I own both devices (and have owned 10 or so BBs over the years). I've have the Passport since launch and still really like it. I think of it as a massive upgrade to the Q10 (which I did not like... overheated, crappy phone quality, too much screen space wasted on dumb things, screen not bright enough, slow with emailing and general navigation, poor appearance and construction quality). I see the Classic as more of an upgrade to the 9900, just like the way BB is positioning it.



Here is how the two new devices stack up for me:



-KEYBOARD: Took me about 3 weeks to start typing okay on the Passport. Thought I was doing pretty well and overall wasn't really fussed about typing speed, but ten minutes with the Classic and I am faster on it. Still don't like the Classic keyboard as much as the 9900 because I find it less comfortable without the curved rows and the way it sits so low on the device means you have to hold it a bit differently. It is also harder to glide your fingers across it really fast like the 9900, I think because the buttons are less flat. The tradeoff here may be that the higher buttons make for better no-look precision. Classic buttons are softer than the Passport and overall it is a better keyboard, I think. That said - people with big hands I think will be better on the Passport. I think both are great keyboards, but I'm definitely faster on the Classic thanks to the retain of the fourth row.



-EMAIL: reading, replying, filing I find better on the Classic than the Passport, mostly due to the trackpad which I find efficient. Again, for my personal workflow the 9900 is still more efficient for email (at least until you have an attachment and all hell breaks loose), but the Classic is the first new device that comes close. I am a massive emailer all day so this is a big deal for me.



-TEXT EDITING: Thank god for the return of the trackpad. The Passport system wasn't bad, but copying, pasting. etc is so much faster on the Classic. Again, a big thing for me but I know this is not important for everyone.



-ONE HANDED USE: This is what has turned out to be the real issue for me. With the Passport, I found that I just kind of stopped going through emails while walking around during the day. This is because to do things effectively with one hand is very difficult. With the Classic, I can do this again... walking around glued to my BB, whipping through things with the trackpad. What a huge boost... I find this can mean 20-30 mins a day or more that I dont have to sit at my desk on my computer. And this right here is the single most important thing to me in a phone.



-SCREEN: Classic is fine (WAYYY better than Q10) but Passport is truly amazing. I find the Passport big enough to watch movies on while at the gym and am going to miss that with the Classic



-BATTERY: Passport, hands down. Don't yet have a good feel for Classic's longevity. Passport is unbelievable.



-CALL QUALITY & SPEAKERPHONE: Passport, but Classic is fine and I have no major issues. The Passport I find can replace a polycom often in a boardroom... the Classic's speakerphone not so much. Not bad though. I'd give them a "meets expectations."



-PHYSICAL DESIGN: Pretty much love everything about the Passport. I don't have a problem with it in my pocket. A little big to take running but its management. Classic design is fine but I do not like the back. People seem to think it is grippy but I don't. Will be looking for a case.



-SPEED: Both are fast. Not BB7-no-animation-instant-open fast which still annoys me (enough with the damn animations, just make things open fast), but fast enough. I don't see any slowdown going from Passport to Classic. Enough with the specs debate already.



-OWNERSHIP ENJOYMENT: Gotta give this to the Passport. A real conversation piece, great looking, very original. Classic doesn't have that.



-OVERALL VERDICT: For me, it will be the Classic, simply because for what I do and how I work, the Classic is a more efficient work tool. I would think that for most people, and for the vast majority of 9900 hold outs the Classic will be the better choice, but the Passport certainly has its niche (people who read more than type, guys with big hands, someone who really wants a status symbol or a phone with a killer screen).



I'm keeping the Classic, but its going to be hard to part with that Passport.



Curious to hear thoughts from other people with both phones. Which one will be your daily driver?