Cherry Mobile’s original Flare X is one of the most successful phones that the company has ever produced. Even until now, more than a year after it’s release, it’s still a phone that’s being sought in stores. Today Cherry Mobile has released the successor to the Flare X, simply named the Flare X2. To say that the new phone has big shoes to fill is an understatement, but considering what the phone brings to the table, we’re confident that it can live up to the hype that the original managed to generate.
Cherry Mobile Flare X2 specs:
- 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor
- Adreno 505 GPU
- 4GB of RAM
- 5.5-inch full HD IPS display, Dragon Trail glass protection (front and back), 1920 x 1080 resolution
- 32GB of storage, expandable via microSD
- 16-megapixel rear camera with BSI, AF, LED flash
- 8-megapixel front camera
- Dual SIM
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, fingerprint scanner
- 3000mAh battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Php 7,999
Initial Impressions: Meet the next big thing
When Cherry Mobile released the original Flare X, people went crazy for it. Why not – back then it was the hottest thing in town, possessing a solid mix of hardware paired with a very attractive price tag. Externally it wasn’t the best looking phone though, as it had a mostly plastic exterior that wouldn’t look out of place in a budget smartphone.
Fast forward to today, and the Flare X2 looks and feels nothing like the original device. For one thing Cherry Mobile used a primarily glass and metal build with the phone, which is a huge improvement over the original. Two panes of Dragontrail Glass on the top and bottom of the phone sandwiches a metal frame, giving the phone an almost Xperia-like look and feel.
The power and volume rocker is located on the right, while the microSD/SIM tray is located on the left side of the phone. The top of the device holds the 3.5mm jack while the bottom holds the USB port – regular USB port though, no Type-C here. While the USB connector on the bottom looks like it holds the speaker, don’t be fooled – the actual speaker grille is housed on the back of the phone.
Speaking of the back, once you flip the phone over you’ll see the 16-megapixel rear camera with BSI and LED flash tucked in at the upper left side of the phone. At the center of the back is the fingerprint sensor, which is fast becoming the norm for phones priced at the Flare X2’s price range.
Overall the Flare X2 doesn’t feel anything like a budget phone, which is a big improvement especially considering the price. The phone’s glass exterior, metal frame and hefty build make it feel like a premium phone way above its expected price range.
The Flare X2 uses a 5.5-inch full HD IPS display, much like the other phones that Cherry Mobile unveiled tonight. And just like its other siblings, the Flare X2’s display looks vivid and bright, has excellent viewing angles and color reproduction and vivid colors. No major complaints at all here. The phone uses on-screen navigation keys.
Moving on to the phone’s guts, you’ll find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor powering the device, paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. It’s impressive that Cherry Managed to stuff Qualcomm’s newest chipset in the Flare X2, considering the other specs included along with it. The closest competitor to the Flare X2 price-wise is the Vivo Y55, which compromises on the RAM, storage and display quality to achieve their sub 8K price.
As expected the Flare X2 powered through AnTuTu smoothly, and the phone felt quick and fluid during our limited time with it. Android Marshmallow 6.0 powers the entire experience. We’re liking the fact that Cherry Mobile used a primarily stock Android experience with the Flare X2, something that other manufacturers (and local brands) don’t do with their phones.
All in all we’re very impressed by the Flare X2. Its strong spec list and impressively premium body make it one of our top picks for anybody looking for a well balanced, decently priced phone. Obviously we’ll still have to review the Flare X2 throughly before we can drop our final verdict, but things are looking good for the phone.