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BlackBerry Torch 2 hands-on photos

By Adam Zeis on 8 Apr 2011 10:34 am
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BlackBerry Torch 2 

Adding to the hands-on photos of the upcoming BlackBerry Bold Touch and the BlackBerry Touch (monaco) we've seen, we now have some new photos of the BlackBerry Torch 2 to add to the mix. The design is nearly identical to that of the BlackBerry Torch and again, you could say that this is really what the original Torch should have been. It has nearly twice the CPU power of it's older sibling and is running OS 6.1. For more on all the devices we should be seeing this year, check out our 2011 BlackBerry Smartphone Roadmap.

BlackBerry Torch 2 Key Specs:

  • Processor: 1.2 GHz processor
  • Radio: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE ; Tri-band HSPA 14.4Mbps
  • Display: 3.2" VGA - 480 x 640 capacitive touchscreen display
  • Memory: 8GB storage + 768MB RAM + up to 32GB MicroSD
  • Connectivity: WiFi + Bluetooth + NFC
  • Camera: 5 MP
  • Battery: 1300MAh battery
  • Dimension: 14.6mm thick
  • Sensors: magnetometer

We can hopefully put this on the growing list of devices that should be announced at BlackBerry World in May, so only a few more weeks and we'll know for sure. One more image after the break.

Source: BGR

BlackBerry Torch 2 Photos

BlackBerry Torch 2

Topics: BlackBerry Torch 2 News & Rumors Devices

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85 comments

shaun1580

I hope tmobile picks this up!

converteddroid

With the AT&T purchase of T-Mobile it shouldn't matter, because they will have the same phones.

datta72

That's "if" it gets approved which will take 10-12 months.........So hopefully T-Mobile does get it

diego.roscetti

Liking the new colour for the battery cover

jcastilloalonso

They should have really tried to go with a bigger battery

meske

+1

Or if that's not possible, do some serious optimization to extend the life. It's ok right now, but it's no bold...

mdjones21

This phone actually doesn't look like it'll be on the same level as the Touch or Bold Touch... The VGA display and small battery has me second guessing how good of a phone it will be. I don't know, it may be a great phone.

But that back looks sexy.

pmich

Completely agree... when i saw the resolution of the screen, i was completely disappointed. I was hoping for a higher res screen for such a beautiful device. I hope the Battery is better than the one i have on my current Torch which barely gets me through the day. (last night it did not).

mckillio

The old screen was HVGA+ though, this is a solid, slightly disappointing bump up. 480x360 to 480x640.

gbsn

Bold touch: 640x480
Torch 2: 480x640

Same resolution but in portrait, resolution argument is void.

But i can see the battery one having some validity

tezytan

Indeed.. this should be torch 1!

1magine

Still waiting for that all important photo showing the application memory. Does it say 512 megs or 8 gigs? That's the question. Is the memory for saving media, or for applications. Heard rumors, but not a single screenie confirming either way.

Maybe someone who has a web-site that records such information when an application is downloaded could share some insight?

mssca

This looks good... How about Bold Torch? I am buying a new phone around July and I am thinking about the new bold. I have a question for the current torch users... DO you like the slide out keyboard? Do you get the same feeling when typing on it compared to Bold 9700? Have you ever dropped your phone while the slider was open?

Thanks

Restless Soul

No, nothing beats the Bold Keyboard, this one is smaller but its "ok".

mrfld

I hate touch screen keyboards but I love touch screen menus. This my first BB and picked this one based solely on its physical keyboard.

I thought it felt weird playing with it in stores, but after having used it for more than 5 minutes I really like it. More than my e71x.

I was concerned how flat the keys were. Typing with the pads of my thumbs feels better than the tips of my thumbs. But what do I know, I'm a noob.

GingerSnapsBack

Touchscreen phones take some getting used to. I came to a Storm2 from a Curve and it took me a while to get used to typing on a v-keyboard rather than a physical one. After getting used to it, I love it.

