We review the Flare 3!

What kind of hardware do you expect from an Android smartphone that only cost Php 4,000? Quad-core processor? Sure. 1GB of RAM? Maybe. 5-inch IPS display? Absolutely not. Same display protected by scratch resistant glass? Are you high? Yet that’s the specs that you get when you manage to purchase Cherry Mobile’s Flare 3. When Cherry Mobile revealed the specs and the price, one question popped into everyone’s mind: what’s the catch?

Cherry Mobile Flare 3 specs

• 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor
• Mali-400MP GPU
• 1GB of RAM
• 5-inch qHD IPS OGS scratch resistant display
• 8GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 64GB
• 8-megapixel BSI rear camera
• 3-megapixel front camera
• WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, A-GPS
• Dual-SIM
• HSPA+
• 1980mAh battery
• Android 4.4 KitKat
• Php 3,999

It might be affordable, but it doesn’t feel cheap

When we heard the official price of the device, we were already thinking of possible compromises that Cherry Mobile did to drop the price of the device that low. One typical compromise is overall build quality and design. Imagine our surprise when we actually managed to hold one in our hands and not finding any major issues with the overall build quality. No flex, no gaps, nothing that would suggest that Cherry Mobile cheaped out on the phone, at least externally.

While the overall desing of the Flare 3 is a bit underwhelming, it’s not too bad. The black version of the Flare 3 is better than the gloss blue one that we got to handle during the official launch, which reduced the plasticky feel of the device that we originally complained about. We also noticed that the Flare 3 is a bit smaller than another of Cherry Mobile’s bang-for-the-buck smartphone the Pulse despite having the same display size.

You’ll find the power button right beside the volume rocker on the right side of the device. The 3.5mm jack is on top, while the USB port is on the bottom. The plastic back cover is easily removed, which reveals the two SIM slots, 1980mAh battery and microSD card slot.

The display is pretty good, again, considering its price. While the lower qHD resolution may turn some people off, the OGS and scratch resistant protection more than make up for it. Again, keep in mind that the price of the Flare 3 is a mere Php 3,999, and in that regard it blows away its competition sitting on the same price range.

Fast, fluid performance

The Flare 3 uses MediaTek’s 1.3GHz quad-core MT6582 processor that we’ve seen on other smartphones before, though at a higher price point. When we saw the specs of the Flare 3, we knew right away that it would deliver fast, fluid performance, especially with Android 4.4 KitKat on-board. We weren’t disappointed – the Flare 3 scored well with AnTuTu, and managed to run all of the games we tried on it without a hitch, even with the graphics set on high.

 

The Flare 3 reveals its Achilles’ heel: the camera

We were bound to find a chink in the Flare 3’s armor, and it comes in the form of the less than stellar camera. While the 8-megapixel camera does a decent enough job at first glance, further inspection reveals a couple of issues. We noticed some washed-out shots and less than ideal color reproduction as well as some color reproduction issues.

Typical battery you’d expect from a phone like this

Battery life for the Flare 3 is typical from a phone that has the same hardware, plus or minus an hour or two because of the lower power qHD display. In a day of moderate use, that meant around 9 hours before the Flare 3 completely died on us, though you can expect better performance if you conserve your battery via sparse gaming use.

Verdict: Meet the new phablet nang bayan

While the Flare 3 may not be the best smartphone in the market, it’s probably the most sulit phone you can buy today. We know we like to throw around the phrase gamechanger a lot in Unbox, but the Flare 3 truly is one of the few phones that manage to be the very definition of that phrase. Well worth the price of admission.