We go hands-on with the Flare S6 Plus!

Smartphones with tall, 18:9 displays are starting become the next big thing. Big brands are starting to jump in on the bandwagon, and the new aspect ratio is fast becoming the next must-have feature for consumers. Unfortunately, most phones that have that aspect ratio have price tags past the 10K mark.

That changes today as Cherry Mobile launches their first ever 18:9 TrueView equipped smartphone, the Flare S6 Plus. Priced at Php 9,999, it’s the most affordable 18:9 smartphone so far. It’s also the first phone from a local brand that has four cameras in its body, much like the more expensive Huawei Nova 2i.

Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Plus

• 1.5GHz MediaTek 6750T octa-core processor
• Mali T860 MP2
• 4GB of RAM
• 5.7-inch HD Plus TrueView IPS display, 720 x 1440 resolution
• 64GB of expandable storage up to 128GB
• 16-megapixel Samsung ISCOCELL S5K3P3 rear camera, 5-megapixel secondary depth camera, dual LED flash
• 16-megapixel Samsung ISCOCELL S5K3P3 front camera, 5-megapixel secondary depth camera
• Dual SIM
• 3G, LTE
• WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, Fingerprint Scanner, USB Type-C
• 3000mAh battery
• Android Nougat 7.0, Cherry OS

Initial impressions: a premium-looking body, quad-cameras plus Cherry Mobile’s own UI

Let’s get a few things out of the way at the start: the Flare S6 Plus doesn’t have a “bezel-less” display. It does have smaller than usual side bezels compared to their other phones, but you can still distinctly make out the black border on the side of the phone. What it does have is more screen real-estate compared to a similarly sized phone. The 18:9 aspect ratio gives the phone a 5.7-inch panel in a space that’s usually reserved for a 5.5-inch phone. The size increase due to the 18:9 aspect ratio isn’t as dramatic as say, the Nova 2i which has a 5.9-inch panel in a shorter device. The display is only HD+, putting the resolution at 720 x 1440. That’s similar to Vivo’s V7+, though theirs is slightly bigger at 5.9-inches.

The phone’s body is made out metal and is pretty cold to the touch. The corners are rounded, and there’s a slight curve to the body to improve one-handed ergonomics. There’s two cameras on the rear – 16-megapixel main camera and a 5-megapixel depth sensor, along with two LED flash units placed on either side of the raised camera module. Right below that is the fingerprint scanner.

The power button is on the right of the phone along with the volume rocker. The SIM/microSD slot is on the left, with the 3.5mm jack is on the top. The USB Type-C port and speaker grille is on the bottom.

Just like the Nova 2i, the Flare S6 Plus also has a dual-camera setup on the front as well as the rear. In the Flare S6 Plus’ case, the front camera is exactly the same as the front. The camera sensors are provided by Samsung, specifically the ISCOCELL S5K3P3. It’s a camer sensor that’s been on loads of other phones before, and is now paired with 5-megapixel depth sensors for artificial bokeh after the fact.

Inside the phone beats middlin hardware: specifically a MediaTek MT6750T along with a Mali T860 MP2 GPU along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. It’s not the fastest chipset in town, but it’s more than enough for most people.

The Flare S6 Plus will be one of the first phones that will come equipped with Cherry Mobile’s new UI overlay, dubbed Cherry OS. We’ll go in depth with Cherry OS in a separate post, though some of its more interesting features will include 360 Security which should keep the phone malware and virus free, a comprehensive privacy system, a way to have 2 instances of social media apps like Facebook, Viber, Instagram with completely different log-ins, gender-based beautification settings and other goodies. As for the actual OS, the Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Plus runs on Android Nougat 7.0.

Cherry Mobile is pricing the Flare S6 Plus at Php 9,999, though the phone’s actual release date is still up in the air as of press time.

 

Check out our other quick reviews for Cherry Mobile’s Flare S6 line:

Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Hands-on, Quick Review: Redefining the Meaning of Budget Phones

Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Hands-on, Quick Review: Redefining the Meaning of Budget Phones