[white shirt only]

And it's pretty good: design (one handed use), camera, efficiency, even battery life with a score that I don't really consider stellar (62h ?)

Biggest grip would be the price linked to the Snapdragon CPU.

BlackBerry Classic review: For old times' sake - GSMArena.com

[MarsupilamiX]

The Benchmarks are brutal. Every 150$ smartphone out of China gets better benchmarks.
The price of their hardware.... Is ridiculous.

The verdict, that it's an overpriced device for basically no one, is the same as in pretty other review.

It was written in a friendlier way than most other reviews though.
Overall, the tone is basically the same in all of the non CrackBerry reviews I read:

Overpriced
Underspecced
Inexistant Ecosystem
Allegedly for BlackBerry diehards, but....
Who should actually buy this outdated and overpriced phone, even within the BlackBerry community?

But, to read a review that actually puts a focus on the potential target market (I doubt that this market actually still exists though), has practically no biased negativity, and was actually thorough, is nice for a change.

[slagman5]

The Benchmarks are brutal. Every 150$ smartphone out of China gets better benchmarks.
The price of their hardware.... Is ridiculous.

The verdict, that it's an overpriced device for basically no one, is the same as in pretty other review.

It was written in a friendlier way than most other reviews though.
Overall, the tone is basically the same in all of the non CrackBerry reviews I read:

Overpriced
Underspecced
Inexistant Ecosystem
Allegedly for BlackBerry diehards, but....
Who should actually buy this outdated and overpriced phone, even within the BlackBerry community?

But, to read a review that actually puts a focus on the potential target market (I doubt that this market actually still exists though), has practically no biased negativity, and was actually thorough, is nice for a change.

Overpriced for the specs, but does any of those $150 phones have a physical keyboard and an OS that take advantage of the keyboard using shortcuts, universal search, speed dialing, etc.?? So yes, for the specs, it's overpriced, but there are no other phones with the features that I want.

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

[redlightblinking]

Overpriced for the specs, but does any of those $150 phones have a physical keyboard and an OS that take advantage of the keyboard using shortcuts, universal search, speed dialing, etc.?? So yes, for the specs, it's overpriced, but there are no other phones with the features that I want.

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

Exactly. Most of these reviews assume the only thing you consider is the speed of the processor, etc, which is odd considering the vast majority of phone users have no idea what their phone's specs are, not do they care.

[MarsupilamiX]

Overpriced for the specs, but does any of those $150 phones have a physical keyboard and an OS that take advantage of the keyboard using shortcuts, universal search, speed dialing, etc.?? So yes, for the specs, it's overpriced, but there are no other phones with the features that I want.

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

The only question is....
How many of your kin are still around?

I said that the Review was actually pretty friendly. But no pretty words can mask the huge possibility that this phone is DOA for 99.99% of potential smartphone buyers.
And every good review will point that out.
You can argue about the extent of this pointing out though.

The Verge had a really nasty review, going by their tone. Whereas GSM Arena was by far friendlier in their assessments.
But both reviews say very clearly that the phone is ridiculously overpriced and that there isn't really a market for such a phone.

[_tC]

I'm so glad I don't need someone to tell me what kind of phone to buy.

Posted via CB10

[MarsupilamiX]

Exactly. Most of these reviews assume the only thing you consider is the speed of the processor, etc, which is odd considering the vast majority of phone users have no idea what their phone's specs are, not do they care.

And after probably 1 year, you still don't get it.
It's about the price/performance ratio and future proofing.
The price difference between the hardware in the Classic and something better, is so negligible that BlackBerry could have used better specs just to not rip off their customers completely.

The Classic is a de facto 200$ (50$ over the cheap Android because it has a keyboard) phone and every good review I read, pointed that out.
BlackBerry is on a roll with their ridiculous pricing though.
We now have the Playbook, the Z10/Q5, the Z30, the Classic and that ridiculous 200$ leather pouch for the Passport, that I could get cheaper even when my tailor makes it.
No self-respecting manufacturer would sell a device like the Classic for 450$, in 2015.

And actually, no, I read about 7 reviews now, and the spec argument is just one part of the whole equation.
Those reviews suppose 3 other things though:
The market for a device like the Classic is basically inexistant.
The ecosystem is so bad that this won't change soon.
Who still types on a physical keyboard?

And all those things are of major importance for at least 99.5% of smartphone buyers

[slagman5]

The only question is....
How many of your kin are still around?

