BlackBerry Curve 8530

532 reviews

May, 2024

Positive
portability (81)
usability (52)
price (46)
performance (37)
design (26)

Negative
screen (16)
reliability (13)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 532 reviews of BlackBerry Curve 8530. The average rating for this product is 3.4/5, compared to an average rating of 4.1/5 for other Cell phones for all reviews. Reviewers really like the design and performance. The price and usability also get good opinions, but some have doubts about the reliability and screen. Opinions are divided on the battery.

portability, usability, price, performance, design

screen, reliability

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Cell phones the BlackBerry Curve 8530 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 83/100 = Very good quality.

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Review analysis

(Based on 532 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(37% of reviews)
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Features

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performance
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Showing 1 - 411 of 471 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (12)

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for BlackBerry Curve 8530

alaTest has collected and analyzed 401 user reviews of BlackBerry Curve 8530 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 3.2/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.8/5 for other Cell phones on Amazon.com. People are impressed by the design and performance. The usability and price are also mentioned favorably. Some have doubts about the GPS navigation and screen.

portability, price, usability, performance, design

reliability, screen, GPS navigation

62% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

May, 2024

Expert review by : Alex Colon (pcmag.com)

BlackBerry Curve 8530 (Cricket Wireless)

Product not yet reviewed by PCMag Editors.

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Jan, 2012

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Expert review by : Jamie Lendino (pcmag.com)

BlackBerry Curve 8530 (Virgin Mobile)

The BlackBerry Curve 8530 is more of a good thing on Virgin Mobile, with its delectable combination of smartphone power and low monthly fees.

Very low monthly rates. Just enough smartphone power to get the job done.

Subpar screen resolution, camera sensor, and Web browser.

Apps, Multimedia, and Conclusions Virgin preinstalled dedicated Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google Maps apps. There's also a link to BlackBerry App World, which contains thousands of third-party free and paid apps. Like all BlackBerrys, the Curve...

Oct, 2010

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Expert review by : Nicole Lee (cnet.com)

BlackBerry Curve 8530 (MetroPCS) review

While you don't often see smartphones offered by smaller carriers, BlackBerrys tend to be the exception to the norm. The BlackBerry Curve 8530, for example, is now available for MetroPCS , after making the rounds with Verizon and Sprint. The Curve 8530...

The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 for MetroPCS has a lightweight and compact design with features like Wi-Fi, EV-DO, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 2.0-megapixel camera. It has fantastic call quality as well.

The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 has a low-resolution screen, and we experienced spotty 3G service.

Though not the best BlackBerry on the market, the Curve 8530 is a great entry-level smartphone, especially with MetroPCS's inexpensive unlimited monthly plan.

Aug, 2010

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Expert review by : Jamie Lendino (pcmag.com)

BlackBerry Curve 8530 (MetroPCS)

The BlackBerry Curve 8530's classic form factor and stellar MetroPCS pricing make it a powerful budget smartphone.

Comfortable, usable form factor. Lightweight. Includes Wi-Fi, GPS, and push e-mail. Stellar plan pricing.

No 3G.

Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions The Curve has always been a decent multimedia device, and the Curve 8530 is no exception. The Curve includes a standard-size 3.5mm headphone jack, a boon for audiophiles with upgraded headphones. The microSD card...

Aug, 2010

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Expert review by : Bonnie Cha (cnet.com)

BlackBerry Curve 8530 - black (Virgin Mobile)

Jul, 2010

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Expert review by : Jamie Lendino (pcmag.com)

BlackBerry Curve 8530 (Sprint)

Sprint's BlackBerry Curve 8530 gets all of the same benefits as the Verizon version plus a few extra, though it's no longer a class leader like the first one was.

Refined form factor. Excellent keyboard. Plenty of streamed video services. Costs less than the Verizon version.

Sluggish Web browser. Could use a bump in screen and camera resolution. Middling battery life.

Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions The Curve 8530's 528 MHz Qualcomm processor makes the UI and apps move at a good clip. The new trackpad is sensitive, accurate, and doesn't gunk up like the old trackballs. BlackBerry OS 5.0 includes threaded text...

Jan, 2010

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Expert review by : Bonnie Cha (cnet.com)

BlackBerry Curve 8530 - Sprint review

The BlackBerry Curve 8500 series is making the rounds to all the carriers, including Sprint , which offers the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530. Like the others, the smartphone is a great foray into the world of smartphones for the first-time buyer. Though it...

The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 offers ease of use and a compact design. Its features include Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 2-megapixel camera.

The smartphone feels a bit cheap and it has a low-resolution screen. Its call quality could be better.

Some design issues aside, the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 is a great value for Sprint customers looking for an entry-level smartphone.

Jan, 2010

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Expert review by : Jamie Lendino (pcmag.com)

BlackBerry Curve 8530 (Verizon Wireless)

The BlackBerry Curve 8530 includes a few important enhancements over the popular, well-loved Curve 8330, but the competition has outpaced the former Editor's Choice.

Lighter and faster than before. Finally includes Wi-Fi. Good voice quality. Excellent QWERTY keyboard.

Low screen resolution. Middling camera. Updated Web browser is still clunky.

Camera and Conclusions The 2-megapixel camera remains the same as before, though RIM dropped the LED flash and portrait mirror. Test photos were overly dark and grainy, with blown out highlights; this was OK in 2007, but RIM should have upgraded the...

Dec, 2009

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Expert review by : PhoneArena Team (phonearena.com)

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 Review

The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 hits the sweet spot of price, functionality and cool, but it's getting long in the tooth. So how does RIM make their most popular device even better? How about making it smaller, faster and adding Wi-Fi...

Dec, 2009

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Expert review by : Joni Blecher (letstalk.com)

BlackBerry Curve 8530

The BlackBerry Curve 8530 has a few new design elements that set it apart from it's siblings: namely there's a trackpad in place of the trackball and dedicated music buttons at the top of the device for easy control over the music player. It also...

Nov, 2009

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