Review: Cherry Mobile Flare, P3,999 dual-core Android phone

Update, November 15, 2012: The Cherry Mobile Flare does not have an FM radio onboard. We apologize for failing to mention this earlier.

When the Cherry Mobile Flare and its P3,999 shocker of a tag price were first revealed, the budget Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone pleased a crowd of resellers and members of the press as much as it raised eyebrows. Some pundits are more skeptical than awestruck.

Who’s to blame them? A dual-SIM, dual-core offering valued like a pair of Nikes is previously unheard of in the Philippines.

But truth be told, the 4-inch Cherry Mobile Flare doesn’t look, feel, or even act like a bargain-basement compromise. We’d go further by saying it’s the farthest thing from it (more on this later). It shouldn’t sell for as cheap… yet it does. And that’s damn good news for all of us!

Design and build quality

In terms of aesthetics, the device borrows heavily from other “made in China” handsets. Translation: It’s an ordinary-looking, all-black number with a design cue that’s the opposite of fresh. You can’t tell it apart from other China-breds when all phones are laying flat on whatever surface.

Gracing the front is a 4-inch real estate; a status indicator; a VGA lens for Skype and other video-calling apps and taking vanity shots. There are also virtual navigation keys for Home, Menu, Back, and Search. The wraparound lining is made of shiny, metal-like material, which is the norm for a few Huawei variants.

There’s a VGA front camera for ‘Skype-ing’

However, unlike, say, the Huawei Ascend Y200 (see Review: P5,490 Huawei Ascend Y200 Android phone), the curved back cover has a soft-touch, matte outer layer embossed with an uninspired Cherry Mobile branding in white.

In fairness, the embossed letters—much to our surprise—don’t rub off easily considering the daily beating the device gets from our bag pockets. If anything, the rear cover’s finish, coupled with its gentle curves, adds to a good hand-holding experience.

A standard headphone jack is located up top beside the Power/Lock key.

Moving over to the left of the Cherry Mobile Flare, you’ll see a volume rocker and a microUSB socket for charging and wired file transfers. The setup may take a while to get used to, particularly for those coming from Samsung-made Androids, but it’s one you’ll be able to wrap your head around in a matter of days.

Build quality is another likable affair; Cherry Mobile has done a decent enough job with its rebranded two-core entry. (In case you didn’t know, the device is a rebranded Karbonn A9+.) The form factor feels pleasingly solid altogether.

Hardware and software

Up front, the Cherry Mobile Flare packs a 4-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen mentioned earlier, buffered by IPS techology for better viewing angles and lifelike colors.

To some extent, the panel delivers on the promise of lovely visuals, but we can’t help but deem it wanting when browsing websites and watching videos under direct sunlight. We guess the best way to describe it is that it’s adequate—average at best and not particularly bright at the brightest setting.

The Flare is unquestionably the cheapest dual-core smartphone in the market as of today, boasting a Snapdragon chipset consisting of two 1.2GHz CPU cores. An Adreno 203 chip takes care of graphical duties, and a decent 512MB serving of RAM works well for light to moderate multitasking.

The phone also comes with 4GB of built-in flash storage, with the usual microSD expansion option onboard, and a 1500mAh battery.

As mentioned earlier, the device ships with dual-SIM card slots so you can have both your personal and work numbers accessible at all times without having to bring two phones. The feature comes with one caveat, though: Only one slot has access to 3G mobile data; the other is limited to 2G networks.

Unlike budget Androids stuck in the past—those running Froyo and Gingerbread—the Cherry Mobile Flare is very much a Google-based smartphone of the present.

It’s fairly obvious with the company’s aesthetically pleasing take on Android Ice Cream Sandwich, featuring a clean and colorful collection of rounded icons and functional toggles in the notification shade. Purists will be happy to know that besides a handful of cosmetic differences, Cherry Mobile’s re-skin doesn’t deviate too much from the vanilla Android experience.

