BlackBerry Bold Touch 9930 vs. iPhone 13 mini: A Clash of Eras
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The iPhone 13 mini decisively wins this comparison. While the BlackBerry Bold offers a unique keyboard experience, the iPhone's superior performance, camera, battery life, and modern features make it the clear choice for most users. The Bold is a nostalgic curiosity, the iPhone a practical powerhouse.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | BlackBerry Bold Touch 9930 | Apple iPhone 13 mini |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2628, A2629, A2630 |
| 5G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 Sub6/mmWave - A2628 |
| Speed | HSPA 14.4/5.76 Mbps, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2629, A2630 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2011, May. Released 2011, August | 2021, September 14 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2021, September 24 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | - | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm (4.53 x 2.60 x 0.41 in) | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.7 mm (5.18 x 2.53 x 0.30 in) |
| Keyboard | QWERTY | - |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 130 g (4.59 oz) | 141 g (4.97 oz) |
| Optical trackpad | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 640 x 480 pixels, 4:3 ratio (~286 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~476 ppi density) |
| Size | 2.8 inches, 24.3 cm2 (~32.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 5.4 inches, 71.9 cm2 (~85.1% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | TFT | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 1.2 GHz QC 8655 | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) |
| Chipset | - | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | - | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | BlackBerry OS 7.0 | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDHC (dedicated slot) | No |
| Internal | 8GB 768MB RAM | 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM |
| - | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | - | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.9", 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm |
| Features | LED flash | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | 5 MP | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 720p | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | - | HDR |
| Single | - | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | - | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| No | - | |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 2.1, A2DP, EDR | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, A-GPS, BlackBerry Maps | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Browser | HTML | - |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, proximity, compass | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| BlackBerry maps Document viewer MP4/WMV/H.264 player MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV player Organizer Voice memo/dial Predictive text input | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | - | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Music play | Up to 50 h | - |
| Stand-by | Up to 307 h (2G) / Up to 307 h (3G) | - |
| Talk time | Up to 6 h 40 min (2G) / Up to 5 h 50 min (3G) | - |
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1230 mAh battery | Li-Ion 2438 mAh (9.34 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black | Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Red, Green |
| Models | - | A2628, A2481, A2626, A2629, A2630, iphone14,4 |
| Price | About 120 EUR | € 299.00 / $ 240.00 / £ 244.89 |
| SAR | 1.38 W/kg (head) 0.78 W/kg (body) | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.77 W/kg (head) 0.84 W/kg (body) | 0.97 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 75h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.9 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 772512 (v9) GeekBench: 4681 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
BlackBerry Bold Touch 9930
- Physical keyboard for tactile typing
- Enhanced security features (historically)
- Classic BlackBerry design
- Outdated processor and performance
- Low-resolution display
- Poor camera quality
- Limited app ecosystem
- Slow charging
Apple iPhone 13 mini
- Powerful A15 Bionic chip
- Excellent camera system
- Bright and vibrant display
- Long battery life
- Seamless iOS integration
- Fast charging (wired & wireless)
- Smaller screen size may not appeal to everyone
- Lightning port (older models)
- Can be expensive
Display Comparison
The iPhone 13 mini boasts a significantly brighter and more vibrant display (831 nits) with an infinite contrast ratio, offering a superior viewing experience compared to the Bold's older LCD screen. Color accuracy and resolution are also notably better on the iPhone.
Camera Comparison
The iPhone 13 mini's camera system is far more advanced, offering superior image quality, video recording capabilities, and computational photography features. The Bold's camera is adequate for basic snapshots but falls far short of the iPhone's capabilities.
Performance
The Apple A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 13 mini utterly dominates the BlackBerry's QC 8655 processor. The iPhone delivers lightning-fast performance for demanding apps and games, while the Bold struggles with modern multitasking.
Battery Life
Both devices have an endurance rating of 75h, however, the iPhone 13 mini's efficient A15 chip and optimized iOS likely translate to longer real-world usage despite the smaller battery capacity. The iPhone also supports faster charging (wired and wireless).
Buying Guide
The BlackBerry Bold Touch 9930 is for BlackBerry enthusiasts, collectors, or those seeking a physical keyboard for messaging. The iPhone 13 mini is ideal for users who prioritize performance, camera quality, a compact size, and seamless iOS integration.