I said that the Review was actually pretty friendly. But no pretty words can mask the huge possibility that this phone is DOA for 99.99% of potential smartphone buyers.
And every good review will point that out.
You can argue about the extent of this pointing out though.

The Verge had a really nasty review, going by their tone. Whereas GSM Arena was by far friendlier in their assessments.
But both reviews say very clearly that the phone is ridiculously overpriced and that there isn't really a market for such a phone.

Wow, I care about what others think because...

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

[slagman5]

I'm so glad I don't need someone to tell me what kind of phone to buy.

Posted via CB10

No, apparently you need to care what others think before you buy the phone that's best for you...

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

[Billy Bob Jimmy Joe]

If only this phone was $350 upon release. In 2015 if they release a similar model with a quad core, 1080p display, 3G ram. I'll happily pay $500 for it.

Some phone may have unnecessary gimmicky specs but having good specs do make a difference.

Posted via BlackBerry Classic

[Xenolock]

Good review!

I find it pretty funny that right after the reviewer gets done talking about how terrible the Classic is on benchmarks, he immediately says "Thankfully, its real-life performance paints a different picture - the QNX-based BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 is smooth and responsive even on such old hardware," and goes on to talk about how nice the browser is.

People who value benchmark tests above real-world performance are like people who look at a big Dow Jones closing number and say "Look at that big number! The economy is doing great!"

From a Z30

[world traveler and former ceo]

The only question is....
How many of your kin are still around?

I said that the Review was actually pretty friendly. But no pretty words can mask the huge possibility that this phone is DOA for 99.99% of potential smartphone buyers.
And every good review will point that out.
You can argue about the extent of this pointing out though.

The Verge had a really nasty review, going by their tone. Whereas GSM Arena was by far friendlier in their assessments.
But both reviews say very clearly that the phone is ridiculously overpriced and that there isn't really a market for such a phone.

Guess that's why its sold out everywhere and on backorder.. canadian carriers can't get them quick enough... yeah.. nobody interested (rolling eyes)..

Posted via CB10

[Amy wineBerry]

The only question is....
How many of your kin are still around?

I said that the Review was actually pretty friendly. But no pretty words can mask the huge possibility that this phone is DOA for 99.99% of potential smartphone buyers.
And every good review will point that out.
You can argue about the extent of this pointing out though.

The Verge had a really nasty review, going by their tone. Whereas GSM Arena was by far friendlier in their assessments.
But both reviews say very clearly that the phone is ridiculously overpriced and that there isn't really a market for such a phone.

And after probably 1 year, you still don't get it.
It's about the price/performance ratio and future proofing.
The price difference between the hardware in the Classic and something better, is so negligible that BlackBerry could have used better specs just to not rip off their customers completely.

The Classic is a de facto 200$ (50$ over the cheap Android because it has a keyboard) phone and every good review I read, pointed that out.
BlackBerry is on a roll with their ridiculous pricing though.
We now have the Playbook, the Z10/Q5, the Z30, the Classic and that ridiculous 200$ leather pouch for the Passport, that I could get cheaper even when my tailor makes it.
No self-respecting manufacturer would sell a device like the Classic for 450$, in 2015.

And actually, no, I read about 7 reviews now, and the spec argument is just one part of the whole equation.
Those reviews suppose 3 other things though:
The market for a device like the Classic is basically inexistant.
The ecosystem is so bad that this won't change soon.
Who still types on a physical keyboard?

And all those things are of major importance for at least 99.5% of smartphone buyers

The Classic isn't really marketed as being for most smartphone buyers though, so what's important to most consumers was never really the point.

BlackBerry has had difficulty selling to a majority of smartphone buyers at large, and so it has redefined its target audience. Reviews done by the WSJ and NYT effectively manage to point his out, as do the Verge and GSM Arena.

[MarsupilamiX]

Wow, I care about what others think because...

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

Who said anything about you caring what others think?

No, apparently you need to care what others think before you buy the phone that's best for you...

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

Same question as before.

Guess that's why its sold out everywhere and on backorder.. canadian carriers can't get them quick enough... yeah.. nobody interested (rolling eyes)..

Posted via CB10

When I say nobody, you have to see it in a global context.
If that phone catches 0.1% of the market in 2015, I'd call it a miracle.

