faster and the 9300 is that much better as a result.

In third place: BlackBerry pearl 3G

BlackBerry really broke the mould with this one and it is somewhat of a ‘mini’ revolution for the Canadian tech moguls. That’s because the Pearl 3G moves away from that Classic BlackBerry look and moves instead towards something that looks like a slim and trim Nokia.

Although If you had to link the Pearl 3G to the BlackBerry family then think of it as the BlackBerry 9700’s slimmer and better looking cousin.

A 3.2 megapixel camera with flash makes an appearance on the back which is most welcome and so is the incredibly sharp 2.25 inch screen. But what about the QWERTY keyboard?

Well sacrifices had to be made somewhere, however don’t worry too much. The delightfully poppy buttons on the keypad and solid back panel still give a wonderfully good texting experience.

It is then for these reasons that the 9300 has managed to squeeze itself into our BlackBerry number three spot.

In second place: BlackBerry 9780

Now let’s get one thing straight, the BlackBerry 9700 was a very good phone, in fact it was a fantastic phone. Whether it was down to its powerful performance or slick usability the 9700 couldn’t help but transfer that feeling of reliability to anyone who used it. And although a little clunky, they were built well, which meant you didn’t have your heart in your mouth every time you’d drop or scratch it, not like today’s big glass and glitzy smartphones.

With that in mind when we saw that the 9780 was pretty much a carbon copy of the 9700 we immediately leaned in for a closer look. As it turned out the 9780 was the same but came instead with an update to BlackBerry OS 6 and some minor cosmetic upgrades. Safe to say this was more than enough to make the 9780 a fantastic addition to our top five and is more than deserving of its silver medal.

BlackBerry 9800 Torch

So here we are, we’ve finally reached our number one and as you can see it is the BlackBerry 9800 Torch (BlackBerry’s latest smartphone).

The 9800 Torch is above all things refreshing. Yes we love the BlackBerry email, we also love the BlackBerry messenger and we really love the BlackBerry keyboard. But will that always be enough? Well with Android recently becoming the most popular smartphone software in the world and Apple as per usual going from strength to strength we do have to question whether it will be.

The Torch is BlackBerry’s first real bold step at diversity, its first real step away from the classic BlackBerry look and feel. It has that lovely vibrant sliding touchscreen and also comes running the latest BlackBerry software (BlackBerry OS 6).

It might at first glances not look like a typical BlackBerry phone but in our minds that’s a good thing. It shows real evolution of BlackBerry going forward in terms of features and technology.

So what about all those people who don’t want to see change? Well the 9800 still includes that iconic keyboard, BlackBerry messenger and unified inbox to fall back on should Blackberry’s loyal fans raise an eyebrow or two.