Starmobile Diamond S2 Initial Review: 6-inch Quad-core Phablet for Php9,990

Meet the Starmobile Diamond S2

Starmobile aggressively expanded their phablet offerings when they beefed up their Diamond series. One of their newest offerings is the 6-inch quad-core Starmobile Diamond S2. It definitely crosses over to the phablet space with the huge screen. The good thing here though is that it’s backed up with pretty good internals, including a 1.3GHz Quad-core MediaTek 6582M processor paired with 1GB RAM. Both front and rear cameras also have Backside Illumination (BSI) technology. Not bad for Php9,990.

Here’s the full spec sheet for your perusal.

Starmobile Diamond S2 Spec Sheet

1.3GHz Quad-core MTK6582M Processor
Mali-400 Graphics
1GB RAM
4GB Internal Storage, expandable via MicroSD Card
6.0-inches qHD (960 x 540) display
Dragontrail Scratch Resistant Glass
12.0-megapixels primary camera with BSI and LED Flash
3.0-megapixels secondary camera with BSI
Dual 3G SIM, Dual Standby
3G, HSPA+, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS, aGPS
Android Jelly Bean 4.2
2,400mAh Battery
SRP:Php9,990

During the last episode of the podcast we were able to spend considerable time with the Starmobile Diamond S2. We’ll definitely secure a review unit but for now we’d like to share with you guys our initial hands-on impressions of this new phablet.

Hands-on and Initial Review

The Starmobile Diamond S2 is a phablet through and through. With a 6.0-inch display, it’s definitely meant for content consumption — videos, photos, eBooks, and web browsing. That’s the advantage of having a huge display. However the downside, much like with any other phablet, is that the size can be daunting for people with small hands. It’s a polarizing product and those who really don’t like big devices will probably skip the Diamond S2. That said, it’s a great product to consider if one is looking for a phablet.

The Diamond S2 does not look like or feel like a cheap phablet. At the back we have some sort of pattern that’s definitely stylish and awesome to look at. The sides are also solid and sturdy thanks to the Magnalium Alloy frame.

While we’re all praises for the design of the back plate, we can’t help but draw similarities (understatement hehe) between the free accessory that comes bundled with the Starmobile Diamond S2 and the accessories of the Galaxy Mega 6.3 and Galaxy S4. The Diamond S2 comes with a Smart Flip Cover. It has that cut out at the top part which partially activates the screen when closed to show the time and other notifications. With the cover closed, the Diamond S2 really does look like a Samsung Galaxy Mega, lol.

When it came to performance, we were generally happy with the speed of the Diamond S2. Basic transitions and animations were smooth and we didn’t encounter any issues jumping from one app to the next.

We’ll Try to Get a Review Unit

As far as initial impressions go, we’re pretty happy with the Starmobile Diamond S2. If ever we have one concern it probably would be the measly 4GB internal storage. We really think all products these days should have a minimum of 8GB.

We’ll really try to get our hands on the final commercial unit for review. According to Starmobile, the Diamond S2 should be in stores sometime in December (in the next 2 weeks).