Cherry Mobile Flare specs:

1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU
Adreno 203 GPU
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage with microSD expansion slot up to 32GB
4-inch IPS touchscreen (800 x 480 resolution)
5-megapixel rear camera; VGA front camera
1500mAh battery
Dimensions: 123 x 62.5 x 11.8mm
Dual-SIM, dual-standby feature
WiFi; 3G (one SIM slot)
Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Performance

So much for the specs rundown… now, on to where the real muscle-flexing happens. It’s the insides that Cherry Mobile is relying on to get the Flare into your pockets, and the firm is very likely to succeed in doing so. The Cherry Mobile Flare’s hardware results in performance that stands head and shoulders above similarly priced smartphones.

Compared to smartphones with single-core engines—even those with higher-than-usual clock speeds—it’s visibly more responsive, as everything happens faster on screen. Apps and webpages, for example, load at an increased rate (connection speed notwithstanding) and Play Store best sellers Angry Birds Star Wars and NBA 2K13 run with minimal hesitation.

Needless to say, the fiery dual-core Snapdragon inside this phone makes a notable difference in daily operation.

NBA 2K13 on the Cherry Mobile Flare

Here’s a rundown of benchmark results:

Quadrant Standard – 2,890
AnTuTu Benchmark – 5,654
NenaMark 2 – 34.5fps
Vellamo – 1,231 (HTML 5); 378 (Metal)

To put it into perspective, the Cherry Mobile Flare scored 5,654 in AnTuTu, and the Huawei Ascend G300 and Lenovo P700 netted 3,225 and 3,605, respectively, in the benchmark suite.

Camera

Flipping the smartphone over reveals a 5-megapixel rear-facing optic accompanied by a flash module. It has auto-focus and face detection built in as well. Alternatively, you can use the touchscreen to manually emphasize specific objects in the frame. And as current smart devices go, there’s also a panorama mode to capture landscape shots.

The resulting photos and footage are passable in general, although some are apparently lacking depth and clarity. Not only that, the main camera struggles when shooting in poorly lit places despite the flash. Take note also that you’ll need to pan the device very slowly in order to take serviceable panoramas. To its merit, the handset does pack a handful of color effects and shooting modes to somewhat redeem itself.

The Cherry Mobile Flare may just be an average shooter overall, but given its sub-P4,000 price point, we can hardly complain.

Here are a couple of sample photos we took with the Cherry Mobile Flare.

Sample photo 1

Sample photo 2

Battery life

In typical Android fashion, the 1500mAh cell inside the Flare taps out after a single day of moderate use. But of course, you’ll be able to skip the nightly charge by cutting down on common battery eaters. You know, the usual suspects like brightness, tethering, and gaming.

It’s not in any way a deal breaker, though you’d be wise to pair this Cherry Mobile with a portable high-capacity battery pack if you have cash to spare.

That said, an extra cell is a must if you’re planning to use the handset like a lesser PlayStation Portable often. And even with the additional cost, we’d wager the sum you’d pay for the Cherry Mobile Flare and the battery is still considerably cheaper than most Android alternatives with similar specs.

Verdict

Two things make the Cherry Mobile Flare absolutely stand out in a field full of big-name competition: price and computing performance.

It’s amazing enough that the phone packs all the bells and whistles of a mid-end Android offering a working panorama mode, dual-SIM card slots, and Ice Cream Sandwich. All this while being a peso shy of P4,000. The fact that it makes use of a dual-core Snapdragon, which handles resource-intensive apps, tasks, games… simply almost everything you throw at it with relative ease, however, takes it over the top.

Will the Flare eventually set a precedent for spec’d-out, rock-bottom-priced smartphones in the Philippines? Or will other mobile makers remain stubborn on pricing? And if brands do follow suit, does that mean feature phones are in for an earlier-than-expected retirement? We believe so.

Let’s face it, “dumb phones” are called what they are for a reason. Besides having a more-than-stellar battery life, physical keypads, or frustratingly unresponsive touchscreen, and typically being tough as nails—is there anything else genuinely desirable about them?

One thing we’re more than 100% sure of: The device you see before you has value-for-money written all over it. It’s comparably big, yet comfortable in the hands; snappy; and comes with Android ICS on tap. Minor gripes aside, we’re glad to say with certainty that, peso for peso, the Cherry Mobile Flare is the name to beat right now.

Way to go, Cherry Mobile! Pat your backs for a definitive low-priced Android offering.