GaryPumbaDX

IMO the slide out keyboard feels pretty good in my hand, I almost rarely (if ever) use the touch screen keyboard partially because it didn't feel as familiar as when using the storm which was my first BB. I moved to the bold for a couple months so as the others have said, the keyboard is okay compared to the bold, but the touch screen makes it much easier to navigate. I have (oh no!) dropped my phone when the slider was open and to my (very happy) surprise it survived well with a scratch here and a dent there, the only thing that happened other than that was that the phone slid itself closed.

meske

Like any phone keyboard, it takes some getting used to. I went from the Perl to the Bold to the Torch - all very different feels. Once I got use to the torch, had no problems with it. I actually prefer the torch and usually open it when I'm on the phone for a better "phone feel" - also, use the kbd for longer messages. The onscreen is good for quick replies or texting.

Very solid feel when open. The only complaint is the battery life on this baby... if you have a lot of apps open and running concurrently, it will drain the battery quick. If you use it for messaging only (and phone, of course), it can last a few days.

yboc

No, I don't get the same feeling when I am typing on the torch, only because there is no substitute for the bold. I have yet to drop my torch, hopefully it will never come to that. I can say that the bold is and always will be in a class by itself.

B_Blaire

Nice, but come on RIM. You guys need to catch up and regain your spot from the smartphone market. Still the same stuff. The only thing thats really changing is the CPU. Where's the 3.5 - 4.0 inch screen? Where's the front camera? Where's the high resolution screen? Maybe later? ...

NorthLondonGunner

Aww the bezel around the trackpad doesn't light up :(

Snipes

But I already HAVE a Torch lol! This seems a wee bit silly to me. I'd go for the Bold Touch if I'm going to upgrade.

j1ggz

No mobile hotspot? No hd anything? No front camera? That sucks. Might as well stick to my torch right now or get the bold touch.

mssca

512MB RAM of RAM? Hay RIM, almost all phones coming out next few years going to have either; a) more RAM or b) effecient OS that runs on less RAM. RIM's phones seems to have neither. Other phones like iPhone may have less RAM, BUT iOS takes little RAM to run at the first place.

RIM needs to pay respect to RAM. LOL
Pl let me know if I am wrong.

mckillio

Keep in mind that apps are no longer installed on the same memory. I wouldn't say that the BB OS uses that much RAM either, not to mention no one knows how much RAM OS6.1 uses, could be more, could be less.

Italianemperor

Agree with the 512 RAM comment, why don't the high end phones (Bold Touch, Montana, and Torch) have the same internal specs? Also, why is the Montana stuck with half the internal memory of the other two?

mckillio

I'm disappointed that it's the same weight and depth, Bold Touch it is.

UN4GTBL

No increased screen resolution?

same terrible battery?

no thanks.

Nice new battery cover tho :)

Fr3lncr

Screen resolution is doubled. Not sure about the battery.

UN4GTBL

Oh good call - i had to go back and compare it in the blackberry site. Didn't think mine was that bad lol

The battery looks to be the same one though.

Ronzdaname

This is my next phone! I have the original Torch and love it! Can't wait to get my hands on this one! 1.2GHz processor...bring it on!

mckillio

The horizontal res is the same and vertical is nearly double.

david.e.crocker@gmail.com

Um no......horizontal 360 goes to 480 and vertical 480 goes to 640.

mckillio

You should let RIM know, their site says "3.2" HVGA+ 480x360 pixel color display"

joeldf

Maybe that's because those specs are for the current Torch. They aren't going to have anything about the new Torch because it hasn't been officially announced yet.

mckillio

You are correct. The Horizontal resolution is given first though so it is staying the same but the vertical is increasing from 360 to 640.

Kiddo2050

Agree with Restless the Torch Keyboard is "ok" I was hoping that they would get the Bold 9700 keyboard into the Torch 2, disappointed that the pics don't show the keyboard.

