Unveiling the BlackBerry Porsche Design P9981 Features Pricing Pros & Cons

Design and Build

The BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 is a luxury smartphone, well recognized for its unique and exquisite build. This device features a premium stainless steel frame and a hand-wrapped leather back, giving it a sophisticated and elegant look. The precision-engineered details, combined with a strikingly simple design, make it appealing not just as a phone but as a fashion statement. Its dimensions are 115 x 67 x 11.3 mm, weighing 155 g, which provides a sturdy yet comfortable grip. The QWERTY keyboard, a signature feature of BlackBerry phones, provides an easy and tactile typing experience, adored by many users who prefer physical keyboards over touchscreens.

Display

The P'9981 has a 2.8-inch TFT display with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, maintaining a 4:3 ratio. Although not comparable to the larger and more vibrant displays of modern smartphones, this screen was quite fitting for its time, offering ample clarity and visibility at a pixel density of approximately 286 ppi. The display screen-to-body ratio is about 31.5%, adequate for productivity tasks and basic smartphone usage.

Processor and Performance

Under the hood, the P'9981 is powered by the Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon S2 chipset and a 1.2 GHz CPU. The Adreno 205 GPU complements this setup for handling graphic-intensive tasks. The performance, given the hardware specifications, was adequate to handle BlackBerry OS 7.0 smoothly, ensuring responsive navigation, efficient multitasking, and decent gaming performance for its release period.

Memory and Storage

The device comes with 768MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. For users needing additional space, the P'9981 supports expandable storage through a microSDHC card slot, accommodating more apps, media, and documents. The balance between RAM and storage was fairly decent, ensuring moderate performance without frequent lag or storage issues when managed properly.

Camera and Photography

Photography is managed by a 5MP rear camera equipped with autofocus and an LED flash. Although not considered high-quality by today’s standards, it was sufficient for taking casual snaps and recording videos at 720p. Unfortunately, the device lacks a front-facing selfie camera, which may limit its appeal to users who frequently use video calling features popular today.

Connectivity and Networking

The device supports GSM and HSPA networks, catering to a wide range of connectivity frequencies. Users can achieve data speeds of HSPA 14.4/5.76 Mbps, providing decent internet browsing and app connectivity. Additional features like Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and EDR, GPS with A-GPS, NFC, and a microUSB 2.0 port round out its connectivity offerings, providing a comprehensive suite of options for communication and data transfer.

Battery Life

The P'9981 includes a removable Li-Ion 1230 mAh battery. This battery capacity is suitable for basic phone usage, offering up to 348 hours on standby and up to 5 hours and 30 minutes of talk time. Compared to today’s standards, the battery may seem small, but it was sufficient for the efficient BlackBerry OS functionalities and the device’s hardware demands at that time.

Operating System and Software

The device runs BlackBerry OS 7.0, which introduced several advancements during its release, including improved graphics, a responsive user interface, and enhanced support for web browsing and social media. The operating system is designed to cater to productivity needs with features like faster HTML5 support and improved performance over earlier iterations.

Additional Features

The P'9981 comes with several sensors, including an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and compass, enhancing user interaction and application support. The luxury phone offers a distinguished aesthetic with colors like Gray and Black. Although the radio feature is absent, users are provided with a 3.5mm audio jack for private listening experiences.

Conclusion

The BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 crafted a niche for itself as a luxury smartphone with an iconic design, premium materials, and reliable performance. While lacking some modern features, its appeal largely lies in its brand heritage, aesthetics, and the distinct BlackBerry experience that still resonates with fans.