Interesting Mid Price Philippine Market Cellphones

[robert k]

Small update, Cherry Mobile Flare 3 with 5 inch IPS OGS screen 960 X 540 resolution which is kind of grainy on a 5.5 inch screen but pretty good on a 5 inch especially with IPS and OGS which is in plane switching, smaller emitters but more of them compared to TN screens and one glass solution which means that the display is very close to the glass improving clarity and brightness. Operating system is 4.4 Kitkat, good if not fantastic 8 megapixel camera. Supposedly has some lower grade of scratch resistant glass with a nice what I like to call limo tint or black slate appearance when the screen is off. 1980 mah battery that should be adequate with the screens resolution and the processor. The real shock is the price 3,999 php. It looked like a really nice dual sim 3G phone for the price. I think they even said you could stick a 64GB SD card in it. This is really in the budget price smart phone range at 4k piso but if moneys tight and you need a phone, I would give it a look.

 

I also heard that the Cherry Mobile Icon has had it's price lowered by 1k php to 5,500 php.

 

Now to go totally off topic :thumbsup:. I don't think it's a Philippine phone because I don't think any have been imported yet but they could be I think. Lenovo S820i. It's a piece of hardware I would like to look at, octacore 1.9ghz, full HD 1920 X1080P 5.5 inch screen with 13 megapixel camera 2GB of Ram, 4GB Rom, 13 megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash, 5 megapixel front facing camera. Accepts up to 32 GB SD card. It looks like the price ranges from $136 to $160- 6k php to 7k php on Aliexpress. It ticks most of the boxes for me, big full HD screen for my failing vision, nice camera [maybe so i can take a picture and zoom it instead of reaching for glasses :)] and a processor that while it may not be the absolute best it has enough power that it need not apologize to anyone, and at a fairly reasonable price. 4.4.3 Kitkat. It's also made by Lenovo who is famous for build quality. I think this phone may not have Google Playstore because of the great firewall of China, probably have to find someone who could root and install the missing Google protocols needed but I would take the opportunity to swap the SD card 32GB storage for internal storage at that time anyway to make the phone 32 GB Rom with a separate 4GB storage apart. It just looks like a really neat piece of hardware.

 

I have a cheap Lenovo a820 phone in front of me right now, low end model without a flash but the 8 megapixel camera gathers light so well it needs very little light to take an acceptable picture. The phone is heavier than it's competition and it's not the battery which is a fairly standard 2,000 mah. The phone is heavy because it is solidly built from quality materials. A really good phone for what it is that I paid $129 for a year ago so it could be my backup. It will make a fine gift for someone when my first line phone becomes my backup. :thumbsup:

 

My next device, I hesitate to call it a phone, that I am looking at is a Huawei Mediapad X1 7.0 HD screen, unless something better shows up before I can purchase it. It will just fit in a bellows pocket in my pants without making it over full has a decent camera from the reveiws and has good battery life. It also has connectivity out the wazoo 2G, WCDMA 3G, 4G HSPA+ [backwards compatable with HSDPA] TDD and FDD LTE latest wi-fi protocols. I was looking at the phones I have now trying to figure out what was lacking, they are acceptable phones to me in every way except for the speed of their connection and watching a video or reading a map on a 4.5 inch screen just doesn't thrill me, so I decided to go big or stay home. :) 18,500php worth. The Mediapad X1 is loud enough, I wish it had front facing speakers though as it's sister the Mediapad M1 8.0 inch does. The M1 8.0 might be an even better choice if you have pockets larger than mine to stuff it in. and even bigger hands to hold it at 4.8 inches wide. or tall when you hold it in landscape mode.

 

Honorable mention to the Ainol ax7 Fire/Flame, and the Chuwi Vx3 which are both more tablets with phone capability, don't have LTE, only 3G but in their defence, are in the 8,000 to 9,000 piso range 7 inch Full HD screens Octacore processors and should run any game you wanted to play on a not so small screen. I recently browsed alot of tablets with lower resolution screen and much less capable processors that cost more, and they were not designed to be used as a phone.

[deevey]

The Xiaomi MI3 is a steller, beautifully built phone (magnesium alloy chassis) with amazing specs for the price (just over 10k) Gorilla Glass 3, 2gb ram, 16gb storage, 2.4ghz quad core, NFC etc .. missing 4g, 3G HSPDA only - not really a big deal unless you are tethering, and since the networks here have better coverage and speed on 3g anyhow. 