I'm going with Bold Touch. The compass picture (over at BGR) seems to hint at possible WOW stuff from TAT though.

the brother

Torch 2? More like Torch 1.5

Fr3lncr

Pretty much. Wish they would have improved the actual device instead of just the insides. Maybe Torch 3 will be it.

JustinGTP

Ugh, now they will pulling an Apple. Torch 1, Torch 2, Torch 3, Torch 4....

the brother

JustinTime, didn't they already do this with the Pearl, Storm, Bold, Tour and Curve?

miller

No Mobile Hotspot? I think this is the deal breaker for me to make me go Bold Touch.

djfawbz

I'm thinking of getting the new torch mainly because of the bigger screen, but I'm use my bb A LOT during the day so I think I might go with the Bold touch which might be more effecient for me... I'm taking suggestions...

Deathcommand

It says BlackBerry twice. haha
Hopefully it gets fixed.

piper975

One of the pics on BGR shows the Blackberry Bridge to Playbook connecting with bluetooth screen and if this is running OS6.1 does that mean that 6.1 is going to drop before April 19th so that the current Torch can connect using Blackberry Bridge ???

the brother

shirley there will be a free app that gets added into app world and ota on bb.com in the next week or 2.

ested23

It would be PERFECT if RIM puts ADOBE 10.1 or 10.2 on these Blackberries. I am hooked on Blackberries though. It definitely needs to be on the power level of the HTC Evo, HTC Inspire or HTC thunderbolt.

Cula

for that price they should stop using a plastic backcover and improve the quality a bit :/

SkaterGuy2k

BOOOOOOOO this thing needs a bigger battery for sure and also would be great to know the Video camera specs, will it have the 720p or do we get the Sh!t end of the stick. love my torch came from a 9700 and i love it, the only thing that sucks is the battery doesn't last long at all have to charge it after eight hours. However it is still a great phone but cant convince my self to drop 6 bills for a phone with just as crappy battery life as the one i have now. Fingers crossed this is not the final product.

P.S Love the new battery cover

17.michal

i love the "not for sale" note at the bottom...if i got one in my hands, they'd have to use a crowbar to get it out ...

Masahiro

The main difference (so far, according to leaked specs) from the Bold Touch is this phone is HSPA+. Assuming RIM can make the battery life work well with it, that's a pretty big difference between the two. Hopefully the Bold gets HSPA+ as well.

alpinechem

Not good RIM. i have the Torch and i am not going to buy it. 512MB RAM not enough. where is front camera, high resolution screen.

Flip4Bytes

I wonder why they decided to skimp out and only give this 512MB of RAM whereas they decided 1.5x that in the Bold Touch.. RIM confuses me at times.. I would expect this phone to need more RAM than bold touch if anything as it has a larger touch screen etc.

Angry_American

God they need to make a CDMA version of this phone.

luqman24

Will the Torch 2 have mobile hotspot? That's the whole reason I want to get it. If not, its a dissapointment and might just get the iPhone 5..

wirelessgal

Damn you RIM! Now I have to buy 2 Blackberries. The Bold Touch and the Torch2! I agree with everyone, 512mb of RAM is not enough. The Bold is RIM's flagship device, so they had to make the Bold more powerful.

Coraya

I already bought a device that was out a year late. Like the Ipad 2 should have been the orginal Ipad, this Torch should have been the first. So they throw in a bezel a little memory and a camera. Its a joke.

The bold touch is a different story. A touchscreen with QNX compatibility (hopefully) will be released. That's just on time.

fabfreddie

I am a RIM addict / supporter, I have literally had every model as soon as it came out, except the super sh*tty pearl, I currently have the Torch, and I can safely say that my anger and disapointment is mounting. WTF is with the subpar screen, low ram, tiny battery, no front facing camera and no micro HDMI out??

I will not be getting the Torch 2.

There is zero reason for not having gobs of ram, HDMI out, front facing camera, a quality speaker (ala Bold 9700), a very large capacity battery and a slightly, not very, but slightly larger screen and keyboard, say the total size of the 9000.

