Cherry Mobile Omega HD Unleashed!
The first generation Cherry Mobile Omega had a lot of expectations riding on it because the initial “leaked” specifications were awesome. Unfortunately it never really materialized as such and what we got was a watered down version of the leak. Fast forward to today we now have what seems to be what the leak was! Yes folks, this device has a dual-core processor, 5-inch HD display, 1GB RAM, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. Best of all it will just sell for Php7,999. This is the Cherry Mobile Omega HD and we were able to get some hands-on time with it during the media preview yesterday! Read on for our initial impressions!
Cherry Mobile Omega HD Spec Sheet
- 1GHz Dual-core MediaTEK CPU
- 1GB RAM
- 4GB Internal Storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD
- 5-inch IPS Capacitive Touchscreen, 1280×720 resolution (HD)
- Scratch-resistant Dragon Trail Glass Technology
- 12.0-megapixels rear-facing camera with BSI and LED Flash
- Can record video 720p@30fps
- 2.0-megapixels front-facing camera with BSI
- WiFi b/g/n, WiFi Hotspot, GPS, 3G, Bluetooth
- 2,100 mAh battery
- Android 4.1.1 Jellybean
- Comes in Black or White
- SRP: Php7,999
Omega Evolved: Thinner and Lighter
The most noticeable upgrade from the first generation Omega is the chassis. Gone is the hefty and bulky form factor. The Cherry Mobile Omega HD is actually sezzy for a 5-inch “phablet”. In fact the thinness and lightness will make it seem like you’re not holding a “phablet” at all. This is a very welcome change.
When it comes to the material for the body though they decided to stick it out with the familiar glossy white/black plastic. Personally I’m not a fan of the material mainly because a lot of other brands use this already. I’d rather go for a matte or brushed metal/aluminum finish than the usual plastic. Ultimately though this boils down to personal preference. Some actually like the plastic or at the very least don’t mind it.
Other than the chassis changes, another welcome development is the HD display (1280×720 pixels). Images, icons, and text look crisper and more detailed. This is very important for 5-inch devices because one popular usage is media consumption and the display quality impacts this use directly (watching videos, Youtube, etc). Games, like Temple Run 2, also look much better on it.
In summary, it’s good that the Omega HD is thinner and lighter but some people might not like the material used for the body.
Software Check: Still a Prototype
The Cherry Mobile Omega HD runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and has 1GB RAM. This combo, based on our personal experience and testing, should be the minimum for a smooth Android experience. That holds true with the Omega HD. We encountered occasional lags but we’ll chalk those up to the fact that we just had a prototype with us. If you don’t believe that we only had a prototype, check out the Antutu Benchmark Scores below courtesy of our co-host, Alora.
As you can see these are dismal results. The original Omega scored even higher, lol. Just like the Fusion Bolt we’ll probably get an update which significantly boosts the score results of the Omega HD.
In fairness to CM, we’ll hold further observations until we get the final commercial unit to play around with.
Software needs a bump for it to offer value
Over-all the Cherry Mobile Omega HD is potentially a blockbuster hit. However we can’t give it our big stamp of approval yet as the software isn’t final. We recommend that you guys wait for reviews to come out to verify if the update solves the benchmark issue before you buy units.