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A powerful, globe-hopping smartphone for Verizon and Sprint
- Excellent keyboard
- Stylish and solidly built
- Works abroad on GSM networks
- No Wi-Fi
- Shutter lag on camera
- Poor web browser
- Reported issues reading microSD cards
Replacing the Blackberry 8830 World Edition, the Blackberry Tour 9630, available on Verizon Wireless and Sprint, impresses with its updated design. Sascha Segan at PCMag.com calls it "best choice of the bunch" among Verizon smartphones and a "positive jump forward from the BlackBerry Curve 8330," while Bonnie Cha at CNET names it the top smartphone for business users and "messaging fanatics." Like the BlackBerry 8800 series, the Tour works on GSM networks abroad and CDMA networks in the U.S., making it ideal for frequent business travelers. It is not compatible with GSM networks in the U.S., however. The Tour measures 2.4 inches by 0.6 inches by 4.4 inches and weighs 4.6 ounces; that makes it just a little bit heftier than the BlackBerry Curve 8900.
Reviewers say the Tour, which shares a number of features with the Blackberry Curve 8900 and the BlackBerry Bold, is the easiest to handle of Research in Motion's current line of smartphones, and it incorporates the best features of its brand-mates, including an excellent 2.4-inch screen and keyboard. The Tour has a 528 MHz processor, a small bump up from the 8900's, and the same 256 MB of memory. It supports most messaging and email clients, has GPS functionality and runs version 4.7 of the Blackberry operating system, previously limited to the Storm. Reviewers say messaging is seamless, but they aren't impressed with Blackberry's web browser.
The Tour also includes a 3.2-megapixel camera for photos and video, as well as a media player. PhoneArena.com notes that while videos look very good on the Tour's LCD screen, it doesn't come with Xvid or DivX support, as other Blackberrys do. But the Blackberry Tour 9630 is primarily a business-oriented phone; reviewers find that its multimedia features fall short of Apple's iPhone 3GS, for example. Voice quality on the Tour is almost universally praised, though opinions about the speakerphone and call reception are mixed. Talk time is rated at five hours, with a standby time of two weeks, but it varies depending on use. Tests and anecdotal evidence suggest that, if anything, the manufacturer's estimates are conservative. PCMag.com's tests, for instance, yield more than six hours of talk time. On the negative side, the Bluetooth-compatible Tour 9630 lacks Wi-Fi connectivity, an oversight that reviewers are unanimous in bemoaning, calling it "disappointing," "unforgivable" and "inexcusable."
There has been buzz about the Blackberry Tour 9630 for months, and the Verizon version has been picked apart by many review websites. Professional electronics reviewers at PCMag.com, CNET, Laptop Magazine, and PC Advisor all provide thorough evaluations. Enthusiast sites and blogs also provide much insight, including copious photos of hardware and software. PhoneArena.com, EngadgetMobile.com, Crackberry.com and BoyGeniusReport.com all add their perspective, some having tested both the prerelease and release versions of the hardware.
Our Sources
1. PCMag.com
Sascha Segan gives the Blackberry Tour 9630 an Editors' Choice award, saying this model incorporates many of the best features of other Blackberrys (such as the Bold and Curve 8900) and names it the best smartphone on Verizon's network. However, some flaws are noted: a bug that can stop the Tour from reading microSD cards, and a subtle, high-pitched noise when the screen was on.
Review: RIM Blackberry Tour 9630 (Verizon Wireless), Sascha Segan, July 2, 2009
2. CNET
Reviewer Bonnie Cha says the Blackberry Tour's strengths (improved design over its predecessors, good talk quality, fast processor) outweigh its weaknesses (lack of Wi-Fi, mediocre camera). Like Sascha Segan at PCMag.com, Cha feels this is Verizon's best smartphone offering. As of this writing, CNET testers have yet to post their lab results for the Blackberry Tour's battery life.
Review: RIM Blackberry Tour 9630 (Verizon Wireless), Bonnie Cha, July 2, 2009
Todd Haselton at Laptop Magazine gives the Blackberry Tour 9630 an Editors' Choice award, saying the Tour is a marked improvement over previous Blackberries such as the Curve 8900 and 8830 World Edition. Call quality, build and design, battery life and the display are all praised. The lack of Wi-Fi is a disadvantage, however, and Haselton says video recording is mediocre and the operating system is functional but unexciting.
Review: Blackberry Tour (Verizon Wireless), Todd Haselton, July 1, 2009
Reviewers at PhoneArena.com say the Blackberry Tour 9630is "the finest hardware to come out of Canada," although a number of flaws keep them from recommending the model wholeheartedly. The design is top-notch, but the operating software and built-in camera are judged as average. Unlike many business-oriented reviews of the Blackberry Tour 9630, PhoneArena.com editors also assess the media functions and find them lacking when it comes to file support. While talk time is well above the manufacturer's conservative rating (approaching six hours), editors express major concerns about call quality.
Review: RIM Blackberry Tour 9630 Review, Editors of PhoneArena.com, July 8, 2009
5. PC Advisor
British publication PC Advisor provides a short but pointed review of the Blackberry Tour 9630. Reviewer Ginny Mies says this model boasts all the positive features one can expect from a Blackberry: elegant design, a very good keyboard and a "messaging-friendly" interface. Video recording and playback on the Tour fall short of the competition (such as the Apple iPhone 3G), she says, and the lack of Wi-Fi is "unforgivable" in a business-oriented smartphone.
Review: Blackberry Tour 9630 Review, Ginny Mies, July 9, 2009
Reviewer Jacob Schulman says the Blackberry Tour 9630 is one of the nicest Blackberrys yet. He praises the phone itself, though he is less impressed with service provider Verizon. Schulman's enthusiasm for this Blackberry is tempered by the lack of Wi-Fi, which he calls "inexcusable," and he has some minor quibbles about the screen and trackball. While he doesn't provide firm numbers on battery life, Schulman says that RIM's estimate of five hours of talk time and 14 days of standby power "seems about right."
Review: Verizon Blackberry Tour Review, Jacob Schulman, July 7, 2009
Kevin Michaluk takes a look at a prerelease version of the Blackberry Tour 9630. He has very few criticisms, especially liking the size, weight and keyboard of this smartphone. Though Crackberry.com doesn't review non-BlackBerry smartphones, Michaluk situates the Tour 9630 well with respect to the rest of the Blackberry line, such as the Storm and Curve 8900; he also compares it with the model it replaces, the Blackberry 8830 World Edition. The review is documented with ample photos, and Michaluk pays special attention to the Tour's operating system.
Review: Blackberry Tour Review, Kevin Michaluk, June 16, 2009
This anonymous reviewer, who has written for Engadget, takes a look at Verizon's Blackberry Tour 9630, after having reviewed at a preproduction model in April 2009. The tone is chatty and not completely impartial, though all major categories are covered. As do many reviewers, "Boy Genius" pits the Tour 9630 against the Blackberry Storm, Bold and Curve 8900, praising aesthetics, build quality and heft the best. He says battery life is twice that of the Bold, but doesn't cite any figures. Lack of Wi-Fi is seen as a downside.
Review: Blackberry 9630 Review: Part 2, "The Boy Genius", July 7, 2009