This is just a spit in the face of the BB addicts like me that want what essentially would be the best Handheld ever made on planets history, all by the way require very little effort or imagination on RIM's part.

Get your F'n act together RIM, you have no excuse considering how rich we have made you.

MaddKidd

:( i was really expecting the torch to be a lot like the Bold touch and more but to my surprise its not and the new blackberries ave the cool light around the track pad why the torch 2 doesn't have it. I'm really disappointed in RIM.

jgodin03

To all who complain about the light around the trackpad: relax, this is a prototype, a lot of thing have the time to change.(just think about the 1gb of internal memory of the 9000, it was added at the last minute)

To all who complain about the RAM, you need to know that on BB the ram is the internal memory for apps. For exemple, the 8130 has 64mb for apps(shown as ''ram'' on the spec sheet), but had only 16mb of ''real'' ram. The tour was announced at 256mb and had only around 70mb of ram, 9700 was around 120mb (if I remember). you need to have an app like Fixmo Tools to evaluate the real RAM, and a few really know it. I dont remember on the 1st torch but it was not 512.

When they say RAM for the torch2, it is about the internal memory for OS and Apps. And 512mb is far enough for apps and os on 6.0, probably for 6.1 too

But I have to agree: mobile hotspot in 2011 is unacceptable... HDMI is a gadget, a few phone have it, so I dont really care if RIM dont put it in the Torch2 and honnestly, most are like me.

fabfreddie

RAM is key to current and future performance, I don't care what was available before or by others. I want RIM to start building true mobile computers, and it is not an unreasonable request or desire. With mega RAM all future applications and OS versions will run smoothly and nicely, with no worries of "can the phone handle it".

As for HDMI, have plenty of movies and podcasts on my Torch, this device is used in all aspects of my life, I want to be able to simply plug it in to my television and begin watching what is on my phone. You may have small needs and cares, but there are millions of users/buyers who if they saw on a commercial showing dad plugging the phone into the TV and putting a movie on for the kids would entice hundreds of thousands to seek out this phone immediately.

Why, because it's great, convenient and actually very useful.

PS. not to mention HDMI's corporate attraction when needing to put a movie or a slideshow on the big screen for presentations and meetings.

No dude, HDMI out is a very important and useful interface that needs to be included post haste.

jgodin03

My point was that the 512mb of RAM was not the real number. So nobody really knows the amount of RAM their is in this phone, so stop complaining. Start complain when you'll know the real RAM. But you're right, if it's as low as older device or actual Torch, they need to transform bb into real mobile computers like Android is.

About HDMI, I only know one person that will use the HDMI in all the people that I know. I KNOW that some people will use it, but it's a minority. May be RIM try to make some differences between models. Some people were unhappy that every BB device looks and feels the same... Just saying

dadymon

This is not a deal breaker for me. BUT, I wish they could add more ram (768 ram)! I'm just saying!

shuabert

5 MP camera, still? Why does it seem RIM is always one step behind everyone else in hardware?

i.minimalistic

Im might not bea big techie but I can say that I do my best to use at least 90% of my Blackberry Torch capabilities. So far, Im loving it.. the screen resolution is not that bad IMO, the speed, after 5 months usage and lot of apps loaded, turns a little slow.. I feel like QuickPull app has been a great support on my Torch maintainance. If I think about comparing my Torch with my previews Javelin, Gemeni and Bold 1.. I would say that the Bold 1 has been the closest one in performance and capabilities with my current Torch. Once I tried the Bold 2, but personally I feel it too small for my taste. Besides, I've heard lot of people around me complaining about horribly slow performance on their Bold 1's. Looking forward on the Torch 2, seems like the CPU if the most important updgrade, I wish they could improve the battery to make it more longlasting and the battery cover.. at least would be great to get it on leather like on the Bold's. But, does anyone knows if its gonna be 4G? And what about the Wifi Router feature on the upcoming 6.1 O.S?
Saludos,

dredewten85

I have a torch now and the battery gets me through the whole day fine with around 20% left and I text, bbm, call, read and write emails, and play games. I think this phone will be fine. Also what is the big deal about a hdmi port? just curious.

jgodin03

feel the same about HDMI, a huge story about nothing...

josh05

Is this Gsm or Cdma?

