Starmobile Diamond S1 Initial Review: Potential Best-Seller

Up Close and Personal with the Starmobile Diamond S1

The Starmobile Diamond S1 is looking like the rare finely-cut gem from the newest line-up of devices announced by Starmobile. We were able to get significant hands-on time with this device and in all honesty we were completely blown away with the over-all quality of the phone. It’s, by far, the best looking smartphone we’ve held and touched under Php9,000 (that’s a huge compliment coming from us).

Let’s take a refresher on the specifications.

Starmobile Diamond S1 Spec Sheet

1.3GHz Quad-core MediaTek 6582M Processor
Mali 400MP Graphics
1GB RAM
4GB Internal Storage, expandable via microSD up to 32GB
5.0-inches qHD Display, 960 x 540 resolution 220 pixels per inch, OGS
Asahi Dragontrail Scratch Resistant Glass
Curved Edge Glass
12.0-megapixels primary camera with BSI and LED Flash
3.0-megapixels secondary camera with BSI
Dual 3G SIM, Dual Standby
3G, HSPA+, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
2000mAh Li-Poly battery
SRP: Php8,990

The specifications are actually quite competitive especially since this unit already uses the MediaTek 6582M processor. The only notable issue is that it only has 4GB internal storage (though expandable) when a lot of newer devices these days already have at least 8GB. However don’t get turned off by this. Specs aren’t everything and the S1 is a perfect example for that statement.

It Looks Absolutely Stunning

The Starmobile Diamond S1 takes a design hints from the award winning Nokia Lumia series and combined some of the best design elements used by HTC with their Windows Phone line-up. The Diamond S1 has a polycarbonate build that’s solid and compact. Out of the box it has a removable back plate but you can also buy either the Red or Yellow one (phone in the photos use yellow). The back tapers on the sides giving it a much more thinner look (similar to how HTC did it with the HTC 8X).

Up front we have the first ever “Curved Edge” glass display on a local branded smartphone. As the name implies, the screen actually curves downwards along the edges. It looks gorgeous! Almost as if the glass is seamlessly flowing back into the polycarbonate shell.

The display resolution is actually just qHD or 960 x 540 pixels. However it looks like it’s HD because of the One Glass Screen technology employed by the manufacturer. The icons and images seem to just float and pop-out of the display! Definitely a great workaround to not having Full HD resolution on your device.

Over-all we were completely blown away by the design and build of the Starmobile Diamond S1. While all the attention right now is with the Starmobile Muse and the Starmobile Navi, we believe that the Diamond S1 deserves more than just a glance or two. It’s a well-built and high quality smartphone that can definitely compete with even local flagships.

It’s Now Out in the Market!

We’re going to do our best to secure a review unit so we can give this the full treatment here at Unbox. If you can’t wait for our review though you can head over to the nearest Starmobile kiosk or store near you because this is actually ALREADY OUT. It retails for Php8,990. Not a bad deal really especially if you believe that design counts for something.