BlackBerry Curve 8530 User Reviews
Overal user rating
The overall rating is the average of all user reviews, while the overall alternatives are the ones that has been listed most.
Internet7/10Call quality8.8/10
Battery6.9/10Reception9.6/10
Display8.1/10Build quality7.2/10
Text input9.2/10Everyday usage8.7/10
UI speed7.3/10Camera6.7/10
Multimedia8.7/10Alternatives
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Please note that each user review reflects the opinion of its respectful author and not of Phone Arena.
RedWings44 posted on 28 Jul 2012, 23:13
Good Phone
RedWings44 has owned it for more than one year before publishing this review
I just recently got a new phone. This BlackBerry served me well. It was time for a software update. Anyway, to the review.
Contrary to what the site claims, this phone DOES have a light sensor. The screen brightness change isn't as dramatic as most phones, but it is there. The sensor is locaated in the hole where the LED light is emitted. Test it. At night, take a flashlight and shine it into the hole. Works better with a small flashlight as to not affect your eyes when doing this. You will see the screen get brighter to offset the lighting it thinks you are in. This goes for all BB's.
The internet: slow no question. However, get Opera mini from the app world and you will have a browser which rivals that of an iPhone. (Yes, I did several comparrisons).
BlackBerry's are business phones, and there is no doubt that this phone would serve that purpose a lot better than most non-BlackBerry phones. This means it isn't good for gaming.
Battery: quick to charge but also quick to drain. However, it does have a built-in feature to stop the phone from charging if the battery gets too hot (mainly from heavy use while charging).
Call quality was great along with texting. I loved the chat room type atmosphere...it is on most phones now but was new to me.
I did have some errors to deal with. After a while, my phone read "App error 523." And the only option was reset (which reset the phone to the same screen called "eaternal reset"). I had to re-install the Operating System, which wiped...
Build quality 9/10Reception 9/10Call quality 9/10Internet 7/10Multimedia 9/10Camera 8/10UI speed 7/10Everyday usage 9/10Text input 10/10Display 9/10Battery 8/10Pros
- Great email system
- Tangible (sp) keyboard
- Automatic spell check
- WiFi connectivity
- LED notifications
- Quick access buttons on top for multimedia playing
Cons
- Slow internet
- Not truly built for games
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Reportstonecoldw posted on 19 Jun 2012, 17:51
blackberry 8530
stonecoldw has owned it for more than one year before publishing this review
It's good phone. The only thing I don't like the rubber around the phone. You can't use the volume or camera button a lot. the rubber just eat way. I think if rim never use that rubber it a great phone.
Build quality 1/10Reception 10/10Call quality 10/10Internet 10/10Multimedia 10/10Camera 9/10UI speed 9/10Everyday usage 10/10Text input 10/10Display 10/10Battery 8/10Pros
- it work will with ps3
Cons
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Reportdakota1202 posted on 01 Mar 2012, 17:34
Love It
dakota1202 has owned it for less than month before publishing this review
I have always been a blackberry person the 8330 curve was my first smartphone when i was a bit younger. but then i got a job as a cell phone salesman and i ended up getting a new droid charge loved it and then hated it, traded it for the LG revolution loved that for awhile but the touch screen grew old on me and i found texting not as fast as i can be on the physical keyboard. just recently caved in and decided to buy a 8350 from a used cellphone shop and bought a new screen and full housing with a nice case and i am never going to be able to switch back to a touch screen (unless it is the bold touch)
Build quality 10/10Reception 10/10Call quality 8/10Internet 10/10Multimedia 10/10Camera 8/10UI speed 10/10Everyday usage 10/10Text input 10/10Display 10/10Battery 10/10Pros
- Keyboard
- Display
- Build of Phone
- Fast Browsing
- UI Is Great
- Battery Life
- Music / Media
Cons
- Camera (Low Resolution / No Flash)
- The Earpiece Is Not That Great (Could Just Be My Phone)
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ReportRedblackG posted on 11 Dec 2011, 15:08
Terrible Phone
RedblackG has owned it for more than one year before publishing this review
I had the curve 8330 from Alltel and I loved that phone. Very few problems with it and it ran very smoothly. The processor in the 8530 is far too small for what I use the phone for. I rarely use my browser because it is so slow and I try not to use the camera because of the poor lens quality.
