Two bang-for-the-buck phones enter, only one will win!
A few days ago we pit Cherry Mobile’s Flare X against Meizu’s M1 Note in an epic bang-for-the-buck phone battle. After the Meizu M1 Note, it’s only right that we do another head-to-head with the Cherry Mobile Flare X. A lot of you asked us to do a head-to-head with Firefly Mobile’s Allure 64 LTE and today, we’re doing just that. Both phones have comparable specs and 3GB of RAM, so it’s only right that the two phones get squared off together. Before we begin, let’s start with the specs:
Firefly Mobile Allure 64 LTE
- 1.7GHz MediaTek 6752 octa-core processor
- 3GB of RAM
- 5.5-inch HD IPS OGS display, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 1280 x 720 resolution
- 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD
- 13-megapixel Sony IMX214 rear camera
- 8-megapixel front camera
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, USB OTG
- Fingerprint scanner
- Android 5.0 Lollipop
- 3000mAh battery
- Php 7,999
- Firefly Mobile Allure 64 LTE review
Cherry Mobile Flare X
- 1.7GHz MediaTek 6752 octa-core processor
- 3GB of RAM
- 5.5-inch full HD IPS OGS display, Gorilla Glass 3, 1920 x 1080 resolution
- 16GB of storage expandable via microSD card
- 13-megapixel rear camera, Sony IMX214 sensor, BSI
- 5-megapixel front camera
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC
- 3000mAh battery
- Android 4.4 KitKat with OTA for Lollipop
- Php 6,999
- Cherry Mobile Flare X review
Design:
There’s not a lot of competition when it comes to the design aspect of both phones. The Flare X uses a fairly safe and mundane design, using an all-plastic body with a plastic shell. The Allure 64 LTE on the other hand, is a real looker. Yes, it does look like an iPhone 6 Plus, but that’s not really a big issue since the original iPhone 6 Plus does look pretty awesome. The Allure 64 LTE uses a metal frame and a removable plastic back, as well as 2.5D curved glass technology on its 5.5-inch display. Both phones have expandable storage. The Allure 64 LTE also has a Touch ID-like, 3D fingerprint scanner that is lacking on the Flare X. Though both phones have 5.5-inch displays, the Allure 64 LTE is significantly taller than the Flare X.
One thing that irks us on the Allure 64 LTE that probably won’t happen on the Flare X is that the logo of Firefly Mobile on the back cover is starting to chip off, despite being in a jelly case most of the time. The Flare X (as lent to us) does not have freebie screen protectors, jelly case, and tempered glass protection, which is present on the Allure 64 LTE.
Display:
While both phones have the same display size, the Allure 64 LTE loses out to the Flare X because of the full HD capability of the latter compared to the former. Since the Flare X has a full HD display, it has a higher pixel density compared to the Allure 64 LTE. Using the display tester app, we noticed that the display of the Allure 64 LTE has a slightly yellowish tinge compared to the Flare X. The tinge isn’t readily apparent when you’re using the Allure 64 LTE, and only stands out when it’s sitting side by side against the Flare X.
While both phones are advertised as having Gorilla Glass 3, the Flare X already sports numerous scratches on its surface due to use, which is not present on the Allure 64 LTE.
Performance:
Both phones use MediaTek’s MT6752 64-bit octa-core processor running at 1.7GHz. Both phones also have 3GB of RAM inside. The big difference here is that the processor on the Flare X is driving a full HD display compared to the HD display on the Allure 64 LTE. It takes a lot of number crunching to power a full HD display compared to an HD one, which is evidenced on both AnTuTu and PC Mark Work benchmarks on both phones.
Both phones ran games like Real Racing 3 and Modern Combat 5 well, with no major issues.
Software and OS:
On the software front, the Flare X uses Android 4.4 KitKat while the Allure 64 LTE uses Android 5.0 Lollipop. While a newer version of Android would, at first glance, be perceived as a leg up, we encountered numerous issues and bugs with our device when we reviewed it. To be fair to Firefly Mobile, the company did send out an OTA that fixed stability issues with the phone, but some bugs still remain (like the WiFi disconnect bug) and some lag in the interface when closing the app drawer.
Camera:
Both the Flare X and the Allure 64 LTE are advertised as having 13-megapixel resolution cameras, as well as Sony IMX 214 sensors. Theoretically, both phones should perform evenly in a head-to-head camera test.
In practice, that’s far from the truth. The Flare X consistently beat the Allure 64 LTE in both sharpness and detail, in both brightly lit and low light environments. The only weakness of the Flare X compared to the Allure 64 LTE was in white balance, as some photos taken under incandescent bulbs were a little too yellow for our tastes.
We’re not entirely sure what’s wrong with the camera of the Allure 64 LTE considering that both phones have the same sensors. Hopefully, another software fix should rectify this. It’s also important to note that the purple tinge issue that we encountered before with the Allure 64 LTE is no longer there after the OTA.
All photos were taken with the auto shot preset.
Battery:
Both the Flare X and the Allure 64 LTE are advertised as having 3000mAh batteries. To take the guesswork out of everything, we ran PC Mark’s Battery Benchmark on the Allure 64 LTE (we already have an existing benchmark of the Flare X from our previous test). The Flare X achieves 5 hours and 19 minutes while the Allure 64 LTE gets a slightly higher score of 5 hours and 27 minutes. We were expecting a bigger gap between the two phones in terms of the battery benchmark because of the more power efficient HD display of the Allure 64 LTE.
Verdict: The Flare X is more affordable, has a better camera and more stable OS while the Allure 64 LTE has a fingerprint scanner, better-looking body, and more freebies
After a battery of tests and comparisons, we can see that there’s really no clear winner between the two. Like our previous matchup, the Flare X and Allure 64 LTE both have good points and bad points. The Allure 64 LTE looks better than the Flare X and looks more premium, plus has plenty of freebies and a much sturdier display, not to mention a fingerprint scanner. The Flare X, on the other hand, is more affordable, has a more stable OS and has a far better camera compared to the Allure 64 LTE. Both are tied in the performance front, as both phones sport 3GB of RAM and the same processor.
Read more about these two phones:
Cherry Mobile Flare X Review: Bang For The Buck Killer
Why Doesn’t The Flare X Come With Lollipop?
Cherry Mobile Flare X Camera Samples [Updated with Low Light Shots!]
Watch: Cherry Mobile Flare X Gaming Test
Watch: Cherry Mobile Flare X VS Firefly Mobile Allure 64 LTE Initial Comparison Video
Watch: Cherry Mobile Flare X Unboxing and First Impressions Video!
Cherry Mobile Flare X Hands-on, First Impressions: Alcatel Flash Plus Killer?
Cherry Mobile Unveils Flare X, 3GB, LTE, Octa-core Smartphone for Php 6,999
Firefly Mobile Allure 64 LTE Unboxing: Is It All That It’s Cracked Up To Be?
Firefly Mobile Allure 64 LTE Unboxing Video!
Firefly Mobile Allure 64 LTE Camera Samples
Watch: Cherry Mobile Flare X VS Firefly Mobile Allure 64 LTE Initial Comparison Video
Firefly Allure 64 LTE Review: Ultimate Bang For The Buck Despite A Few Bugs?
