The Cherry Mobile Flare series is undoubtedly the Filipino mobile phone company’s most successful line of smartphone. Popular among all age groups, Cherry Mobile Flare smartphones offer solid performance at a low cost.
Last month, Cherry Mobile launched its latest smartphones from the Flare series – the Flare 4, Flare S4 and Flare S4 Plus. We managed to get hold of the Cherry Mobile Flare 4 which has nearly the same features as the Flare S4 except for some minor design and hardware differences. Check out if this budget octa core smartphone is worth buying by reading our review below.
Design and Construction
The Cherry Mobile Flare 4 has a classy faux stitched leather back akin to that of Galaxy Note 3. Its sides are crafted from brushed aluminum alloy with rounded corners and shiny etched edges – design elements usually found on premium flagship smartphones such as the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6. With these features, it’s hard to identify that the phone is from a local brand just by simply looking at it.
Apart from the premium looks, the Flare 4 feels great in the hands. It’s thin, light and has just the right size. The curved sides and slim bezels offer a good grip to the device.
On top of the 5-inch display are the front camera, ear piece and light sensor. As with the current Cherry Mobile devices, the Flare 4 comes with a screen protector installed right out of the box.
The dedicated Menu, Home and Back buttons are illuminated but offers low-key lighting
The Volume button can be found on left side of the smartphone while the Power/Sleep button is located on the opposite side. The buttons’ placements provide a more comfortable experience to left-handed users.
On top are the Micro-USB Port and 3.5mm Stereo Audio Jack.
The rear camera is slightly raised, making it prone to scratches when placing the phone on the table. Just below the camera is the LED Flash and on the right is the Mono Speaker.
The Dual Micro SIM and Micro-SD slots are just above the battery.
Display and Multimedia
The Cherry Mobile Flare 4 has a 5-inch 1280×720 HD display with approximately 294ppi, the same display configuration found on some budget and mid-range smartphones such as the Sony M4 Aqua and OPPO Neo 7. The Flare 4 uses Dragontrail glass which is theoretically tougher and more scratch resistant than Gorilla Glass 2.
The Flare 4’s display produces vibrant colors, crisp details and excellent viewing angles. While others may demand for a higher resolution, the Cherry Mobile Flare 4’s display is more than enough to provide a delightful mobile gaming and video experience.
The single speaker next to the rear camera delivers relatively thin sound with little bass but audio can be further enhanced by setting the different profiles for the speaker and earphone on the music player.
