We unbox Cherry Mobile’s Flare XL!
It’s been quite a while since we unboxed a new Cherry Mobile device, but that ends today. The company has just sent us a review sample of their newest release: the Flare XL. The XL is a brand new member of their already burgeoning Flare family of devices, though we’re a bit disappointed that the phone doesn’t carry a display bigger than 5.5-inches despite its name. But before that, let’s take a look at its specs:
- 1.4 GHz MediaTek 6592 octa-core processor
- 5.5-inch HD IPS Screen; 1280×720 resolution
- 2 GB of RAM
- 16 GB of internal storage; expandable up to 64GB
- Mali 450MP GPU
- 13-megapixel rear camera
- 8-megapixel front camera
- Dual SIM
- 3G, WiFi b/g/n, GPS, AGPS
- 2300 mAh removable battery
- Android Lollipop 5.1
Packaging and contents:
The Flare XL Plus comes in Cherry Mobile’s standard packaging.
Once you open the box up, you’ll see the phone (which comes in several colors, in our case white), USB cable, charger, headphones and the manuals and warranty card that comes with each phone purchase.
Initial Impressions: A stylish, affordable phone
After the high profile launches and successes of their previous Flare devices, Cherry Mobile has decided to turn it down a bit for the Flare XL. Despite that, the phone still feels very much a part of the Flare family of devices, sporting a solid feature set, distinctive look and an affordable price tag.
The front of the phone isn’t anything to write home about – in fact it looks absolutely generic to our eyes.
Physical capacitive keys are located on the bottom of the 5.5-inch HD IPS display, while 8-megapixel front camera resides on top. The frame of the phone has gloss silver finish, but we’re not entirely sure if it’s metal or not.
Going through the rest of the physical controls and ports: the volume and power button is on the right, while the USB port and 3.5mm jack is on the top of the phone.
The slightly generic looking front is offset by the striking back panel of the device. The phone’s rear has trapezoidal patterns not unlike the ones in ASUS’ Zenfone 2 Deluxe. While it’s not very apparent in our white review device, it’s very striking in the other variants.
Once you remove that back cover you’ll see the dual SIM slots, as well as the microSD expansion slot.
Inside the phone beats a 1.4GHz MediaTek 6592 octa-core processor, along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable memory. The hardware combo for the Flare XL is a little dated and puts the device firmly into budget territory as far as performance is concerned. AnTuTu gives it a score of 28K which is good enough for light to moderate gaming, but the performance will suffer if you try resource-heavy games like NBA 2K16 on it.
Priced at Php 3,999, the Cherry Mobile Flare XL Plus is a budget smartphone through and through. It’s probably not going to be the first choice for people looking for a bang-for-the-buck smartphone, but for people that are cash strapped and want a good deal, it may just be their next smartphone.