See also

yhabiecoe04@yahoo.com

sana meron pa available nyan
apoL

balak ko pong bumili ng flare mamaya…..may available p kaya??blita ko kasi nagkakaubusan na daw eh….
FLARE LIKERS

pwede po bang manood ng HD VIDEOS from all sites like iwantv.com.ph at mg skype video calling sa CM FLARE ?….kahit wlang wifi connection ??????…..kahit load lng ?????
Mikaella

Soft touch ba ang flare?
hanziiiiii

panu po mag turn off ng start up tone ng burst? tnx
kathrina

bakit super hina ng connection ko using smartbro pag mag browse at DL ng apps..
ritchelle

hi po..ask ko lang po sana kung ano ang solution sa CM flare ko..ang error po kasi is “cannot connect to the camera”…what should i do?..ni’restart ko na..wla pa rin..suggestions naman po..
weeeeeee

problem with flare ay ang sandamakmak na apps ng cherry na hindi naman nagagamit n nakakaubos lang ng space kaya ang tendency kaunting apps lng ang mailalagay mo tapos pag napupuno na bumabagal na yung phone.. sana lang medyo moderate n lang sana ang ilagay nilang apps para magamit ng husto yung space ng RAM…
kenjay

pwede ba mg skype video calling sa cherrymboile flare kahit walang load ??…..please lng reply yung cherrymboile flare ko kc hndi mka skype video calling ????????? ……pano yun ?
chris_t610

ayos ‘tong Flare na to! I bought mine during CM’s sale in November and I was impressed with the level of performance, daig pa nga ang branded handset ko kung tutuusin. Yung minor flaws pwede nang palampasan, considering the value for money sa deal.

I gave one as a christmas present to my bro from the states nung umuwi siya and I’m so happy to tell you that when he went back to the states with it nagpapabili rin ang mga kano! They were awestruck by the speed of the handset, galing!

Sana marami pang value for money handsets ang ilabas ng CM, baka sakaling sumunod din ang mga branded names. In the end, mga consumers ang panalo.

GO GO GO FLARE!!!
jmramos

Inupdate kuna po yung firmware ng flare ko cant connect to the camera parin
Arnie

Parang ayoko na bumili
Pingback: android mobile phone | Gadget 1Go123
mm_ohohpao14

I’m planning to buy this, e nung binasa ko ung mga REVIEW/ Comments/ Etc. ng mga Users nito RAWR! D bale na lang po. )
fhaye

bakit ganun nd nag aappear ang sim1 sim2 before sending? nd aq mkpgsend sa sim2.. automatic sim1 ang ngsesend pero nakakareceive nmn ng msg ung sim2… need help… sa settings pareho nmn nkachck ung network nya
jmtuguigui

gusto ko pong i-try yung flare kaso dito sa ibang store over-priced na sya it is now P5,000 .. saka paano magdownload ng games galing sa playstore hindi ba dapat compatible yung size ng screen mo sa idadownload mong games?
rey

mag cherry mobie flame nlng kau or cloudfone thrill 430x kc mas malinaw compare jan sa flame na yan.mas mura nga lng yang flare
jhavz

hi… yung picture na nagskype ikaw ba yun or is it someone else? may tanong lang sana kasi ako about it… can you email me na lang po medyo personal question po kasi.. salamat…

jhavz_23@yahoo.com
reymarth

meron na po bang manual ang cm flare? and multi-touch po ba yang phone na yan?
chamey

kakabili ko lang po kanina ng Flare. maganda po talaga, pinag-aaralan ko pa pano gamitin..
- No name
  
  Madali lng ho yan ser parang iphone lang po
http://www.facebook.com/dhiemhie025 Bernard Rosales Sarino

IS THE CHERRY MOBILE FLARE STILL AVAILABLE???
binggo

sana bago imarket ayus na ayus na para di naman kawawa un nakabili,ang hirap mamili ng cell phone?sa ngayun sa daming nag labasan,ng bago?2013?
binggo

last nov.ko un pinagawa,sa kanila? nag luluko parin, pag^naka lock ang hirap naman buksan,un ang naging bagong ;problema?
binggo

nag bago na ang isip ko sa daming comments?
Bad Jao

Ask lang po.

Hello po. Ahmm. Medyo nahihiya ako sa inyo. First time ko lang kasi magtanung sa website na to. hihi..

Kwentuhan

ko po muna kayu. january 6 na po ngayun.. College na po ako, sa isang

university na mababa ang tuition 12/unit. IT po course ko, Medyo

naiingit po kasi ako sa mga klasmeyt ko kasi halos lahat po sila may mga

bagong laptop. Since hindi ko naman po afford yun nag pasya po ako na

bumili ng cellphone basta po makakatulong sa pag-aaral.

Since IT

po ako. Kailangan ko po ng san damakmak na libro. Pero ang naisip ko

pong solution eh mag download na lang ng PDF. Mahilig din po ako sa

games, lalo na yung mga HD games like 2k13, DEad trigger at kung anu anu

pa.. Blogger din po ako. Medyo marami rami rin po akong followers sa

tumblr yung mga post ko po sa tumblr mga picture po, mga inspiring

pictures po na nakikita sa kalsada. Gamit ko po dun LGCU720(Maganda po

at malinaw yung cam nito). Mahilig din po ako sa Movies at nabalitaan ko

po na ito pong Flare ay Hindi po IPS.

Medyo nalilito rin po ako kung TITAN po or Flare bibilin ko. O antayin ko po si OMEGA. My budget si 7k.

So eto po tanung ko. :

#1. Sir, Anu po mas Ideal para po estudyante Flare or Titan?

(Like editing po ng Thesis using openoffice, reading book, doing some research)

#2. Sir, kaya po irun ng Flare yung mga high end games na sinabi ko? saan po mas maganda yung output sa titan po or sa flare.

#3.

Sir, bilang isang blogger, pde po ba yung cam ng flare for capturing

beautiful scenery. Anu po mas prefer nyo po titan or flare?

#4. Sir, Aantayin ko pa po ba si OMEGA, or pwede na si TITAN or Flare?

#5. Sir, Mas tataas ba ang productivity ko sir. kung titan ang bibilin ko dahil mas malaki ang Screen nito or Flare.

Sir.

7k po yung budget ko. Sobrang hirap po talaga. Kasi ito pong 7k na ito

hanggang march pa po dapat, pero mang hihingi nalang po ako ulet ng

pera. 14 pesos lang naman nagagastos ko sa isang araw. Thesis writing at

defense na po kami plus pa po yung software at web development so Sa

tingin nyo po na about time na po para mag invest ng cellphone para pag

aaral..

Thx po maraming maraming salamat.. Hoping for your response..
- Faida Ayesha Lagoyo
  
  Hello. Kung ako po sayo hintayin na lang natin si OMEGA kasi all-in-one na yun for me. tulad ng sabi mo sa taas, lahat nun mas maganda gawin with omega. hinihintay ko rin si omega e. hihi. Good luck sa studies! (:
- Lebron James
  
  Mag aral k nlng ng mabuti at kung may 7k ka kumain k nlng sa mcdo kc kung gusto mu tlg ng libro mag basa k nlng dami mung kwento wala ki time n maki pag kwentuhan saua bagoy sa 3210 nokia ka nlng
- jam
  
  Bili k ng hyper mas malaki screen 5incher.
Shiredan

I’m only have one problem with mine, bigla naalang may nag flash nang red sa sides nya everytime I open my my message and contact, I hope it’s still covered with the 1 year service warrnty
Shiredan

I had mine 8 days go. kanina lang ini open ko na ang message o di kaya contact bigla may nag flash na red sa sides nya,and it keeps on appearing; is that considered a factory defect?
- http://twitter.com/TechLokal TechLokal
  
  Baka software or hardware issue. Have it checked by someone from Cherry Mobile agad.
  - Shiredan
    