 

However I recently bought an Asus Zenfone 4 which is bloody amazing lil phone at only 4k, and plays pretty every game or app I throw at it without a hitch - I specifically did NOT want a big phone though (there is a 4.5 / 5 and 6 inch version)- they run on Intel Atom processors which improves graphics capabilities no end. 

 

Both Phones run Kit Kat and Will be able to support Android 5 

 

An honorable mention goes out to the Nokia X2, if the operating system is not a deal breaker its a really, really nice phone, and while the specs are not uber ultra amazing, the build quality and the fact that is doesn't need as high specs to Run the Windows/Android Hybrid makes the experience as smooth as butter.

 

It a nice choice and its only 6.5k currently in most shops. 

Edited November 8, 2014 by deevey

[popeye72 ]

The Xiaomi MI3 is a steller, beautifully built phone (magnesium alloy chassis) with amazing specs for the price (just over 10k) Gorilla Glass 3, 2gb ram, 16gb storage, 2.4ghz quad core, NFC etc .. missing 4g, 3G HSPDA only - not really a big deal unless you are tethering, and since the networks here have better coverage and speed on 3g anyhow. 

Id love one of these but they're not available anymore on lazada. The Mi4 is not released for Philippines yet.

If you know of any place selling the Mi3 id like to know.

[deevey]

The Mi4 can be had for 20k, they also have the Mi3

 

Doing a quick search on OLX brought up this and their facebook page

 

They seem to have plenty of happy customers. 

 

Of course needless to say it might not being an option depending where you are based - and if you are anything like me, you'll want to check it all out first. 

 

Also you CAN order direct via http://www.xiaomishop.com- They deliver via DHL though, there should be Zero import levy, and just 12% VAT which would be a lil bit cheaper if you are willing to risk the customs/dhl charges.

Edited November 8, 2014 by deevey

[popeye72 ]

I'll be in cebu next Tuesday. I won't be in manila at all.

[robert k]

Lazada sells and ships the Mi3. I think the battery endurance is a little short if you are a power user but you could always carry a powerbank.

[popeye72 ]

Lazada sells and ships the Mi3. I think the battery endurance is a little short if you are a power user but you could always carry a powerbank.

Every where is out of stock including lazada. I have contacted a few of the resellers and they can't get them.

[komments]

 

Just who do they think they are, the US NSA? :hystery:

 

 

 

Hey now - I used to work at the NSA.  Play nice.

[jpbago]

The Cherry Mobile Flare 3 has been upgraded to S3 and is on sale now. We got 2 for 3,200p each. It was as low as 2599p one day only.

 

It is also priced at ₱3,999 with a 1,800mAh removable Li-ion battery, the usual wireless connectivity features and 3G HSPA+ access.

I am disappointed that Cherry Mobile Flare S3 turned out to lack USB OTG function. It's the better cameras (although interpolated) and design that serves as its strengths.

It’s also worth mentioning that this might irritate those who bought the Cherry Mobile Flare 3 which only has an 8MP camera for the rear and 3MP on the front.

Cherry Mobile Flare S3 Official Specs
1.3GHz Quad Core Mediatek MT6582 Processor
Android 4.4.2 Kitkat OS
5.0-Inch qHD IPS Display with OGS (540 x 960 Pixels, 220 PPI)
Scratch Resistant Glass
ARM Mali-400 MP2 GPU
13.0 Megapixel Autofocus Main Camera with BSI Sensor and LED Flash
5.0 Megapixel Front Camera
1GB of RAM
8GB Internal Storage
Expandable up to 64GB via MicroSD
Dual SIM (Regular + Micro)
3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE and GPRS Networks
Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth v3.0
GPS with Assisted GPS
FM Radio
USB OTG Support
3.5mm Audio Jack
Accelerometer
Proximity Sensor
Ambient Light Sensor
1,800mAh Battery
₱3,999.00 Suggested Retail Price

Source: http://www.pinoytechnoguide.com/2014/08/cherry-mobile-flare-s3-revealed.htmlby Pinoy Techno Guide

[DavidK]

I got myself an ASUS Zenfone 5 a little while ago. SGD299. Its a fantastic piece of kit and no mistake. One day I might even learn how to use it properly..........