You're a former CEO, you should know exactly that being sold out, means nothing on its own.
Apple is sold out when their phones launch, pretty much the moment you can buy them.
And with every single iPhone release, they got a higher number of Day 1 sales than the year before.
For them, being sold out is a clear sign of being successful.

When BlackBerry talks about sold out, I rather think of the Z10/Z30/Q5 kind of being sold out.
The kind where you get a huge write-off 2 months after you're "sold out".
Nobody knows how many Classics have been sold.
We just know that BlackBerry apparently is "sold out" in some regions of the world.
But what's the number behind that? Did BlackBerry sell some 500k Classics in the last few weeks? Or were it rather 50k?

Being sold out, is such a useless metric for this discussion...

[dna47]

Wow, I care about what others think because...

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

I understand what you're saying, but I think you're not looking at it the same way the OP does.

It's not about caring about what others think of our phones, we're on CB, pretty much everyone on here has a BBRY and we wouldn't if we bought our phones listening to reviews.

The problem is, blackberry needs to get out of a huge hole, and selling the classic at 450 when the majority of smartphone buyers aren't into PK anymore is not going to help them get out of it.

Posted via CB10

[slagman5]

Who said anything about you caring what others think?



Same question as before.



When I say nobody, you have to see it in a global context.
If that phone catches 0.1% of the market in 2015, I'd call it a miracle.

You're a former CEO, you should know exactly that being sold out, means nothing on its own.
Apple is sold out when their phones launch, pretty much the moment you can buy them.
And with every single iPhone release, they got a higher number of Day 1 sales than the year before.
For them, being sold out is a clear sign of being successful.

When BlackBerry talks about sold out, I rather think of the Z10/Z30/Q5 kind of being sold out.
The kind where you get a huge write-off 2 months after you're "sold out".
Nobody knows how many Classics have been sold.
We just know that BlackBerry apparently is "sold out" in some regions of the world.
But what's the number behind that? Did BlackBerry sell some 500k Classics in the last few weeks? Or were it rather 50k?

Being sold out, is such a useless metric for this discussion...

So, just disregard your entire comment to me then right? Since the entire point of your comment that I replied to was about how few other people want that from there phone. So, ok, good talk. :-)

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

[slagman5]

I understand what you're saying, but I think you're not looking at it the same way the OP does.

It's not about caring about what others think of our phones, we're on CB, pretty much everyone on here has a BBRY and we wouldn't if we bought our phones listening to reviews.

The problem is, blackberry needs to get out of a huge hole, and selling the classic at 450 when the majority of smartphone buyers aren't into PK anymore is not going to help them get out of it.

Posted via CB10

Well, if there is only a small amount of us who want that, and are willing to pay for it, then wouldn't getting a wider profit margin be better? No matter how cheap you make it, if someone doesn't want a pkb phone, they will not buy it. So basically the number of sales would remain roughly the same, but now with a smaller profit margin, so which is better?

Or are you suggesting that by making it cheaper that all of a sudden the people who are obsessed about 6" screens and/or iOS would have bought the Classic?

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

[redlightblinking]

And after probably 1 year, you still don't get it.

After probably 1 year? what?

It's about the price/performance ratio and future proofing.
The price difference between the hardware in the Classic and something better, is so negligible that BlackBerry could have used better specs just to not rip off their customers completely.

First, the average consumer.....who has no idea what specs even are....doesn't know they are or are not "future proofing".

While they could have upgraded the specs as you mention, you are forgetting this phone is now one of a kind. It offers something no other phone on the market offers. And there was a pent up demand for it. Soooo..........basic business sense would say you don't need to stack it with specs.

The Classic is a de facto 200$ (50$ over the cheap Android because it has a keyboard) phone and every good review I read, pointed that out.
BlackBerry is on a roll with their ridiculous pricing though.
We now have the Playbook, the Z10/Q5, the Z30, the Classic and that ridiculous 200$ leather pouch for the Passport, that I could get cheaper even when my tailor makes it.
No self-respecting manufacturer would sell a device like the Classic for 450$, in 2015.

This is completely your opinion and the opion of others paid to print their opinions. Thanks for sharing.

And actually, no, I read about 7 reviews now, and the spec argument is just one part of the whole equation.
Those reviews suppose 3 other things though:
The market for a device like the Classic is basically inexistant.
The ecosystem is so bad that this won't change soon.
Who still types on a physical keyboard?

