Starmobile UP Xtreme Unboxing, Quick Review: Budget Toughie?

We unbox the UP Xtreme!

Starmobile’s UP line offer interesting key specs for a budget phone: There’s the 700mhz LTE ready UP Prime, the pocket boombox UP Groove, and the selfie-centric UP Selfie. The latest model to join the line is the UP Extreme, and it offers something really different: While it is a budget phone, the UP Xtreme offers what Starmobile calls an Xtreme screen.

The display claims to be shatter-resistant and is tougher than the average front glass used on a budget smartphone. While people may disregard such feature, having a shatter-resistant front glass is essential for those who want a smartphone but have butter fingers. Before we get into the full review, let’s do the usual unboxing and initial impressions:

Starmobile UP Xtreme specs

1.5GHz MediaTek MT6580 quad-core processor
1GB of RAM
5-inch, HD Xtreme screen, shatter resistant, 720 x 1280 resolution
16GB of expandable storage
8-megapixel rear camera with AF, flash
8-megapixel fixed focus with dual flash
Dual SIM
3G
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
2300mAh battery
Android Nougat 7.0

Unboxing and packaging contents

Just like its other UP siblings, the UP Xtreme comes with a red Starmobile box with the model name in front and the specs list at the back.

Inside the box, you have your usual accessories which include a pair of headphones, a 2500mAh battery, MicroUSB cable, USB charger, and documentation. As a bonus, the UP Xtreme comes with a silicone case and screen protector in case 1) you feel skeptic about the UP Xtreme’s durability, or 2) You just want additional protection for it.

Initial Impressions: Thicc and sturdy

Comparing it to other budget smartphones, the UP Xtreme is both thick AND sturdy in terms of build, especially with the front glass. The front glass alone contributes to at least 1/4 of the phone’s overall thickness, and it is for a good reason: The Xtreme glass is solid, and you can barely feel any flex to it even if you attempt to do a hard press to its surface.

Because of the extra heft, the UP Xtreme is heavier than usual phones in this price range.

When it comes to durability, our initial impressions got us talking: During the unboxing shoot, we “accidentally” dropped the UP Extreme a few times, and it managed to emerge without any nick or scratch.

Speaking of the display, you have a 5-inch HD display underneath that thicc Xtreme glass. You have your 8-megapixel, fixed focus front camera, earpiece, and LED flash on top, and the usual capacitive hardware buttons at the bottom.

For the rear, the UP Xtreme has a rear-mounted speaker like the UP Groove. While it is not as loud as its pocket boombox sibling, the speaker of the UP Xtreme produces a loud sound output even at low volume levels.

Removing the case, you gain access to dual micro SIM card slots, a MicroSD card slot, and the phone’s 2500mAh battery.

At the phone’s top right corner is an 8-megapixel camera with an LED flash right below it. There’s no fingerprint scanner in sight with the UP Xtreme, so you’ll have to resort to PIN and Pattern unlocking methods.

All of the buttons, which include the power and volume controls, are found at the phone’s right side, while the MicroUSB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack is found on top of the UP Xtreme.

Powering the UP Xtreme are entry-level internals consisting of an MT6580 processor, 1GB RAM, and 16GB internal storage. Because of the processor used, the UP Xtreme does not have LTE, so you are limited to 3G connectivity.

That’s it for our unboxing and initial impressions of the UP Xtreme. We will be putting it to the test, from the usual battery, performance, and camera reviews, to the durability test to see if this budget toughie is worth your money.

The UP Xtreme retails for Php 3,990.

Don’t forget to check out our review of other Starmobile phones under the UP line: