The Cherry Mobile Rave 2.0 and speaker bundle hits the right spot

NFC equipped products have started to show up en masse in different types of devices. Everything from notebooks, to speakers, tablets and of course, hi-end smartphones now have the new technology as standard. Cherry Mobile has taken notice of the new technology trend, and has introduced the Rave 2.0, their first ever NFC equipped smartphone to capitalize on it. Aside from just offering the Rave 2.0 as is, Cherry Mobile also bundled their NFC equipped Bluetooth speaker, the BS-1 with it so buyers will have something to use their new NFC smartphone on.

Cherry Mobile Rave 2.0 specs

• 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor
• PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 5.3-inch IPS qHD display, 540 x 960 resolution
• 4GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 32GB
• 13 megapixel AF rear camera w/ LED flash
• 5 megapixel front-facing
• dual-SIM, dual standby
• 3G, HSPA+
• WiFi b/g/n, NFC, Bluetooth 2.1
• 2,400mAh battery
• Android 4.2.1 Jellybean
• Php 8,999 (comes with BS-1 Wireless NFC Bluetooth speaker)

Design: Thick, hefty and generic

We noted in our initial unboxing that we weren’t a fan of the Cherry Mobile Rave 2.0’s somewhat generic looking design, and after using the device for a while, we’re standing behind that statement. It just looks too vanilla for us. One thing that we did like with the Rave 2.0 is that it uses a nice, matte finish rather than a glossy finish, which adds to the overall grippiness of the device, especially since it’s pretty hefty. All the controls are where you’d expect it to be – the volume rocker is located on the left side while the power button is located on the right.

The 3.5mm jack rests on the top of the smartphone, along with the USB port for charging/data transfer. The 13-megapixel camera rests on the usual spot at the back. The Rave 2.0 also has a smaller, front facing 5-megapixel camera. One thing we did notice though – the USB port is sunk in probably a few mm too far inside the case of the phone, which meant that our normal USB cables could not connect to the Rave 2.0 properly, being a hair too short. The USB cable that ships with the Rave 2.0 will work properly with the device.

Hardware: qHD goodness supported by decent specs

The Rave 2.0 is powered by MediaTek’s dependable quad-core MT6589 processor, motoring at 1.2GHz. This is paired with 1GB of RAM and a 5.3-inch IPS qHD display, with a resolution of 540 x 960. The display is nice and sharp, with good color reproduction. It’s also pretty bright even at the lowest settings. We were still able to see the display even in direct sunlight with the lowest settings, which is good.

As far as user experience goes, the phone did a good job. We encountered few instances of lag with the device, and our experience with it was relatively pleasant. We did notice a few instances where the phone lagged, but as a whole, the phone did a very good job. As far as gaming is concerned, the Rave 2.0 is a capable of playing relatively demanding 3D games like Dead Rising 2, though we did notice lag and increased load times in some levels of Dead Rising 2. For those who need AnTuTu scores, the Cherry Mobile Rave 2.0 managed to score 13138 which isn’t bad at all.

We did notice that the touchscreen had sensitivity issues near the bottom of the display while we were playing Dead Trigger 2, with our character sometimes stopping while we still had our finger on the touchscreen. For what it’s worth, we were unable to replicate it in other apps, which might indicate that it’s a software issue.

NFC: Works as advertised

One of the main selling points of the Rave 2.0 is its NFC functionality, and we’re happy to report that it works just as advertised by Cherry Mobile. We managed to acquire the same BS-1 NFC speaker that Cherry Mobile bundles with the device when you buy it, and the Rave 2.0 quickly paired up with it after we tapped it in the corner of the speaker. The Rave 2.0 also worked with the Samsung DA-F61 speaker that we reviewed a few months earlier, and transferred photos to our Galaxy S4 when we tapped them both together.

This review won’t be complete without a mini-review of the bundled BS-1 speaker. The speaker is made out of faux-wood, and has LED indicators in the front that tells you the time and the temperature. There are a couple of buttons on the back, as well as an audio-in jack and two USB ports that provide the device with power if you refuse to use its dedicated power adapter.

You pair your device to it via Bluetooth (the device has its Bluetooth set on discoverable all the time as far as we can tell), or simply tap your NFC equipped device on the NFC logo on the top. Sound quality is surprisingly decent, and while the device is somehow lacking in the bass department, it can easily fill an entire room with sound.

Camera: Above average optics

We were pleasantly surprised with the optics in the Rave 2.0, as some of their previous phones did not fare so well in camera tests.

We’re pleased to see that Cherry Mobile has been stepping up their game as far as the cameras in their phones are concerned, as evidenced in the test shots that we took. Even in artificial lighting, the camera took above average photos

Battery life: Will last the entire workday

Battery life is pretty good with this phone, as we were able to squeeze around 9 hours of battery life out of it with moderate to heavy use. We’re sure a lot of you can stretch that even more if you used it more conservatively than us.

Verdict: Great buy, especially with the bundled speakers

The Cherry Mobile Rave 2.0 is great value for money, especially with the bundled speakers. It has a few issues, but nothing too glaring that would prevent us from recommending it. The device is solid, although a bit generic, and the included speakers have good sound quality that we wouldn’t hesitate to buy it if Cherry Mobile offered it separately.