Build quality 8/10Reception 9/10Call quality 7/10Internet 4/10Multimedia 6/10Camera 4/10UI speed 5/10Everyday usage 7/10Text input 10/10Display 6/10Battery 6/10Pros
- Keyboard
Cons
- Picture quality
- Browser speed
- Processor
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Reporthltechie posted on 18 Oct 2011, 11:51
Good solid BlackBerry
hltechie has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review
I really upgraded to this phone because I had never had a BlackBerry before and wanted to give it a try. It was a great decision! I loved this phone from day one out of the box. Everything was easy to understand, organizing my work and social life became much easier. The keyboard was great! The build quality seems kinda cheap but it held up to being dropped on occasion. Over all this is a solid phone and really is a work horse in an office work place.
Build quality 9/10Reception 10/10Call quality 10/10Internet 8/10Multimedia 10/10Camera 9/10UI speed 10/10Everyday usage 10/10Text input 10/10Display 9/10Battery 10/10Pros
- battery life
- great OS
- easy to use
Cons
- feels cheap
- camera could be better
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Reportleviwarfel posted on 14 Oct 2011, 10:44
A great overall phone!
leviwarfel has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review
I had used this phone on Virgin Mobile USA services. I only had this phone for about 2 1/2 months because I switched to AT&T. The phone was too business oriented for a teenager like me, being 16 years old. There weren't that many apps to chose from, besides social networking applications. I thought it would take a while to get used to the tiny keyboard, but it didn't take long at all. I actaually loved the keyboard and found I could type much faster on it! The trackpad can at times be very sensitive but I got used to it. The only thing I could say bad about it is the battery life, which barely would last half a day with just average usage.
Build quality 9/10Reception 10/10Call quality 9/10Internet 10/10Multimedia 10/10Camera 8/10UI speed 9/10Everyday usage 7/10Text input 10/10Display 7/10Battery 5/10Pros
- Keyboard
- Camera
- Music Player
- Music keys on top of phone
Cons
- Not very many applications
- Battery life
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Reportkdeltoro26 posted on 25 Sep 2011, 22:49
good phone
kdeltoro26 has owned it for less than year before publishing this review
i being having these phone for about 5 months now, it hasnt dropped any calls, it works with my email n internet accounts, it sometimes gets frozen on the main screen, when u zoom the picture or the video looks blurry and nasty also no flash
Build quality 10/10Reception 10/10Call quality 10/10Internet 7/10Multimedia 7/10Camera 5/10UI speed 6/10Everyday usage 10/10Text input 8/10Display 7/10Battery 6/10Pros
- nice phone
- great with emails
- plays music loud
Cons
- not enough apps or games
- no flash
- needs more accessories
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ReportBionikman posted on 24 Sep 2011, 15:06
Excellent for a basic Blackberry
Bionikman has owned it for less than year before publishing this review
This BB has its up and down sides: it has Best keyboard ever!!, nice 2 mp camera (too bad doesn't have flash), awesome for playing music, excellent speakerphone, outstanding call quality, but internet is really basic and cannot install all the apps in BB app world, very good as a phone but kind of limited as a smartphone, it does freezes out sometimes so that you have to reboot, if you use two batteries be patient it takes 4 minutes to reboot when you take battery out, this is one of most practical phones, if you just talk and do lots of BBM messages, email, text and social networks this is a very nice choice
Build quality 10/10Reception 10/10Call quality 10/10Internet 8/10Multimedia 8/10Camera 9/10UI speed 10/10Everyday usage 9/10Text input 10/10Display 10/10Battery 9/10Pros
- Best keyboard ever!!, nice 2 mp camera, awesome for playing music, excellent speakerphone, outstanding call quality, best phone for social networks, text, email and talk
Cons
- cheap graphics, limited apps, freezes out sometimes
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Do you?
