We unbox the Cherry Mobile Omega Spectrum!

Ever since MyPhone released their affordable Rio, we’ve been waiting to see what the other local brands would offer to challenge the current king of budget quad-cores. While Starmobile has remained silent, Cherry Mobile promptly struck back by announcing their own affordable quad-core smartphone, the Omega Spectrum. Today, we will be unboxing their newest budget quad-core offering – does the Omega Spectrum have what it takes to take the crown away from MyPhone?

Cherry Mobile Omega Spectrum specs

• 1.2GHz quad-core Broadcom BCM 23550 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 5-inch HD IPS display, 1280 x 720 resolution
• 4GB storage (possibly expandable via microSD)
• 8-megapixel camera with flash
• 2-megapixel front camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, GLONASS, Miracast ready, USB OTG capable
• 3G
• Dual-SIM
• 2000mAh battery
• Android 4.2
• Php 4,999

Packaging and contents

Much like its more expensive brother, the Omega Infinity, the Omega Spectrum comes in a nifty box that’s enclosed in a cardboard sleeve with a die-cut depicting the device contained therein.

Once you take out the sleeve, you’ll see the words Omega Spectrum printed on the black box.

Once you open the box, you’ll see the device itself, along with a charger, manual, USB cable and a pair of nifty in-ear headphones.

Initial Impressions: Elegant and sublime design, alright performance

When we first saw the Omega Spectrum in its official press shot, we underwhelmed by its appearance. However, actually holding the device in our hands however, we’re quick to admit we were mistaken – the Omega Spectrum’s design is elegant, and simple. Its attractive curves and matte black body makes it somber and elegant looking compared to the blocky and vibrant Rio. If the Rio is the hot, outgoing cheerleader of the smartphone world, the Omega Spectrum is the cute, shy, nerdy girl next door. The device’s graceful curves combined with the matte black finish gives you a solid purchase on the device, even with the 5-inch display.

The button layout is typical Android of course – the right side of the device holds the power and volume rocker, while 3.5mm jack and USB charging port is located on the top and bottom, respectively.

The Android navigation keys lie on the bottom of the bezel like always but are not illuminated. The 8-megapixel camera protrudes for a good bit from the back, which may cause it to be scratched when the phone is placed on an uneven surface, something to be aware of when you’re out and about with it.

Like the Rio, the Omega Spectrum uses a 5-inch HD IPS display, but the Spectrum has one thing that the Rio doesn’t – glass protection. The Omega Spectrum’s display is protected by Dragontrail glass, while the Rio’s is protected by a thin sheet of plastic.

Of course, certain compromises needed to be made to get the price of the Omega Spectrum down to what it is. It uses a less powerful 1.2GHz quad-core Broadcom BCM 23550 processor paired with 1GB of RAM. We’ve seen this combination before in other smartphones (most notably in Cherry Mobile’s own Sonic 2.0) and we knew before we ran synthethic tests that it wouldn’t get as high a score as the Rio did. We were right – the Omega Spectrum only managed 13171 points in AnTuTu.

As far as the user experience is concerned, the Omega Spectrum manages to do well enough, though we did notice a bit of lag while navigating through the device. It’s not as bad as the lag that was present in the Rio pre-OTA, but you’ll definitely feel it while navigating through the Omega Spectrum.

That’s it for now. Check back later this week for the entire review of the Omega Spectrum.