There’s only one thing that came into my mind upon receiving Cherry Mobile’s Flare 2X smartphone: it’s not your ordinary gadget. It may look like the usual affordable smartphone, but this has got to be one of the most adorable ones that stood up to my expectations – at least 80% of it. Let’s see why Flare 2X is a great gift for techie people this holiday season.
Unboxing Photos
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- Flare 2x 1
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- Flare 2x 2
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- Flare 2x 3
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- Flare 2x 4
The Look
Cherry Mobile Flare 2X arrives in a hard carton-made box, which displays its photo on the front as well as its specifications on the back. Like any other smartphone, it comes with 3.5mm earphones, charger adapter, micro USB cable and a manual-slash-warranty card in case the unit encounters a problem.
I seriously like the fact that this beauty boasts a 4-inch WVGA capacitive screen with 800×400 pixels, showing its main buttons: Menu, Home and Back. It isn’t exactly great display, but I thought that it’s just good for its price. Just above the screen are the light sensors, plus its VGA front-facing camera and the earpiece. Although the size of Flare 2X is commendable, I wasn’t really impressed with its poor front-facing camera. It isn’t for those who love taking selfies unless you’re willing to stay under a bright light to see how you look.
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- Flare 2x 9
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- Flare 2x 10
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- Flare 2x 21
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- Flare 2x 22
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- Flare 2x 24
The back cover, which is a bit plasticky that makes it susceptible to fingerprint smudges and scratches, houses the unit’s 8MP auto focus camera with LED flash. Also, its size isn’t a problem for I can carry it around like a typical smartphone.
The Performance
Let’s get to the fun part! I enjoyed every moment I spent with Flare 2X. In fact, it became my best friend who entertained me during the times when patience was demanded from me. This device is affordable, but it does a lot of things to keep you sane while waiting for your friend who is late for your dinner. Anyway, I downloaded Twitter and Instagram from Google Playstore since it runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Can you believe the fact that I only used the bus station’s Wi-Fi so I could try Flare 2X’s reliability? It didn’t fail me at all! With its 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor, I had the chance to run all the social media sites I have without the unit lagging. Gaming experience is satisfying enough. We shall update this post with a hands-on video while playing Dead Trigger 2.
Being a fan of Korean dramas, I tried saving a few episodes of the recent TV series I’m watching since it offers 1GB of RAM and 4GB internal memory that is expandable up to 32GB via microSD. Not only that! No application (at least from my experience) has crashed because of the many programs running on the device all at the same time. The speed is unbelievable and before I forget, Flare 2X’s 1500mAh removable battery fairs enough with the normal smartphones for it can stay up to three days without having the need to charge it.
I didn’t have a hard time sending text messages because the keyboard was receptive to soft touches, which I think is a good thing for those who are always on-the-go. I mean, they can finish typing a message without looking at the keyboard itself because it easily senses even the slightest tap on its surface.
The Features
Whether you fancy having two sim cards in one smartphone or not, Flare 2X lets you stay connected with family and friends that don’t use the same network as yours. It has dual sim slots, giving you the liberty to exchange text messages with two persons at the same time.
Because Flare 2X runs on Android Jelly Bean, it advances a step with its photo editor application. Now, it has been made easy for you to beautify your photos before posting them on your desired social media account.
Besides Google Map, other applications supported by Google are pre-installed on the device so you won’t have to worry about going over the Internet to download them.
Conclusion
Generally speaking, Flare 2X is the perfect gadget for those who want a decent smartphone minus the hefty price tag. At P4,499, this adorable thing can make you productive throughout the day through its convenient applications. While the quality of the camera isn’t something to be excited about, its speediness makes it a worthy present this Christmas. Should you get it now? Yes.