Reportmgunter93 posted on 25 Jun 2011, 22:52
CHEAP PHONE - STAY AWAY
mgunter93 has owned it for more than one year before publishing this review
My screen went out four times and on the fourth time Sprint refused to replace it. It always locks up and lags. I hate it. It was the biggest disappointment for a phone that I have ever seen. The battery life was decent but it would constant drop calls even if you had signal.
Build quality 1/10Reception 8/10Call quality 6/10Internet 4/10Multimedia 8/10Camera 4/10UI speed 2/10Everyday usage 6/10Text input 8/10Display 4/10Battery 5/10Pros
Cons
- Quality
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Reporttiz posted on 13 May 2011, 03:07
tiz
tiz has owned it for more than one year before publishing this review
awsome phone and the best phone i every had and will always keep and i am never going to give up on it serious you should have one it will be the one you choose so go and buy a one and use it and you will see what i mean about it. buy one now and see the diffence between it and your other phone.
Build quality 10/10Reception 10/10Call quality 10/10Internet 10/10Multimedia 10/10Camera 10/10UI speed 10/10Everyday usage 10/10Text input 10/10Display 10/10Battery 10/10
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Do you?
Reportnottoohappy posted on 02 May 2011, 20:24
Great for most
nottoohappy has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review
I love this phone but the casing around the phone bubbled up with out any reason. I didn't pick at it or drop it. I put it in safe places. I love it for most reasons except the battery and quality of manufactering. ITS A GOOOOOD phone I would not recomend getting this phone. i recomend the bold. my dad has it and has dropped it down stairs and its fine.
Build quality 6/10Reception 10/10Call quality 9/10Internet 5/10Multimedia 9/10Camera 8/10UI speed 2/10Everyday usage 9/10Text input 10/10Display 7/10Battery 2/10
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ReportCrocadileUT posted on 24 Mar 2012, 04:20
Great phone, limited features
CrocadileUT has owned it for less than year before publishing this review
Great SmartPhone overall, ideal for email and texting, EXCELLENT for music because of the media buttons, but the camera and web surfing are terrible. I'd recommend this SmartPhone to any business user who only cares about email, need a good battery, and listen to music during your commute. But if your priorities are games and web experience then stay away from this model.
Build quality 7/10Reception 10/10Call quality 9/10Internet 2/10Multimedia 10/10Camera 1/10UI speed 9/10Everyday usage 9/10Text input 10/10Display 6/10Battery 10/10Pros
- keyboard
- media keys
- lightweight
- battery
- easy to use
Cons
- web browser
- camera
- display
CrocadileUT alternatives:
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ReportShawnIAm posted on 11 Dec 2010, 14:47
Worth every extra penny with Virgin Mobile
ShawnIAm has owned it for less than year before publishing this review
I picked this up a few months after Virgin Mobile released it. While there was some MMS issues with this device, they were fixed within a month of me getting the device (PROTIP: if MMS issues still persist, re-provision your device). A solid performer for the price, and is no-contract thanks to Virgin Mobile.
The battery is horrible, though, but it seems to be expected, and the build quality is not the best it could be, but other than that (and no flash on my camera), I have few complantsBuild quality 3/10Reception 10/10Call quality 10/10Internet 9/10Multimedia 10/10Camera 8/10UI speed 9/10Everyday usage 9/10Text input 8/10Display 10/10Battery 3/10Pros
- Support for Windows Media, MP4, h.264, (e)AAC(+), and others
- Decent reception and call quality
- Good speed on the internet (despite no Flash support)
- BBOS 5
Cons
- Poor stock battery
- Build quality needs improvement
- No flash on camera
- Keypad not for the fat-fingered
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Do you?
Reportpedalfasternow posted on 28 Oct 2010, 07:31
I like it but had to make one adjustment.
pedalfasternow has owned it for less than year before publishing this review
I really like this phone. Initially had a problem with the battery life but found an after market 3000 milli-amp-hour hour battery and it lasts me about 3 days without having to recharge! AND it allowed me to block unwanted texts (via the security options/firewall settings) and unwanted calls via an app (call blocker pro). Finally a phone that can grow with me!
