Ever since local brands started doing phones that have built-in TVs, the trend has been persistent in The Philippines. This is the case for the Cherry Mobile Flare S Play smartphone . I was able to get this phone at one of Cherry Mobiles great sales. But, what makes it different? Let us find out in our Cherry Mobile Flare S Play Review.
Cherry Mobile Flare S Play Review- Build and Design
The Flare S Play looks average at first with its unlit main buttons seen at the bottom of the 5 inch display. Sure there isn’t really much variation to how a smartphone looks, they are all rectangles basically. However, the body all around looks different and chic. The matte plastic body and metallic sides make it stand out from its contemporaries that sport a shinier look. What I loved most about the look though is the textured back.
It doesn’t just look good, it feels good to hold too. I have reviewed a number of Cherry mobile phones in my time but as of now, the Flare S Play is by far the most comfortable phone I have ever held. i don’t know how, but it feels smooth to hold and it isn’t light but feel like it is.
Enough about holding the phone and let’s move to pressing it. The Cherry Mobile Flare S Play actually has just 3 physical buttons on it. All on its right side – the volume rockers and lock screen buttons. The left side is empty and the bottom of the phone holds a mic hole. The top of the phone holds the micro USB Port and the audio jack where the included antenna also fits in. The back has the rear camera, flash and the speaker grille at the bottom.
Cherry Mobile Flare S Play Review- Display and Multimedia
Watching videos on the Flare S Play is pretty decent. The HD display makes sure that the images look good. Also the viewing angles on the device is pretty wide. With the 720 x 1280 resolution, the images are not astounding, but are comfortable to the eyes. To match this good quality viewing, the audio on this phone is at the same level. I have to say though that the volume of the speakers are a bit low. When maxed, the volume on the phone is still pretty clear. However, I have not even hit the lowest volume and it was already hard to hear. I wouldn’t call it an issue unless you’d buy this phone to play sounds out on speakers.
An attractive feature of this phone is it’s TV function. It’s better than most TV phone I’ve tested before but that antenna is a bit strange. The antenna accessory is not the usual built in attachment most phones have. What it is, is a separate item, but at first glance it looks like a fat tipped stylus so to the untrained eye it is confusing. Nonetheless, the TV quality on this is pretty good. Images are not riddled with snow nor does it have line distortions, at good signal strengths. This is of not as some prior phones or lower level phones have fuzzy images at best.
Lastly, playing games on this device was a good experience. I was actually surprised just how smooth playing Dead Trigger is when I tried it out on the Flare S Play. Casual games were without a hitch and the display works well to maximize the gaming experience.
Cherry Mobile Flare S Play Review- Camera
The Flare S Play has a commendable rear camera at 13MP. It is still very reliant on lighting but on its own it can take good posts for social media. Pictures are very clear despite a bit of lack on crispness. Still, the vibrance is pretty good, colors are distinct in the photos. Even video recording is commendable even at night time.
Sadly, I can not say the same for the 5MP front camera. Pictures look okay for day time photos but there is a bit of fogginess to it. At its price point, it is perfectly normal for a phone to have this quality of a camera. It can still do fine for group shots and such, but I probably won’t use it to take my next profile picture.
Cherry Mobile Flare S Play Sample Photos:
Cherry Mobile Flare S Play Selfie
Cherry Mobile Flare S Play Review- Performance
As mentioned, games play smoothly on the device. Of course a little consideration to its specs should be considered. But, casual game fans should not have a problem on the Flare S Play. The 1.4 GHz Octacore processor can handle a bit more than just day to day apps and the 2GB is its perfect match to multitasking.
The display is very responsive which is always good. With the Android 5.1 lollipop OS, the UI on the S Play is pretty easy to get the hang of. Even texting on the phone is pretty good with very little mishaps when typing. Not much to say here, the phone does well at its price, plain and simple. We ran this through our usual tests and the results are as follows:
Antutu: 28667
Quadrant: 16014
Cherry Mobile Flare S Play Review- Connectivity
For more value, the S Play also has 4G LTE connectivity. That is on top of connectivity staples such as WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and FM radio. On top of that, it also is USB OTG Compatible. As mentioned earlier the phone has a TV function. The antenna accessory easily attaches into the audio jack, but even the headset alone allows the phone to work it TV function.
Cherry Mobile Flare S Play Review- Battery
The 2,000 mAh battery may not seem much. But, I put it through our video loop test and it clocked at over 7 hours. Also with data and WiFi turned on, a day of casual use can last up to 12 hours. Also the battery doesn’t heat up during regular use or prolonged video playing.
CONCLUSION
At Php 3,999, the Cherry Mobile Flare S play is a definitely smartphone I would tell my friends about. The specs don’t really wow, but are pretty reliable. The TV function is pretty good compared to most TV/Smartphone hybrids. Smartphone standards have pretty much gotten higher in 2017 but the S Play can keep up with the pack. And that is one of the best compliments I can give a phone. It is not the flashiest but from what I see, it makes the most out of what people pay for it.
More photos of the Cherry Mobile Flare S Play:
