The BlackBerry Bold 9780 brings a refresh to RIM’s popular flagship QWERTY device, upping some of the hardware specs and folding in the new BlackBerry OS 6 operating system we saw on the Torch.

The hardware looks identical to the Bold 9700, so perhaps whilst you sit and flick through these photos you might wonder why you are doing so, but the refresh to the operating system does make it quite a different device.

The expanding tray menus are here, although obviously don’t give you the flexibility that the Torch did as there isn’t a touchscreen. However, at first glance it looks to be a refreshing change from the menus of the Bold 9700.

The browser is the new WebKit browser which is much faster and much more accomplished than the previous version. It’s immediately obvious too as you dive into your favourite websites.

Elsewhere the camera has seen a boost from the 3.2 megapixels of the previous model to a toe-the-line 5 megapixels. The interface has been changed slightly and it is supported by an LED flash as before. Internally there has also been a boost from 256 to 512MB of RAM.

We liked OS 6 on the Torch and much of that goodness is here. We felt the Torch didn’t quite make it to the multimedia superphone highs in challenging the likes of the HTC Desire HD or Apple iPhone 4, but the full QWERTY Bold offers the best keyboard around.

So whilst it might not have the Samsung Galaxy S running for the hills, it may well beat all into the ground with its email prowess.

Fear not Pocket-lint readers, we’re putting the BlackBerry Bold 9780 through its paces as you read this. Stay tuned for a full review of the handset, and until then, enjoy the photos.