DJLILM

this just like the 9700 and 9780 upgrade looks the same with only a few changes

zensen

Ugly grey back. Hopefully that's just a prototype. Is the chrome more silver. Much prefer the gun metal look of the original torch.

They even had to go about making the call buttons all white too. Jazz up the icon but take away colour cues seems backwards but I guess a lot of phones are doing that now. At least they aren't capacitive only :)

DJBS4LIFE

Very nice! Stop crying about how RIM should of done this and that in the past or RIM is so late. It's about what is being done NOW!! I'm loving all this BB info coming to surface. You like.. Then support.. You don't like RIM then move on. Kinda like a relationship ya know? BOOM! Can't wait to plat with these devices to pick one up. I am rockin' the Bold 9650. It would suck if these new BlackBerrys only went to certain carriers. If and hopefully they come to call that would be the SH!T!! Would help RIM big time. GO RIM!

mapsonburt

I have a Torch1 and love it. Sure, I'd love it with a slightly faster processor and more RAM but I have never had to wait long for this thing to do anything and I'm on the web all day with it. I doubt I'll upgrade as I'm picking up a PlayBook and THAT'S what I'll be using instead of the screen on the Torch. I know I won't leave the house without both devices.

Gamesdmc3

the torch went from an ordinary blackstang to a blackstang with a turbo charger under the hood

yboc

Some of these comments are killing me, I didn't know there was this much passion for a phone. But then again I did. I love blackberry!

leilani_J

One thing I will always love about the Torch above all others is the screen real estate. The only one that comes close is the new Storm. I waited for so long for the Bold Touch, and now it seems to have fallen short in form factor (I like the Bold 9000 form better). Makes me happy with my Torch even more. This non-touch girl has converted to a touch girl. The new Storm just may be a choice for me, as well. Hrm.

fishajm

Really whats the big hype? Does it have 4G capabilities, im not seeing that anywhere. a big thumbs down. Right now RIM should not release any more Phones until they drop a 4G version.
Im just saying

Enraged Medic

This is what the first torch SHOULD have been!!! I would have stayed with BB. But they didn't, so I sold it and got an EVO (go ahead throw your best at me). I do check in now and again to see if RIM can turn me back...so far...no DICE. If RIM R&D pulls their heads outta their asses and is able to get a 4G QNX device in our hands by Q1 2012, they will take back their title as smart phone super power house. But knowing RIM's past, I won't hold my breath or take bets.

timeshare-software-www.spiinc.com

I hope that the battery life is better with the Torch 2. Does anybody have a headsup on this?

Thanks, Matt www.spiinc.com

BigRob673

If RIM put 2 Gigs of RAM, 1Ghz dual core CPU, 12 Mega pixel camera (front & back), WiFi hotspot & Coffee grinder. When would you upgrade that phone?

megango

Is the Torch touchscreen the same as the Storm 1? I dont like that you have to press so hard and I was hoping Torch's touchscreen would be different! Someone reply to me!

igotberryfever

torch touch screen is nothing like a storm they are smooth and u tap lightly

vinny jr

Screen resolution is so important in a touch screen device. Makes or brakes the phone. They put together a great bunch of specs, great job but stop at probably the most important screen resolution. Don't understand these clowns who design the hardware. Just a dumb move IMO. Sales will suffer because of this. At this time in Rim's development they need to sell phones to the US Market. The US customer wants a great phone with ALL the bells and whistles. This isn't it Rim. So close but will not hold up to all the power phones in the market right now. Even the I-Phone is feeling the large squeeze from the Android power phones with crazy specs.