As expected, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 went on sale yesterday all on its lonesome. Pricing sits at $49.99 on a two-year contract, which is a totally reasonable ask for an iterative upgrade that looks at first glance identical to the BlackBerry Torch launched last year. On top of the classic black/silver look, you can also pick up the white version pictured above.
Despite it looking and feeling a lot like an older phone, there are a few key difference under the hood, for example the 1.2 GHz processor, 768 MB of RAM, and vastly improved 640 x 480 touchscreen. Augmented reality apps are finally enabled thanks to a magnetic compass, and 3D graphics are enabled thanks to a new GPU and graphics rendering engine. Overall, it’s very responsive, and as always with BlackBerry, a good choice if you spend a lot of time chewing through e-mails. Check out our hands-on video over here, and stick around for our full review.
AT&T might not get the Bold 9900 until November, which would be downright silly considering at that point, QNX BlackBerry smartphones would be just around the corner. That said, if the 9810 is the only new BlackBerry being offered on AT&T until then, anyone looking for a variety will most likely drift towards one of the other major U.S. service providers. Of course, AT&T’s not hurting for other smartphones for buyers to chose from, and will likely have their hands full with an iPhone 5 launch all the way until next year.
If you’re interested in snagging the new BlackBerry Torch 9810 on AT&T, you can find it hanging out in the online store.