I admit I got this phone SPECIFICALLY to keep an ex-girlfriend from texting and calling me!Build quality 8/10Reception 8/10Call quality 6/10Internet 4/10Multimedia 5/10Camera 3/10UI speed 4/10Everyday usage 7/10Text input 5/10Display 9/10Battery 5/10Pros
- Flexibility
- Able to block unwanted texts without using phone company
- Able to block unwanted calls without phone company via APP
Cons
- Camera
- Battery
- Browser slow - even on wifi
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Do you?
ReportMichael G. posted on 16 Oct 2010, 15:11
RIM Blackberry Curve 8530 Review [SPRINT]
DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE! I WARN YOU!I upgraded my cell phone in March of 2010. This phone is my first Blackberry and I fell in love with it. The internet browser is slow on both Sprint and Wifi. This phone lags heavily sometimes. It is wears VERY EASILY. I had this phone exactly 7 months and the screen went out, luckily it was still under warranty and got it fixed free of charge. Although, I love this Blackberry, I am currently looking for another phone that is reliable and can multitask. Good luck to you all who buy this phone. BE AWARE!
Design 8/10Features 6/10Performance 3/10Pros
- *Easy To Use
- *Full QWERTY Keyboard
- *Great Speakerphone
- *Operating System
- *Super Light
- *Threaded SMS Messaging
- *Track Pad
Cons
- *Feels Cheap
- *LCD Screen Went Out At Exactly Seven Months
- *No Camera Flash
- *No Group Contacts
- *Poor Battery Life
- *Screen/Case Wears Easy
- *Slow/Lags
- *Wifi doesn't work properly
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Do you?
ReportDaniel Gomilar posted on 18 Sep 2010, 09:51
Curve 8530
I have had a BB for many many years going back to the 7130 with a side track roller. This phone is a great improvement over the original curve with the track pad, expanded memory and improved OS. I did struggle with the battery life at first but have found that if you close out of your applications rather than just ending them with the end call button the battery life increases tenfold. This is a great phone and I would recommend it for anyone that is interested in an upgrade or first time smart phone.
Design 8/10Features 8/10Performance 9/10Pros
- Design, optical track pad, expanded memory, upgraded OS, applications,
Cons
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ReportAnonymous posted on 31 Aug 2010, 00:49
i love this phone i love it love it love it love it my cons tho r battery life camera i switched from the omnia tht phones awful i recommend this phone cuz its from a good company bb and its not to expesive its my 2nd smart phone so yet again i wud say to only get it if its ur first or second smartphone
Design 6/10Features 9/10Performance 10/10Pros
- track pad
- easy to use
- wifi
- fast internet
Cons
- awful battery life
- bad camera
2 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Do you?
ReportAnonymous posted on 30 Aug 2010, 01:00
I WISH I GOT THE TOUR 2 CUZ THIS PHONE IS GOOD BUT IT FEELLS LIKE A MCDONALDS TOY OR SUMTHIN THE CAMERA SUX WEB IS IIGHT KEYBOARD IS DECENT I WUD RECOMEND THIS FONE ONLY IF U WANT AN AWFUL PHONE ITS A NICE PHONE FO A FIRST PHONE MAYBE. if i were u tho i wud not get this phone
Design 1/10Features 1/10Performance 1/10Pros
- DESIGN is good wifi
Cons
- everything else
2 out of 14 people found this review helpful. Do you?
ReportAnonymous posted on 29 Aug 2010, 23:53
ive had this phone fo 6 months its fallin apart
my silicone case i the only thing holding my phone together its a good phone for text and internet tho but if u do get this phone be careful i liked it when i got it and then like a month ago it start to break alilDesign 1/10Features 1/10Performance 1/10Pros
- good for messaging and utube
Cons
- everything else
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Do you?
