Starmobile Diamond V3 Unboxing: 5.3-inch Quad-core Android 4.1 Phablet

Unboxing Starmobile's latest quad-core offering! — Unboxing Starmobile’s latest quad-core offering!

Starmobile Diamond V3… Unboxed!

The Starmobile Diamond V3 is the newest quad-core phablet to hit the local market. Announced last month during Starmobile’s concept store launch event in SM North Edsa Cyberzone, the Diamond V3 boasts of respectable internals, competitive pricing, and nice cameras. It’s a solid phablet offering that can be a good everyday smartphone and entertainment device rolled into one gadget. We’ve had a review unit for a couple of days now and we’d like to kick off with the unboxing and initial hands-on impressions.

Starmobile Diamond V3 Spec Sheet

Quad-core Qualcomm 8225Q Processor
Adreno 203 GPU
1GB RAM
4GB Internal Storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD
5.3-inches Capacitive Touchscreen, 480×854 resolution
12.0-megapixels rear-facing camera with autofocus, LED Flash, and BSI
2.0-megapixels front-facing camera with BSI
Dual SIM Dual Standby
3G, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth, FM Radio, GPS/aGPS
2,100mAH Battery
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Comes with free microSD Card (4GB) and Jelly Case
SRP: Php8,990

Starmobile Diamond V3 on the Unbox Video Podcast

Skip to 33:22 if you want to go straight to the Starmobile Diamond V3 Segment

Packaging and Unboxing

Usual Starmobile box for the Diamond V3.

The Starmobile Diamond V3 came in the usual Starmobile rectangular solid carton box. We pulled out the outer cover and we were immediately greeted by the 5.3-inch Diamond V3 wrapped in plastic. 5.3-inches definitely puts this device in the phablet category. It’s hard to use with just one hand (unless you have really big hands) but it does deliver a superb viewing and browsing experience thanks to the big display.

Ta-daaa~! It's officially "unboxed" now, hehe. — Ta-daaa~! It’s officially “unboxed” now, hehe.

Underneath the Starmobile Diamond V3 we found the usual peripherals and accessories. Just like their previos products, Starmobile included a few more freebies in the package. We got a 4GB microSD card, jelly case, and a screen protector. This is on top of the earphones, USB to micro USB cable, and the wall charger. We’ve always appreciated the extra freebies that go with Starmobile products. At least you don’t have to buy other stuff as everything you’ll need is already in the box.

Over-all packaging and unboxing was definitely great. Presentation was good and the freebies were awesome.

Hardware Check

Despite the big screen the Starmobile Diamond V3 still managed to keep a slim profile. It’s not as thick as a lot of other phablets in the same price category. The thin and light form factor makes it easier to manage and use. All the ports and buttons are neatly placed along the chrome band.

For the chassis we have the usual solid compact glossy white plastic materials. While we’re not solid fans of plastic materials with phones we definitely have to laud the manufacturer as they really made the plastic as compact as possible so that it doesn’t feel cheap. The over-all quality and build of the materials with the Diamond V3 is on the same level as lot of global brands.

At the back we have the red Starmobile logo which signifies that it is running on a quad-core processor (more on this later). The 12-megapixel camera with LED flash sits comfortably on top which rounds off the phablet. The backplate is removable and taking it out reveals the two SIM card slots, micro SD Card slot, and the big Starmobile branded battery.

Everything taken into consideration we can say that the Starmobile Diamond V3 is one of the neatest, minimalist, and stylish phablets out there. Starmobile picked a winner with this particular model when it comes to over-all aesthetics.

Software Check

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the Starmobile Diamond V3 runs on a Qualcomm quad-core processor. It’s not actually the latest chipset available but at least it’s a breath of fresh air as most of quad-core devices from local brands usually carry MediaTek branded processors.

Initial impression on performance based on our first half hour with it is mostly positive. We didn’t encounter any considerable lags or delays. Animations, transitions, and app loading times were quite fast. We’ll find out more though when we put it through our testing scenarios.

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Full Review Coming Soon!

Pwede! Watch out for our full review next week

As far as first impressions go we’re satisfied and happy with the Starmobile Diamond V3. For Php8,990 the phone offers great value not just on the spec side but also on hardware design. Perhaps our only first criticism is the software as it still runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (maybe they could have shipped it with Android 4.2.2 instead). However we heard that Starmobile is working hard on delivering OTA (over-the-air) updates soon so there’s a chance this will get upgraded to the latest Android software after commercial launch.

Watch out for our full review of the Starmobile Diamond V3 soon!