BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 unboxed

And so the extravagance begins with the box. It's larger than your average BlackBerry container. Maybe there's a toy model of a Porsche in here?

No sign of a toy Porsche, but there sits the Porsche Design P'9981 in all its boxy metallic glory. It is, however, joined by what appears to be some kind of dedicated dock. Our guess is that's a charging dock.

This is definitely going to be one of those love it or hate it handsets and we can see a lot of BlackBerry loyalists hating its alternative design. While its sleek silver stylings – crafted from a single piece of brushed stainless steel – and futuristic-looking QWERTY keyboard scream premium goods, it's angular design is a far cry from what we're used to when it comes to the king of QWERTY and its smartphones line.

We have to admit, we're a bit taken with its non-conformist nature, as the result is a slick-looking smartphone with retro appeal, that feels suitably solid and hefty in the hand. At 155g and 11.3mm thick, it's slimmer than its Bold 9790 sibling and while it's carries a bit more weight compared to the majority of high-end smartphones, it certainly won't  put any strain on your wrists.

You can't tell by just looking at it our photos, but the bottom edge of the phone is crafted from plastic to aid with phone reception. But because it rocks the same metallic hue as the rest of the phone, this is nicely disguised.

It's real leather backside accentuates its slick charm and continues the P'9981 on its high-end journey, not to mention it will keep the phone firmly placed in even the most slippery palms.