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BlackBerry Bold 9900 Review: A Classic Business Smartphone

2026-01-29

BlackBerry Bold 9900 (2011)

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 (codenamed Dakota), released in August 2011 by Research In Motion (RIM), is a flagship premium business smartphone and the first Bold model with a touchscreen + physical QWERTY keyboard combo, 4G LTE connectivity, and a slim metal unibody design. Targeting enterprise users and power professionals, it combines BlackBerry’s iconic productivity features with upgraded hardware, a high-resolution display, and enhanced multimedia, standing as one of the most iconic BlackBerry devices of the BB7 era.

1. General Information

Launch Date: Announced May 3, 2011 (BlackBerry World); released August 18, 2011 (global)
Model Aliases: Bold 9900 (GSM/LTE); Bold 9930 (CDMA/UMTS, Verizon variant); Dakota (codename)
OS: BlackBerry OS 7.0 (officially upgradable to 7.1.0; last major BB OS for physical keyboard flagships)
Core Purpose: Enterprise-grade push email, secure business connectivity, productivity, and premium daily use with LTE/3G, touch + keyboard input
Color Options: Black (matte metal + glass), White (limited edition)

2. Display & Input

Display Type: 2.8-inch TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, landscape orientation, backlit for low-light visibility
Resolution: 640 × 480 pixels (VGA), ~286 ppi, one of the sharpest displays on a BlackBerry at launch; scratch-resistant glass
Input Combo:
- 40-key backlit physical QWERTY keyboard (sculpted keys for tactile typing, iconic BlackBerry design)
- Optical trackpad (replaces trackball; precise navigation, click-to-select)
- Physical send/end, menu, escape, and volume keys; dedicated camera shortcut

3. Performance & Memory

Processor: 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 MSM8255 (single-core Scorpion, 45nm)
GPU: Adreno 205 (supports 720p video playback, basic 3D graphics)
RAM: 768MB DDR2 SDRAM (optimized for BB7 multitasking: email, BBM, browser, apps)
Internal Storage: 8GB flash memory (user-available ~6GB)
Expandable Storage: microSD/microSDHC slot (officially up to 32GB; unofficially supports 64GB)
Performance: Flagship-level for 2011 BB OS; smooth multitasking for enterprise apps, light multimedia, and web browsing

4. Camera

Rear Camera: 5MP autofocus (AF) with LED flash, 2x digital zoom
- Max photo resolution: 2592 × 1944 pixels
- Features: Geotagging, face detection, image stabilization, white balance modes, HDR (via BB7.1 update)
- Video recording: 720p HD @ 30fps (1280 × 720 pixels; no EIS)
Front Camera: VGA (0.3MP) (for video calls, BlackBerry Messenger video chat, low-res selfies)

5. Connectivity

Cellular (9900):
- GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (2G); UMTS/HSPA+ 850/1900/2100 (3G, 21 Mbps down)
- LTE 700/2100 MHz (4G, Cat 3, 100 Mbps down / 50 Mbps up; regional variants for LTE bands)
Cellular (9930): CDMA 800/1900, UMTS/HSPA+ 850/1900/2100, no LTE (Verizon CDMA variant)
Wireless:
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4/5 GHz, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot)
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (A2DP for stereo audio, HSP/HFP for hands-free, PBAP for contact sync)
- Near Field Communication (NFC) (for BlackBerry Tag, mobile payments, device pairing)
Wired & Navigation:
- micro-USB 2.0 (charging, data sync, USB-OTG support)
- 3.5mm 4-conductor headphone jack (standard audio)
- GPS + A-GPS + GLONASS (BlackBerry Maps, third-party navigation apps)
SIM: Mini-SIM (2FF) slot (enterprise SIM support, dual-SIM via unofficial mods)

6. Battery & Power

Battery Type: Removable 1230 mAh Li-Ion battery (model: M-S1)
Battery Life (Typical Use):
- Talk time: Up to 6 hours (3G) / 5 hours (LTE)
- Standby time: Up to 300 hours (12.5 days)
- Music playback: Up to 30 hours; video playback: Up to 6 hours
Charging: Standard micro-USB charging (5V/1A, no fast charging); removable battery for quick swaps (enterprise-friendly)

7. Design & Physical Specs

Dimensions: 115 × 66 × 10.5 mm (4.53 × 2.60 × 0.41 in) – ultra-slim for a physical QWERTY BlackBerry (thinnest Bold ever at launch)
Weight: 130 g (4.59 oz) with battery
Build: Premium unibody aluminum frame (matte black finish) + glass back + scratch-resistant front glass; durable for business mobility
IP Rating: No official IP rating (splash-resistant, not water/dust proof)
Notifications: Customizable LED indicator (red/green/blue/purple), vibration motor, polyphonic/MP3 ringtones, loudspeakerphone (noise cancellation for calls)

8. Software & Key Features

Enterprise & Productivity:
- BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) 5.x/10 support (end-to-end encryption, remote device management, push email/calendar/contacts)
- BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) (consumer push email for up to 10 accounts)
- Full organizer: Calendar, Contacts (unlimited entries), Tasks, MemoPad, Calculator, Clock
- BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) 6/7 (text/voice/video chat, BBM Groups, file sharing)
Multimedia & Utility:
- BlackBerry Media Player (MP3/AAC/WMA/FLAC audio; MP4/3GP/AVI video)
- BlackBerry Browser (WebKit-based, HTML5 support, tabbed browsing, pinch-to-zoom)
- FM radio (with wired headset as antenna)
- Voice dialing, voice notes, BlackBerry Protect (remote lock/wipe/locate)
Security (BB Core Strength):
- Device password lock + content encryption (AES-256)
- Enterprise-grade security policies (BES)
- Remote wipe/lock (consumer/enterprise)
- App sandboxing (BB7 app security)