    I’m having it checked today hope everything will turn out fine
- Tone
  
  Ako kasi iba handset ko, tapos naka Customized version ng JellyBean (CM 10 ROM), may option dun na STRICT MODE ENABLED – Flash screen when apps do long operations… Pag naka-enabled yun sa akin nagfflash ng red yung borders ng screen pag nagloload yung mga messages or other apps. Baka ganun din jan sa phone mo. Suggestion lang, try mo yun hanapin. Sa akin SETTINGS>DEVELOPER OPTIONS>STRICT MODE ENABLED — uncheck mo lang.
arjay

yung flare ko, palaging may nakalagay na “1 unread message” kahit wala namang message na hindi na-open…paano tanggalin yun?thanks
3rd’3xa

ask ko lang, bumili ako ng cherry mobile flare, ininstall ko yung skype, maganda sya kaso hindi ako nakikita nung kausap ko, tsaka hindi ko rin makita sarili ko..hindi ko pa kasi masyadong alam kung ano pipindutin ko..please sana magreply kayo..
Jam

available pa ba ngayon ang cm flare?
Nomer

kakabili ko lang ng Flare.. 9 days pa lang sakin ayaw na agad mag on tapos pinakita ko sa service center and I need to wait until 3 weeks para daw maayus. OMG. wala n ko gagamiting cp mas matagal pa ung paghihinntay ko kesa sa tym ng paggamit ko bulok talaga ang cherry mobile sisirain mga products nila. Mura nga pero bilis naman masira kahit iniingatan naman….
- blackhole
  
  di rin boss out of 700 stock sa Robinsons Place Manila nung 1st day launching ng flare e 2 units lang bumalik at nagka-problema..kaw siguro yung isa dun?
  - Nomer
    
    hindi ko sa RObinsons Manila nakuha. Sa Puregold Balintawak ko nakuha.wala man lng consideration kasi lumagpas lang ng 2 days ung replacement warranty and now I have to wait for almost 1 month or mahigit pa sa 1 month para lang mkuha ulit. sayang lang ung pera ko luging lugi ako. wla n nga ko ggmiting cp d ko pa nbawi ung pinambili ko.tas d pa nagrereply ung service center ng cherry mobile. wala clang care sa customer nila.
    - Shiredan
      
      It’s indicated in the cherry mobile terms of warranty na pag may pina ayus ka maximum lang ang 14 days, pwede mung i download para ipakita sa kanila
Jonathan

add ko lang wala din syang FM radio installed
- blackhole
  
  pwede boss mag-download nyan..or gusto mo may upgrade na ngayon ang flare kasama na dyan FM radio etc..punta na lang kayo service center dalin yung receipt at valid ID..free po yan..
Jonathan

kabibili ko lang ng Flare kahapon. Medyo mahina ang sound nya when playing music at voice call. Kahit maganda ang gamiting earphones. Then may problem ung camera when using Skype. Ung front camera naka invert ako by default tapus kapag tinry ko mag switch camera wala ng camerang gagana. Blank na ung video ng caller. Then while still on the call using skype after the camera has failed tinatry ko pumunta sa home then iopen ung camera lang “Camera error” > “Can’t connect to the camera”. Meron na po bang nagka encounter ng parehon problema ko? Ung video ok naman..Ung palang natry ko pero 1 out of 3 lang ang satifsfactory. Pa reply nalang po. THanks and Happy New Year!
- http://www.facebook.com/jaysquid Jay Melson Tigue Petero
  
  ako po sir restart lang katapat nyan
  
  tapos aus na game na ulit camera mo
- Erwin
  
  updgrade lang po ng Firmware pra mafix po ang camera issue, gravity sensor at browser scroll bug problem sir!
  - http://www.facebook.com/rommelcarlo Rommel Carlo Cayabyab
    
    Firmware? do you mean the ICS version??
  - harlss..
    
    ..gnwa q n rin yan, pro non sense!!
    ipinamigay q nlang kesa d q mgamit!! hate q tlga yan!! super!! nadala aqu..
  - harlss..
    
    nadismaya tlga aq.
- harlss..
  
  parehas lang tau ng na experience jan s flare n yan!! ung sakin laging nag ” cant connect to camera”.. same as d problem u encountered.. pag nag skype aq..fuck shiitt tlga ang cherry!! nag aksaya lang aq ng pera.. kunwari mganda features s brochure nla tas pag actual n , nkakadismaya!! i love CHERRY! I love q tlga ITAPON!
WARRIOR

