Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Plus: a premium phone for less than 10k
With Apple’s iPhone X jumping on the bandwagon of near bezel-less phones, last year witnessed the dawn of 18:9 displays. Of course, devices like these often come with a hefty price tag to boot – save for the Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Plus. Launched in October last year, many continue to feel intrigued with this device. To learn more, read through our Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Plus first look and impressions.
Every new purchase gets you the following:
- 1 Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Plus main unit
- 1 Cherry Mobile Brand 1.5A Adapter
- 1 USB Type-C data/charging cable
- 1 Screen Protector (Pre-Installed)
- 1 VE Monk Plus brand headphones
- Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Plus user guide
Equipped with two dual cameras, the Flare S6 Plus marks the first local brand to do so. At P9,999, the Flare S6 Plus also remains arguably the cheapest 18:9 smartphone option to date.
Out of the box, the Flare S6 Plus looks premium, and sports a light, yet compact feel. Moreover, its metal body feels cold to the touch. The hybrid sim tray sits on the left side of the phone, while power and volume buttons go on the right.
Regardless of its back color variant, the Flare S6 Plus comes with a black front panel with no physical buttons. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, sits flush just above the screen.
Outright, the phone doesn’t come with a completely bezel-less display, but the front panel borders certainly look much thinner than that of their older phones. What the phone lacks in that area, of course, it more than makes up for in screen real estate. Much like the Plus models from Apple, the Flare S6 Plus also comes with more room for information. The only difference, of course, would be the phone size, in which the Flare S6 Plus better contends, given its more compact footprint. While certainly laudable, the 5.7-inch screen only comes in HD+ at a 720 x 1440 resolution. To the unsuspecting eye, however, it looks perfectly fine, but can get a little difficult to view in extreme daylight.
Except for its slippery back, many would appreciate the phone’s uni-body chassis. Not to mention the fact that the phone keeps a slim profile, the back also curves a little to follow the shape of one’s palm. The fingerprint scanner sits just beneath the camera bump. This makes trying to grip it a little less of a chore.
Equipped with dual 16 and 5 MP Samsung S5K3P3 rear and front cameras, the Flare S6 Plus certainly packs a punch in capturing photos. Among the rear camera’s built-in features include Pro/manual, Beauty, Panorama, FaceCute, and Bokeh. FaceCute features stickers similar to those in Instagram or Snapchat. On the other hand, the bokeh mode allows for shots taken with F/1 to F/16 aperture.
Apart from the skin-clearing, eye-brightening Beauty mode, the front-facing camera holds another interesting feature. It tags the subject’s face and identifies its gender and age, but this tends to be inaccurate most of the time. It also comes with FaceCute and Portrait mode, which add a bit of oomph to selfies.
The only gripe one could have with the camera is the way it handles videos. It does capture at up to 1080p 30fps, but does not come with EIS nor OIS to combat shakiness. It does take sharp videos and come with slow motion, time lapse, and beauty modes, which users could very much appreciate.
In terms of software and UI, the Flare S6 Plus runs smoothly out of the box. For Cherry Mobile’s first time in developing its own version of Android, the Cherry OS performs perfectly fine. What most would appreciate about it perhaps would be its value for both privacy and security. Out of the box Cherry OS features its own antivirus and password-storage apps. Of course, it also comes with some other bloatware, but that’s another story.
So far, the Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Plus seems like a good and affordable 18:9 option. Not only does it come with a dual rear camera setup, it also sports an elegant, premium design and value for privacy and security. Certainly for those on a tight budget, this seems ample enough. Of course, much remains to be seen, so stay posted for our full review.