Review verdict: Thanks to the Cherry Aqua S10 Pro 5G, consumers in the Philippines can get a phone with 5G connectivity, liquid cooling, wireless charging, a 48-megapixel camera, and many more amazing features at a very affordable price.
Pros:
- Capable processor
- Liquid cooling
- 5G at an affordable price
Cons:
- Generic design
- Slow charging speeds
Cherry Aqua S10 Pro 5G Specs Philippines
- MediaTek Dimensity 700 octa-core processor
- 4GB LPDDR4X RAM
- 128GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
- 6.78-inch FHD+ LCD
- 48-megapixel main, 5-megapixel depth, 2-megapixel depth, 2-megapixel macro
- 16-megapixel front camera
- LTE, 4G, 5G
- WiFi, Bluetooth
- side-mounted fingerprint scanner
- 18w wired or 10w wireless charging
- 5000mAh battery
- Android 11
- Liquid cooling tech
Unboxing and Packaging Contents
The Cherry Aqua S10 Pro 5G comes in a rather plain white box with the phone printed on the front and the model name front and center. It’s surprising to see so many inclusions inside the box of a budget phone. The box contains the phone itself, a protective case, a manual, a charger, and earphones.
Design
The Cherry Aqua S10 Pro 5G’s design isn’t going to blow you away. It’s pretty generic and safe as far as designs go, but the upside is that it’s relatively easy on the eyes.
Cherry’s budget phones have always exuded an aura of classy sophistication despite their affordable prices, and the Cherry Aqua S10 Pro 5G is no different. Probably the only complaints we have against it is that the glossy rear panel is an annoying fingerprint magnet, which pretty much guarantees the use of the silicone case during its use.
The power/lock button is located on the right side, while on the left side are the volume rocker and the sim card tray. At the bottom, you can find the 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker grille, and USB Type-C socket.
Display
The phone sports a 6.78-inch FHD+ LCD panel. There is nothing to complain about with regards to the sharpness, brightness, and color accuracy – it’s actually pretty good as far as budget displays go. The phone uses a 20.5:9 aspect ratio, which is typically used on more expensive smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Sony Xperia 1.
Having said that, you will enjoy binge-watching movies with this phone, especially with its huge screen. Sound from the speakers is ok but not great – you’d probably want to plug in headphones if you have them or use a TWS instead.
Cameras
The quad-camera consists of a 48-megapixel main, 5-megapixel and 2-megapixel depth cameras, and a 2-megapixel macro. There’s no ultra-wide camera here sadly. As for everything else, including video, quality is more than average. Check out the sample photos we took below:
As you can see, the images are not bright but the details are there. Colors are also extra vivid. Overall, the photo quality is more than what we expected.
Performance, Software, and Battery
The processor is a MediaTek Dimensity 700, which is paired with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage. This combination offers decent performance, especially for basic tasks.
What’s interesting is that it comes with 5G connectivity and liquid cooling technology. Its one of the few sub Php 10K phones in the market today that has 5G capability, which is useful if you live in an area that has a strong 5G signal. The liquid cooling tech, on the other hand, allows for longer sustained periods of performance from the GPU/processor combo before thermal throttling kicks in.
This was evident in games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which played very smoothly even during extended play periods with little to no stuttering. Unfortunately, the MediaTek Dimensity 700 isn’t up to more hardware-demanding games like Genshin Impact or Asphalt 9: Legends.
As for the operating system, it runs on Android 11 and is very user-friendly. You won’t have a hard time navigating the apps and the settings.
The battery is 5,000mAh, more than enough to last you a day. Although we wish it charges a bit faster than 18w, we’re actually surprised that it comes with 10w wireless charging—a rare feature in the budget segment.
Wrap-up and Verdict
As the saying goes, it is what’s inside that is most important. Cherry Mobile Aqua S10 Pro may not have an eye-catching design, but it has a set of internals that punches way above its weight. It is, in fact, a game-changer in the budget segment.
For the price, you’re getting a phone with 5G connectivity, wireless charging, liquid cooling tech, a 48-megapixel camera, 128GB storage, and so on. It’s a fine return to form from Cherry – we’re hoping we’re going to see more of these types of phones in the future.
Cherry Aqua S10 Pro 5G Review Price Philippines
The Cherry Mobile Aqua S10 Pro 5G is priced at PHP 7,999. It is available on Lazada, Shopee, and Cherry Shop.