ReportJennifer L Bruecker posted on 17 Aug 2010, 16:57
love my 8530 curve
I love this phone, the track pad is awesome. The only down fall is that their is no flash-stupid thing to get rid of but definitely was not a deal breaker. Call quality is excellent, battery life is good- heavy use it will last the day, unless using gps to travel for an hour or two. However you must shut down your apps as you get out of them or you will suck alot of battery up and slow down everything. Very glad I purchased this phone- previously had the Motorola Renegade, biggest piece of crap out their.
Design 10/10Features 9/10Performance 9/10Pros
- blackberry app world
- very easy to use
Cons
- no flash
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Do you?
ReportAnonymous posted on 19 Jul 2010, 12:40
Ive had this phone for a while now and its not a bad phone it could be betterwhat i don't like is that it doesn't have a flash on it like the previous curve but i over looked that once i saw how good the pics do come out using this phonebut all in all i think its a pretty decent phone
Design 8/10Features 9/10Performance 8/10Pros
- track-pad , good display screen
Cons
- no flash, keyboard is cheap feeling
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Do you?
Reportlovethisphone posted on 14 Apr 2010, 20:36
awesome
wow what a great phone. i multitask on it and the media keys are great for going through songs while doing tons of things. its so slim i can hold it easily. its easy for texting on and does not feel cheap. the wifi helps a lot at most of the time with verizon it has 3G sometimes it has 1X but nothing less.
Design 10/10Features 10/10Performance 10/10Pros
- everything
Cons
- nothing
11 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Do you?
ReportSG posted on 01 Apr 2010, 11:12
What a terrible experience!
This is my first "smart" phone. I bought it eight days ago. I am on my second one and this one is going back. My first one fried within the first 48 hours. I clicked "accept" when asked if I wanted to download the software update. I was alerted the update would take approximately 30 minutes. I put the phone in a gym locker. 45 minutes later when I went back to the locker I picked up the phone it felt like it was 150 degrees. The screen was black and I could not get it to do anything. I immediately went back to the Verizon store, they told me this has never happened before with this phone and they gave me a new phone. Now, six days later, I am experiencing a terrible problem with dropped calls with the new phone. The phone does not keep a call more than 90 seconds while I'm driving (Using bluetooth of course). I will be making a second trip to the store since the original purchase and get a different phone. Fool me once, shame on me...............
Design 1/10Features 2/10Performance 1/10Pros
- 30 day return if not satisfied!!!!
Cons
- See review.
6 out of 14 people found this review helpful. Do you?
Reportpersonwiththisphone posted on 23 Mar 2010, 16:10
great phone-must get
most of the things people say is wrong with the phone besides no flash and the battery life you can change in the options menu. and for the people who complain about the battery life I am pretty sure that you can go to a store and buy a stronger battery. the trackpad can't break like the trackball can. the keypad isn't that hard to see on the purple one without the backlight and when you get used to it you'll know where all of the keys are. the media keys help a lot. the phone does not feel cheap but if it seems like it does just get a case for it.
Design 10/10Features 9/10Performance 9/10Pros
- everything
Cons
- no flash for camera
11 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Do you?
ReportKacy posted on 01 Mar 2010, 16:36
I don't think I'm keeping it
I had the blackberry curve 8330 and loved it. It had everything I wanted but I had to get a new phone so I got this new curve and figured it would be twice as great. I do love the trackpad. It actually works really well and I don't have any problems with it. I was excited to see it had wifi which was definately a plus but other than that, it had no new features. I was so mad when I noticed it didn't have a flash on the camera! Who even makes a phone now without a flash? I am also having problems with dropped calls and SLOW internet but idk if the phone is to blame for that. I am thinking of trading it in for the Samsung Moment. I think I'll probably like it better. Oh and battery life is horrible!!! My other curve lasted a day and a half and with this, I'm lucky to get through the day.
Design 7/10Features 4/10Performance 5/10Pros
- Trackpad
- Wifi
Cons
- No flash!
- Battery life
2 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Do you?
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