Cherry Mobile Flare: On How It Fares ^^ (UPDATED: 8-20-13)

I wasn’t really planning to purchase a new phone this first semester of the year. However, a week ago, my good old Samsung phone decided to rest in peace so I was left with no choice but to seek replacement. T_T

Since it was too sudden, I immediately thought of getting a phone that is value-for-money, meaning “sosyal” looking and packed with features (hello android!) YET pocket-friendly.

After browsing the Net and listening to opinions of people around me (special mention to my brother who sounded like a sales agent ready to receive commission anytime LOL), I zeroed in on one Filipino Android Phone --- CHERRY MOBILE FLARE.

Photo courtesy of
Cherry Mobile

BACK PORTION OF MY FLARE
I didn’t have to go far or spend money on transportation to 
purchase this because there’s a Cherry Mobile kiosk 
stationed at the nearby grocery.

A week after getting a new phone (my first ever "Pinoy Phone", mind you), it’s time for me to share to the world my “Flare” experience. I won't dwell much on the technical aspect though as it ain't my expertise haha.  

UNBOXING

A Cherry Mobile Flare unit comes with:

* Charger with detachable cable

I am just not happy with the cable that I got. When I tried connecting the phone to the laptop, the device can’t be recognized until I pushed the seemingly loose conector really hard to the port. I inevitably ditched my Cherry Mobile cable and instead, used my Samsung cable which fits perfectly and connects my Flare to the laptop well.

* Headset

Normal headset.:)

* Manual

To date, this remains barely used since the Hubby and I have successfully figured out the ins and outs of the phone. The only time I actually opened the manual was when I had trouble finding out how to edit contacts. Unfortunately, the solution was nowhere to be found in the manual so I had to discover it myself. Turned out, I just had to press the contact’s name for a few seconds for the edit option to appear.

Oh one more thing! I just discovered a day ago that my Flare has a default screen protector. I initially thought that it’s just the usual protective film most brand new phones have. However when I finally decided to take out the film, I saw another layer of plastic stuck directly to the screen. Cool huh!

SPECIFICATIONS

* Android 4.0 ICS
* MSM8225 1.2 GHz Dual Core S4
* 4" Capacitive Touch Panel
* ROM: 4GB/ RAM: 512 MB
* Expandable micro SD up to 32GB
* GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE 900/1800; UMTS 2100
* WIFI b/g/n; Bluetooth 2.1
* 3.5mm Stereo Audio Jack; Standard micro USB 2.0
* 5MP Back Camera; VGA Front
* DUAL SIM

And the PRICE? P3,999.00 ONLY! No wonder I chose this phone!:DDD

USEFUL APPS

Aside from Candy Crush and Tetris Blitz, 4Pics 1Word (LOOOOL!), I downloaded a few useful apps with my android phone such as :

GO LAUNCHER EX- Thanks to this app, I am able to customize my home screen and arrange widgets into folders.:) 

The Hubby and I!:D

Oh-so-girly! Hihi

ALARM CLOCK PLUS - Perfect for sleepy heads like me and the Hubby who find it hard to wake up early in the morning. There's an awesome option called Math for Snooze/Dismiss. I activated so that I would have to solve a math problem first before I am able to snooze or dismiss the alarm hehe :D

CAMERA

Since I love taking pictures but more so having my snapshots taken haha, I spent (and continuously spend) a little more time exploring Flare's camera. It has 5.0 MP back camera and VGA front camera. 

Here are sample shots:

Outdoor shots, morning vs evening
Auto flash; No filter

Indoor shot; Auto flash
Light source - behind the photog
No filter

Indoor shot; Auto flash
Light source - right side of the photog
No filter

Indoor shot; Auto flash
No filter

Shot at the brightly lit
Champagne Room of Manila Hotel;
Zoomed in; Auto Flash
No filter

Sample Panoramic Shot
The lil sister-in-law posing by their backyard.:D

VERDICT: Though I still think Sony Ericsson camera phones create better photos, I’m pretty much OK with Cherry Mobile Flare’s camera.:)

BATTERY

Before judging the battery of Cherry Mobile Flare, let me share my initial observations:

DAY 2 – At 1:00 am, battery was full after the initial charging. I slept through the night, errr dawn and when I woke up at 9:00am, it was down to 44%. Turned out, my wi-fi was kept on and it drained a lot of “juice”.

DAY 3 – I decided to download a battery saving app called Easy Battery Saver.

Among its modes, I decided to be on Intelligent Power Saving mode which "optimizes network connection and other settings intelligently". When I noticed my battery's "juice" draining, I switched to Super Power Saving mode with "only conversation and test messages saved, hence, the lowest battery consumption".  Battery lasted longer, yet less than a day still.:(

DAY 4 – I finally had my battery surviving an entire day. I only went online and played games for merely an hour and on Super mode all throughout. I also surmise that the battery has already attained full power by then after going through 4 cycles of charging and discharging.

Cherry Mobile Flare would have been a perfect phone for me if it had longer battery life. :( But I heard that most smart phones don’t really have long-lasting batteries compared to non-smart phones because there's a lot of things going on with applications running here, there and everywhere.:) 

As for me, in order to prolong the battery life, I just need to constantly remind myself that my primary reason for owning a mobile phone is to communicate via sms and calls. I also need to make the necessary adjustments like opting to use other gadgets when going online rather than the phone whenever possible.

A GOOD BUY AFTER ALL!

This early, I must say that I do not have any regrets in choosing Cherry Mobile Flare as my new phone. It's P3,999.00 price maybe relatively cheap but it is at par, if not even better, with the more expensive phones. I can do A LOT of things with it, I get to communicate with the world, go online, download helpful and entertaining apps, take photos and many more! I still wish though that it had longer battery life. Maybe I’ll just buy a power bank to save me from compromising circumstances like totally draining the battery in the middle of an important conversation. Right?

Cheers to Cherry Mobile Flare!:D

For more information on Cherry Mobile, go check their website. :D

Special thanks to www.jeipitech.blogspot.com for the tip on how to take screenshots with Flare  (again not in the user manual toinks).:D

********************

UPDATE (August 20, 2013)

After almost 2 months, my sentiments on "The Flare" still hold true. I find this phone very efficient and is able to cater my communication, as well as entertainment, needs. One-day battery life, on the average, is not bad after all.^^

My "major" complaint now is the prompt which appears whenever I run out of load, as shown below.

I have not figured out yet why I need to press OK for the nth time before the prompt totally disappears. Even if I go back to the home screen, the prompt still shows.

And even if I open another program, there goes the prompt making "papansin" LOL!

But that is forgivable, I should say. I don't think I would be changing phones anytime soon.:D