Meet the Starmobile Diamond X1
Starmobile dropped the octa-core bomb late last month when they announced the Starmobile Diamond X1. Powered by the 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek processor and sporting a 6.0-inch HD IPS display, the Starmobile Diamond X1 was poised to be a very strong phablet contender early into 2014. And it looks like we won’t have to wait too long before this lands in stores because we were just able to get our hands on the final prototype unit this weekend! Yes folks, we have an actual REAL unit of the Starmobile Diamond X1 here at the Unbox HQ!
To kick things off we’d like to share with you guys our initial review and hopefully if we have enough time with we can come up with a full review before they launch.
Here are the specifications again for your reference:
Starmobile Diamond X1 Spec Sheet
- 1.7GHz Octa-core MediaTek Processor
- 2GB RAM
- 8GB Internal Storage, Expandable up to 64GB via microSD Card
- 6.0-inches HD IPS Display, Scratch Resistant Glass
- 18.0-megapixels primary camera with Autofocus, Flash, and BSI
- 8.0-megapixels secondary camera with BSI
- Dual 3G SIM, Dual Standby
- 3G, HSPA+, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, GPS, aGPS
- Yamaha Speakers
- Android Jelly Bean 4.2
- 2,400mAh Battery (TBC if 2,300 or 2,400)
Only cause for concern really is the 2,400mAh battery. We probably would have thrown a fit if the display was just qHD but fortunately they made it HD.
Initial Review Video
Here’s a short 3-minute hands-on/initial impressions video that we made for the Starmobile Diamond X1.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! We have a lot of videos coming soon as well!
Superb High-Quality Build
The Starmobile Diamond X1 is definitely a phablet through and through with it’s 6.0-inch screen. While it’s technically “big”, it’s not too thick for it to be considered unmanageable. The manufacturers were able to keep it really slim at just 7mm. It’s probably best used still though with both hands.
Up front we have the scratch resistant glass with the 8MP shooter on top. The volume rocker, micro USB port, and the power lock are in their usual places along the sides. At the back we have a removable aluminum back plate in between two white plastic bands. To remove the plate we popped open the plastic strip at the bottom and slid down the aluminum plate to reveal the slots for the SIM cards, micro SD card, and battery pack. The tried and tested Starmobile 18MP primary camera was at the top portion of the back plate.
By the way, note the two speakers (which are supposedly made by Yamaha) at the top and lower part of the back. We tried playing some tracks and a movie on the Diamond X1 and we’re pleased to share that speakers are definitely louder than your usual phablet.
Strong Performer
Octa-core + HD display = blazing fast with great frame rates. In the time we’ve spent with it so far we haven’t had a single lag or delay issue. It’s arguably one of the smoothest Android experiences we’ve had on a local branded device. We tried playing our favorite Zombie shooter, Dead Trigger 2, and it played out very smoothly. This is another case of when HD is better than FHD.
We also shared recently the Antutu score of the Diamond X1. It scored an impressive 27,000+.
Full Review Coming Soon?
We only have a very limited time with the Starmobile Diamond X1 as this is still their engineering/prototype unit. We’ll try to get enough hands-on time with it so we can write the full review of the prototype by this week and then have a follow-up full review of the commercial unit when it drops later this month.
So far though we’re very happy with the performance. Our only advice to Starmobile? Price, price, price. Hehe. Keep it as low, low, low as you can. 😛
Congratulations Starmobile and we look forward to seeing this on shelves this month!