Sometimes it gets hard not to be excited about Cherry Mobile smartphones. Not only do they have good specs at pocket friendly prices but they also go out of their way to make these phones look nice. Sure it is easy on the wallet, but it doesn’t look like that. The Cherry Mobile Desire R7 Plus is such a phone. Part of the Desire Series the line is meant to bring quality devices at easy to handle prices. Positioned as the premium version of the Desire R7, this device should be interesting.
Now, before we get into a full review, let us have a quick look at the device. This is our Cherry Mobile Desire R7 Plus unboxing and first impressions.
Cherry Mobile Desire R7 Plus Unboxing
The packaging of the Desire R7 Plus looks good, the actual box has a jacket around it which is a nice touch and adds class to it as a whole. Plus, it has the phone’s specs at the back which I appreciate as it gives me an overview of the device before opening it. Inside the box is of course the phone along with its accessories. These include a pre-installed screen protector, a travel charger, a headset, a micro USB cable.
The phone itself looks good, the bezels are just the right size for the 5.5inch display. This makes it much bigger than the R7 Lite and R7 Mini. The rest of the body has rounded edges for a more comfortable feel, and the metallic finish makes it look classy. It is interesting to note that the R7 Lite and Mini however, sports cornered edges. Around the body, the R7 Plus is simple. The top holds the audio jack, the bottom has the USB port. Then, at the left is the SIM tray with the MicroSD slot, and at the right are the volume rockers, and below is the lock screen button.
At the front of the device is the 8MP front facing shooter and the display. There are no physical or backlit button up front. The R7 instead has onscreen buttons. The back holds the 13MP shooter with its flash, the fingerprint sensor is placed right below the camera. Lastly, the speakers are at the lower left portion, all of these items are placed in between the two antenna lines at the top and bottom of the panel.
Related: Cherry Mobile Desire Series
Cherry Mobile Desire R7 Plus First Impressions
Just from the price and specs list alone, I already like the phone. At that price point you can get a Samsung J2 Prime, a decent device but, it has only has a QHD display and a very mid level design. The R7 is a completely different device. Honestly at first glance I liked it more, the phone looks simple but not bland. Holding the phone felt really comfortable, it had weight to it, but it feels like an evenly balanced device. However, I am not a fan of the onscreen buttons,the bottom bezel was so thick it feels out of place to not have actual buttons.
Initial performance review, I would say it is pretty good. The 1280 x 720 resolution of the IPS screen might not amaze anyone but it is pretty solid. The Desire R8 has an FHD dispay but the device has a significantly higher price tag. However, the colors on the R7 Plus does look bright but still distinct. Also, shifting the display’s brightness level is not strenuous to the eyes.
Running on the Android 7.0 Nougat, the UI is smooth. This is a feature present in the series starting from the Desire R7. This allows the phones to have not just updated software but also a more premium feel. Going around the phone is a breeze and things are easy to understand. Other highlights of the R7 Plus include the fingerprint sensor and 3GB of RAM, which is a step up from the R7. You get all that at the Php 5,999 price.
However, we will look at that along with its full performance during our Cherry Mobile Desire R7 Plus full review, so stay tuned.
Cherry Mobile Desire R7 Plus Specs
Cherry Mobile Desire R7 Plus | |
CPU | 1.3 GHz Quadcore processor |
Display | 5.5 inch IPS HD |
System Memory | 3GB |
Internal Storage | 16GB |
Rear Camera | 13MP |
Front Camera | 8 MP |
OS | Android 7.0 Nougat |
Price | PHP 5999 |
More photos of the Cherry Mobile Desire R7 Plus: