Blackberry Storm 9530 Review

Upon purchasing the Blackberry Storm, I prepared myself to deal with fewer issues immediately.  I ceremoniously un-installed all my WinMo tools (immediately freeing something like 10GB of storage space; add that to my list of reasons I migrated), and un-boxed my new device.  Holding it in my hand, the size is just right – I’ve had many phones which were too small, too wide, etc… but this one feels just right sitting in my palm.

First real eye-opener: it doesn’t feel like any of my previous Blackberries in terms of heft and build quality.  This was my first personal Blackberry, but I’ve had two work-related models before – a 7230 (lasted two days, hated the thing) and a 7130e (better, but still wasn’t close to being in love with it).  Both of those phones felt as though I might break them in half whilst typing, though the larger 7230 was sturdier to some degree – but they both felt almost like hollow shells.  Regardless, neither of them felt top-notch and left me wanting for a more robust device that didn’t creak and rattle so much.  The Storm, by contrast, feels like a rock the second it comes out of the box.  For its size, it is surprisingly weighty, but not detrimentally so – you won’t put on any muscle with it, but you’ll notice if it goes AWOL from your hip/purse/pocket.  I can’t say that for my 7130e which would usually find itself sitting uselessly on my desk and not on my person.

The second thing I noticed was the fit and finish of the device – it is gorgeous.  Not in the diamond-encrusted Swarovsky sense, though; it’s subtle, with a shiny black body, chrome trim and lettering, and body seams that you need calipers to measure.  It doesn’t creak or rattle, it doesn’t budge or deform in my hand, and most importantly it still feels like I can call it a business device and not a portable showpiece.  The buttons are sturdy, with the requisite call/blackberry/escape/end sequence at the bottom, and two sub-surface “soft” buttons along the curved top edge that control locking and silencing.  Even the buttons that do stick out on the side feel truly part of the phone and not at all likely to break off – these are the camera and volume up/down buttons on the right side and one assignable key on the left above the new-fangled micro-USB port (more on that later).

On the rear, you’ll find two textural differences: for one, part of the backing is coated in a rubbery, non-slip texture that helps the phone to stay where you put it – I like that I can use it on a ferry ride and not find it on the floor after having set it down for a second.  The battery door is not the same shiny black, though – it’s brushed aluminum, and so has a different look and feel that I think looks great; what’s more, it locks in more tightly and securely than counterparts on any other phone I’ve ever had. The door coloring is interrupted only by the same handsome chrome motif from the front, in the form of the RIM/Blackberry logo (also, in my case a matte silver Verizon logo), making for a very pretty device all around.