After Cherry Mobile’s unveiling of the Flare S7 Plus’ price tag now comes the question: given its pricing and specs, how well does it fare compared to other brands? In a previous article, we’ve declared the OPPO F9 as a winner in its showdown with the Nova 3i. Today we’ll be pitting it against the new Flare S7 Plus to see which is better.
Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus vs Huawei Nova 3i: Specs Comparison
| Huawei Nova 3i | Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus | |
| OS | Android 8.1 Oreo EMUI 8.2 | Android 8.1 (Oreo) |
| Display | Type: IPS LCD with 19.5:9 Aspect RationSize: 6.3 in | 6.2-inch FHD+ IPS LCD Display (1080 x 2246 Pixels, 402 ppi) with 19:9 Aspect Ratio, Curved Edges, Rounded Corners and Notchn |
| Processor | Octa Core: 2.2GHz Quad Core Cortex-A73 + 1.7GHz Quad Core Cortex-A53nChipset: Huawei Kirin 710nGPU: Mali-G51nRAM: 4GB | Mediatek Helio P60, Octa Core 2.0GHz Quad Core Cortex-A73 + 2.0GHz Quad Core Cortex-A53, Mali-G72 MP3nn |
| Memory and Storage | 128 GB; expandable to 256GB | 4 GB RAM + 64GB Internal Memory (expandable up to 256GB via microSD slot)n |
| Security | Face Recognition & Fingerprint Sensor | Face Recognition & Fingerprint Sensorn |
| Battery | 3340 mAh Li-ion | 3050 mAh Li-ion Battery (Non-removable) with 5V/2A Charging and Wireless Chargingn |
| Rear Camera | 16 + 2 Megapixels (f/2.2 Aperture) w/ Pgase detection autofocus | 16 + 5 Megapixels (f/2.0 Aperture) with Autofocus and LED Flashn |
| Front Camera | 24 + 2 Megapixels (f/2.0 Aperture) Fixed Focus | 16 Megapixels (f/2.0 Aperture)n |
| Dimensions | 157.6 x 75.2 x 7.6 mm | 155 x 75.5 x 7.8 mmn |
| Others | USB type-C charging port | |
| Pricing | Php 15,990 | Php 11,990 |
Design & Construction
Both the Flare S7 Deluxe and S7 Plus feature a notch that wasn’t seen before in previous Cherry Mobile phones. This makes the Nova 3i a worthy opponent as both the Nova 3i and Flare S7 Plus are well-matched in terms of appearance. Cherry Mobile has truly stepped up with the S7 Plus’ sleek body and glass covering. The Nova 3i gets a bonus point for its beautiful gradient casing that’s available in Iris Purple and Acacia Red (aside from the default black and pearl white), while the S7 Plus only comes in black. The S7 Plus also feels expensive when you hold it because it weighs more at 200g and definitely does not resemble anything you’d usually expect from Cherry Mobile. Though a bit lighter at only 169g, the Nova 3i might be preferable for some.
Cherry Mobile’s Flare S7 Plus is the Next Big Player in Today’s Smartphone Market
Display
The Flare S7 Plus features a 6.18-inch FHD+ TrueView display that captures vivid colors while the Nova 3i uses a 6.3-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen. If it was up to numbers alone, the Nova 3i wins this round by securing a larger display area.
Camera
Cherry takes a gander at a quadruple camera setup: two at the rear and two in front. The Flare S7 Plus features a 16MP+5MP dual rear camera and a 16MP+IR dual front camera with AI Selfie. This gives the Flare S7 Plus the ability to produce quality selfies with great depth of field and other effects. Meanwhile, Huawei still puts up a fight by also donning a quadruple camera setup for the Nova 3i. Huawei proves superior in this area as the Nova 3i sports a 16MP+2MP dual rear camera and a much more powerful 24MP+2MP front camera for taking amazing selfies with.
Performance
The Flare S7 Plus is powered by a Helio P60 chipset which is surprising for its price range. Most smartphones with this processor commonly sells at a higher price, but given that Cherry Mobile had to cut corners to make it affordable explains the S7 Plus’ shortcomings. The Nova 3i’s Kirin 710 is better fit for gaming as it can handle graphics better and now has a GPU Turbo update which accelerates graphics processing speed to new heights. However, the Helio P60 inside the Flare S7 Plus is better in terms of power efficiency which compensates for its 3,050mAH battery capacity compared to the Nova 3i’s higher 3,340mAH. Not to mention the Flare S7 Plus’ USB Type-C port and wireless charging capability.
All in all, based on the features it seems that the clear victor for this showdown should be the Huawei Nova 3i, but we digress. Considering an almost Php 4k price difference, the Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus is a great buy. The Flare S7 Plus had to make a few sacrifices in order to shoulder the cost of its processor and still be affordable for the Philippine market—it breaks new ground by containing competitive specs and features for a phone that’s under Php 15k.
The Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus retails for a suggested price of Php 11,999, while the Huawei Nova 3i retails for Php 15,990.
