When it comes to pricing their devices Cherry Mobile has been known to offer decent specs at affordable price points. One device that backs up this claim is the Flare 3 which we were able to try out for a period of time. Is it a phablet worth your money? Read on our Quick Review to find out. 
The only buttons you’ll find in the Flare 3 are the Power/Lock Screen button and volume rocker which are both nestled at the upper part of the right side. During our time exploring the device, it was easy locking and unlocking the phone even while using one hand. On the bottom are the Options, Home, and Back capacitive buttons; while right under them are the microUSB port and microphone. 
Up top, the 3.5mm audio jack sits alone. The device inherits the rounded corners commonly seen in CM handsets which is okay as it goes easy on the hands and somehow aids in handling. In addition, it has a 3MP front facing camera on its usual position next to the speaker for calls. 
The entire back plastic cover has a glossy finish, while its 8MP rear camera is positioned right in the middle of the device with a single LED flash under it. The device and company’s name are printed on the cover. We also have the speaker grille that is lodged at the lower left of the back panel, and as seen on the first image, the camera is protruding making it lie against the surface when it rests flat on its back. 
The Flare 3 runs on the latest Android 4.4 KitKat. Out of the box it comes pre-loaded with proprietary apps like Cherry Fun Club, Cherry Play, and Pinoy App Shop which, as the name suggests, is our very own app store that features local-made applications. 
Navigation of the UI was a smooth-sailing affair, while app transitioning proved to be a breeze. It doesn’t have any customization on top of its OS so you’ll deal stock Android with the Flare 3. 
This phablet sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with BSI sensor and LED flash. What we noticed was that even outdoors, the images lost detail and exposure was a bit off. Up front it has a 3-megapixel camera which has its own beautification mode for those precious selfies. It also proved sufficient for video calls, although not that great. We have a few samples below for your reference.
Here are the benchmark results:
AnTuTu – 17,900
Quadrant Standard – 7,247
NenaMark2 – 60.9fps
With our usual battery test, we looped an HD video with brightness and volume set to 100%. It lasted us close to 5 ½ hours which is just about right for a 5-inch handset with nearly 2000mAh battery. Do note that its battery is removable so if anything happens to it, users could easily replace it with a new one. 
The Cherry Mobile Flare 3 is a device that brings a lot to the table without asking for much. Although we’re not fans of an all-plastic build, it’s got the latest version of Android OS, a decent processor, and a spacious display all under Php4K. We could say that it’s worth the Php3,999 if you’d snag a Flare 3 for yourself.
Cherry Mobile Flare 3 specs:
5-inch qHD IPS OGS display, 220ppi Scratch-Resistant screen
1.3GHz MTK 6582 quad-core CPU
Mali-400MP GPU
1GB RAM 8GB internal storage
up to 64GB via microSD
8 megapixel BSI rear camera w/ LED flash
3 megapixel front camera
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
HSPA+, 3G
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0
GPS, A-GPS
Android 4.4 KitKat
1,980mAh battery (removable)
Available in black, white, blue, silver, and red.
Php3,999
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