And all those things are of major importance for at least 99.5% of smartphone buyers

So....then obviously those reviewers are clearly missing the point.

But, who cares what reviewers say. I certainly don't care what they say any more than people I know who buy Iphones. If you wanted a physical keyboard, you wouldn't care what a reviewer says about some other factor or care if you were considering non-existant (which is obviously not true to begin with.

[redlightblinking]

The only question is....
How many of your kin are still around?

.

Apparently enough to sell out the initial production run of the phone and enough worth satisfying to keep a core base of customers worth leaving. Again, business 101.

But no pretty words can mask the huge possibility that this phone is DOA for 99.99% of potential smartphone buyers.

And? Was there a point you were making? Besides simply making a total guess at what the market might be interested in?

[ChainPunch]

Blackberry has always kept the line that the Classic are for those BBOS (curve and bold users) who needed an upgrade path to a physical keyboard device with the familiar toolbet that is running BB10. For the reviewers and others who ignore that fact shows that they did not do their research.

[redlightblinking]

Who said anything about you caring what others think?

Um, you did several times when you keep talking about reviewers, and what 99.99999999999% of the world thinks. (or whatever made up number you used)

When I say nobody, you have to see it in a global context.
If that phone catches 0.1% of the market in 2015, I'd call it a miracle.

Thanks for your opinion. Are there any facts on the menu?

You're a former CEO, you should know exactly that being sold out, means nothing on its own.

Except that you have demand and you aren't' left with inventory. And that you should make more as fast as possible.

Apple is sold out when their phones launch, pretty much the moment you can buy them.
And with every single iPhone release, they got a higher number of Day 1 sales than the year before.
For them, being sold out is a clear sign of being successful.

When BlackBerry talks about sold out, I rather think of the Z10/Z30/Q5 kind of being sold out.
The kind where you get a huge write-off 2 months after you're "sold out".

Chen said that they specifically made a low amount of these, as opposed to Heins who predicted millions in sales and most likely produced that many.

Nobody knows how many Classics have been sold.
We just know that BlackBerry apparently is "sold out" in some regions of the world.
But what's the number behind that? Did BlackBerry sell some 500k Classics in the last few weeks? Or were it rather 50k?

Being sold out, is such a useless metric for this discussion...

It's not useless if the discussion is about simply having more demand than inventory you've invested in. It means you didn't lose money and can potentially make more money. Again, business 101.

[bakron1]

I always take reviews with a grain of salt, the most important critics BlackBerry has to please is the enterprise consumer for whom the device was marketed for, only time will tell if it hit the mark.

Sent from my lovely Classic on T Mobile USA

[TgeekB]

Overpriced for the specs, but does any of those $150 phones have a physical keyboard and an OS that take advantage of the keyboard using shortcuts, universal search, speed dialing, etc.?? So yes, for the specs, it's overpriced, but there are no other phones with the features that I want.

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

Exactly. We all purchase products that may be overpriced but work perfectly for us. You can't then go and compare it to other products that are cheaper because you would actually have picked them if they were better. Pick the best device for you in the price range you can afford and then enjoy while not listening to others comments.

Posted from my awesome Classic.

[james h jackson jr]

No, apparently you need to care what others think before you buy the phone that's best for you...

Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10

I agree with slagman we should all buy the device that best suits us, for some thats classic, and some thats passport, and others its a diffrent device. We need to just buy what meets our needs passport met mine, but classic is a good device too. I for one am glad BlackBerry gives us all choices to choose from when we want a new device. Because so long as we buy BlackBerry we all win and the company continues to thrive for us.

Posted via CB10

[MarsupilamiX]

The Classic isn't really marketed as being for most smartphone buyers though, so what's important to most consumers was never really the point.

BlackBerry has had difficulty selling to a majority of smartphone buyers at large, and so it has redefined its target audience. Reviews done by the WSJ and NYT effectively manage to point his out, as do the Verge and GSM Arena.

It's of huge importance what most potential smartphone buyers want, if you are any outlet, apart from BlackBerry fan sites.
Those guys shouldn't look at a BlackBerry, like the CB editorial staff. It's their job to know exactly what other devices are capable of and why those are a better choice for some 99.5% of the market.

I also think that you missed the not so subtle hints in the NYT and the WSJ which all have the same thesis:
The device is meant for keyboard and legacy OS die hards. But is that actually still a market worth catering to?
And if yes, with those specs and price?