Guys which is better cm flare or my phone a919?.
i need ur advice guys.
- blackhole
  
  boss recommended ko flare the best..isipin mo kaya nya NBA 2K13..malupet kasi dual core pang multi-tasking talaga..
  - gel
    
    a919 for me, dual core din naman and larger ang screen, 8megapixel camera.. mahal nga lang po kesa flare.. kung budget lang flare kana..
http://www.facebook.com/Johnfernndez John Paul Tyrone Fernandez

ineed FLARE OUT OF STOCK LAHAT !!!!!!!!!!! pls san merun pa
rod

Out of stock ang FLARE D2 s sanfernando, I think ganun din s manila, so CM, kailan magkkroon?
ljmondskie

May Problem ba ang CM FLARE?
mjabiso

kelan cia mag kakaroon ng stock??
mjabiso

wla n po bng stock??kelan po b mgka2karon??
winwin

totoo ba yung about sa nbs 2k13? san pwede i DL yun?
Mayven

Dito ba sa NAGA CITY Camarines Sur., Kailan nyo po dadamihan ng STOCK?>
Mayven

Nice sana ung mga accessories kso ung unit ng flare Out of stock…haiiss..sna magawan ng paraan ng CM..help!
warrior

guys pede ba ko mag download ng aplication dito like word document or power point?
- http://twitter.com/TechLokal TechLokal
  
  Hi! You can download Kingsoft Office or other similar applications at Google Play to open and edit MS Office files. Libre yung app, by the way.
- blackhole
  
  Boss pwede download mo office suite 5..hanap ka na lang..
Mavvy

This phone’s really better than my mom’s iPhone. I am so happy with my purchase <3
elai

kahit wala siyang built in fm radio pwede magdownload ng fm radio application. i just downloaded it and it’s working perfectly fine
- Density
  
  hi! pwede mo bang i post yung link kung san mo na download..other sites were bogus eh..tnx.
jhez

still available pba?? sana umabot sa 13month pay ko pra makabili ako i love cherry mobile n tlga.. hayyyzz sana umabot ako^_^
jhez

still available pba?? sana umabot sa 13month pay ko pra makabili ako i love cherry mobile n tlga.. hayyyzz sana umabot ako^_^
jeff

I’m so happy with my new cherry mobile flare, mas mabilis pa sya sa nawala kong galaxy s2 ang ganda ng features mura pa kakabili ko lang kahapon very satisfied lahat ng application pwede install unlike my galaxy y wala pwede install kundi fb at viber di pwede yung temple run
- jonas
  
  i read this comment on youtube..is it also you??
jolo

ayos yung review! very informative. thanks sir!
dj

additional insights on batt life please.. estimated drain % hours when browsing and total screen in time. thanks great blog btw…
ruru

compatible po ba siya sa nba2k13?
- http://twitter.com/TechLokal TechLokal
  
  Hi! Yes, it can play NBA 2K13 rather fluidly. May konting lag pero tolerable naman.
rhy

nice review, sana may date na ng release
michelle

wala paba yn
http://www.facebook.com/cessmo02 Princess Rufa Cetron Sarmiento

yung skype video calling po ba mabagal ? – im planning to buy this phone kai because of skype..
- http://twitter.com/TechLokal TechLokal
  
  Nope, hindi naman. We think it really depends on your Internet connection.
  - joshua
    
    meron po ba nito sa marquee mall angeles pampanga?? pakisagot lang po plssssss tnx
http://www.facebook.com/ferdinand.marte Ferdinand Marte

thanks for the review. time to buy me a smartphone.
aldwin

great review, sir!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kyle-Lopez-Vito/100000269651248 Kyle Lopez-Vito

Good review. Saves me time by not needing to review the Flare anymore. I was planning a Flare review to follow up on my Titan review after all the other Titan reviews ended up being horrible and stale.
jedd axell

Kailan Siya Magiging Available?
- http://www.facebook.com/nayrb.sorensic Naýrß Sorensic
  
  this coming week daw. . daw. daw. daw. .pasabik masyado cm!!
  - http://twitter.com/TechLokal TechLokal
    
    It will initially be available this Saturday in Cherry Mobile concept stores at SM North EDSA and Robinsons Place Manila.

Review: Cherry Mobile Flare, P3,999 dual-core Android phone

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