Cherry Mobile Blaze Unboxing and Initial Review

Cherry Mobile Blaze: Unboxing and Initial Review!

The announcement of the Cherry Mobile Blaze caught lot of tech bloggers and reporters by surprise. It was revealed a day before Christmas day on the Facebook Page of Cherry Mobile Philippines. The device, priced comfortably at Php6,499, was definitely made to offer value for money as it packed a dual-core processor, dual sim capabilities, a 4.7-inch display, and Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Spec rundown below.

Cherry Mobile Blaze Spec Sheet

1GHz Dual-core Mediatek Processor
512MB RAM
4GB Internal Storage, Expandable up to 32GB via MicroSD
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
3G/WiFi/Bluetooth/Hotspot/GPS
4.7-inch FWVGA Capacitive Touch Screen
8.0-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash
VGA front-facing camera
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
1,500mAh Battery

We knew there would be a lot of interest on this handset so we picked one up from SM North Edsa Annex (Cherry Mobile Kiosk). Read on for our unboxing and initial review!

Unboxing Video

Instead of our usual picture with caption barrage, we took a video of the unboxing of the Cherry Mobile Blaze. Please check it out! It’s just 2 minutes anyway and it gives you a better feel of the device. 🙂

Cool eh? Anyway, let’s move on to our initial impressions.

Body Design: It literally looks and feels like… a Galaxy S3

Very similar to the look of the Galaxy S3 because of the design as well as the materials

As we pointed out in our initial post, the Cherry Mobile Blaze bares a striking resemblance to Samsung’s flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S3. We based this observation only on the image that came out in the e-poster. Now that we have an actual unit on-hand we can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that indeed this literally looks and feels like the S3. Everything, from the screen size, button placements, and even the plastic material used for the body just screams Galaxy S3. The only visible differences are the absence of the Samsung logo (Cherry Mobile logo is at the back of the phone) and the device is a bit thicker and heavier than the S3.

Comparison aside, the Blaze looks amazing especially if you consider the price you paid for it. You really won’t think for a second that it’s just Php6,500.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich and the Dual-core Processor Work Well

You’d think you’ll get a sloppy, slow, and laggy phone at Php6,500 but that’s not the case with the Blaze. The Dual-core processor combined with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich definitely do their jobs well since you get a smooth and fast user experience. Take note though that there will be times that it will lag, especially if you have multiple apps running in the background and you have a life wallpaper. This is mainly due to the 512MB RAM (which means no update to Jelly Bean in the future) and the absence of Google’s Project Butter which is only available on Jelly Bean.

To get a better idea of how the user experience is, check out this short video that we prepared.

Battery life might be an issue

We were all hoping that Cherry Mobile put a bigger battery with the Blaze since that was the main problem of the Cherry Mobile Flare. However that’s not the case here. They still went with a 1,500mAh battery for the Blaze despite the 4.7-inch display and dual-sim functionality. It looks like you’ll really have to keep a mobile charger with you if you want to use this as your main phone, especially if you’re going to use it at work.

Full Review Soon!

We’ll put the Cherry Mobile Blaze through the paces in the next few days and hopefully have a full review for you guys before the weekend. We’re definitely going to pay special attention to this because we’ve gotten a lot of e-mails and messages asking us for a comprehensive review.

PS: Belated Merry Christmas and Advanced Happy New Year! 😛