Today, we unboxed the Starmobile Play Max, an affordable 5-inch smartphone that comes with a Smart Prepaid SIM. Without even opening the box, buyers can see that it offers the Super Pack 600, which means 600 MB FREE data every month for a year.
The whole package includes the following:
- Starmobile PLAY Max (1 pc.)
- Smart Prepaid SIM (1 pc.)
- Clear Phone Case (1 pc.)
- Screen Protector (1 pc.)
- Travel Charger (1 pc.)
- Micro USB Cable (1 pc.)
- 4,000 mAh Li-ion Battery (1 pc.)
- Headset (earphones) (1 pc.)
- Quick Start Card (1 pc.)
- Warranty Card (1 pc.)
To be fair, upon opening the box and getting my hands on the Play Max for the first time, it definitely doesn’t feel or look ‘cheap’. The beautiful Rose Gold, shimmering metallic finish certainly gave it a slick, clean feel. Operating it for a minute or two also felt flawless, which almost made me forget that this phone was just under PHP 3,500. Of course, our full review on this unit will reveal just how lag-free the Play Max experience will be.
On the surface, we’re looking at relatively thin side bezels with simple buttons on the bottom. Speaking of the bottom buttons, it’s your usual Back, Home, and another button that lets you scroll through the apps and rearrange them. The top bezel, as with other phones, features the front-facing camera.
It’s peculiar, however, that the speakers are found on the bottom on the phone, as opposed to the actual back part. One can guess, though, that this was done in case users want to play audio while laying the phone on its back. Inversely, the micro USB charging port is at the top of the phone alongside the port for the audio jack. You’ll find the volume and lock buttons on the right side, while the back part showcases the 8-megapixel rear cam and its flash.
In terms of the screen, the HD IPS screen and 720 x 1280 resolution of the phone felt appropriate for the price point. There’s enough clarity, brightness and quality to satisfy the casual smartphone user, in my opinion.
The Starmobile Play Max doesn’t feel heavy, either, weighing at a middling 159 grams. Combine that with the aformentioned screen size, and you’ve got a phone that feels good in your hands.
When we’re talking the specs, we’re looking at a Spreadtrum 7731G chipset with a 1.3GHz Quad Core ARM Cortex-A7 processor. This processor is comparable to the one sported by the Samsung Galaxy J1 (2016), which also clocks in at 1.3GHz. Besides these, there’s 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM, expandable to 32GB.
Watch out for our final verdict on this phone in our full review.
Starmobile PLAY Max Specs
OS | Android Marshmallow 6.0 |
Processor | Spreadtrum 7731G, 1.3GHz Quad Core ARM Cortex-A7, Mali 400MP2 @ 400MHz GPU |
Memory | 1GB RAM |
Display | 5-inch HD IPS, 720x1280 |
Storage | 8GB, MicroSD up to 32GB |
Camera | 8MP with flash/ 5MP, 1080p @ 15fps video recording |
SIM | Micro + Micro, Dual 3G Standby |
Battery | 4,000 mAh Li-ion |
Dimensions | 143.9mm x 71.5mm x 9.9mm |
Weight | 159g |
Sensor | Gravity, Accelerometer, Light, Proximity |