Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0: Quad-core Android Jelly Bean Smartphone for Php6,999

Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0: Quad-core Android Jelly Bean Smartphone for Php6,999

Meet the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0!
Meet the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0!

Meet the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0

The Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 is poised to storm the local tech and gadget scene. The affordable price tag combined with the quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, and Android Jelly Bean makes for a very compelling proposition. Yes, there are a few compromises: the device sports a 5-megapixel camera and the battery is just 1,600mAh but you can actually overlook this because of the Php6,999 price tag.

Here’s a full rundown of the specifications:

Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 Spec Sheet

  • 1.2GHz Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • 4GB Internal Storage (Expandable up to 32GB via microSD)
  • 4.5-inch qHD capacitive touchscreen
  • 5.0-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED Flash
  • VGA front-facing camera
  • WiFi b/g/n, WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G
  • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
  • Dual-SIM, Dual Standby
  • 1,600mAh Battery
  • Comes with a free mobile power bank (until May 31)

We’ll update this post with our initial impressions and hands-on in a few minutes. Just have to stop typing since we have a meeting, lol.

Hardware Check: Looks like a Big Glossy iPhone, hehe

iPhone 6... este Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0. Hehe.
iPhone 6… este Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0. Hehe.

I never thought I’d ever say this but Cherry Mobile has successfully made a phone that looks a lot like the Apple iPhone, hehe. Everything from the black bezel to the aluminum-like band around it screams iPhone. Instead of the smooth aluminum finish for the back though Cherry Mobile opted for glossy black plastic which kinda makes it a massive fingerprint magnet. The most obvious difference though is the size as the Cherry Mobile Flame sports a 4.5-inch screen… that’s probably the reason why we got some comments during the podcast saying that it could be the “iPhone 5S”, haha!

Slim and lightweight profile
Slim and lightweight profile

The Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 manages to keep a thin and light profile. I don’t have the exact measurements but it should be around 9.0mm thick which makes it competitive in the “thin and light” category, especially if you take a look only on local brands.

What the back looks like
What the back looks like

After going through so many locally branded smartphones in the last few months, the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 is a welcome relief from the flood of Samsung copycats. We can definitely say that it is one of the best looking locally branded devices in the market today (followed closely by the Starmobile Flirt).

Software Check: Smooth Jelly Bean Experience

IMG_4097

The Qualcomm quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean cooperate wonderfully to deliver a smooth Android experience. We encountered a few lags but we’ll chalk that up to prototype software issues. Everything we tried, from games, browsing, to texting were all mostly lag-free.

Unfortunately we weren’t able to try any apps with intensive graphics requirements. The good news though is that Unbox Video Podcast co-host Alora Guerrero-Uy, was able to bring home an actual unit (won from a raffle). Expect the full review on this as well coming soon.

Initial Verdict

Android as an operating system has matured beautifully and Cherry Mobile is doing a great job in finding the right devices for the PH market. The Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 is a very good step forward as it addresses one of the constant complaints of Pinoy techie consumers about Jelly Bean, dual-core and just 512MB RAM. That’s no longer an issue though as the Flame 2.0 has a quad-core CPU, 1GB RAM, and Jelly Bean.

Over-all the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 is a fantastic buy at Php6,999. Here’s to hoping it’s mostly bug-free!

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