When the Flare X from Cherry Mobile was launched, it was loaded with Android 4.4 KitKat with a promised OTA update to 5.1 Lollipop. Months have passed and there’s still no OTA update for the smartphone but you can manually boot the Lollipop update today!
The Android 5.1 Lollipop update is available for download through this link. Be sure to have a stable internet connection because the update is sized at 930MB. If you’re on a volume based subscription, be sure to keep note of the almost gigabyte size of package.
We already reviewed the Flare X and it was indeed a promising smartphone. The fresh Lollipop update should do good to the device.
If you are in need of a guide to install the update, you may check out installation instructions provided by our friend at Pinoy Tech Blog.
The follow-up to the popular Alcatel Flash Plus smartphone has already been in the Philippines since September. It was even launched first in PH before heading out to neighboring countries. If you’re still looking for a new smartphone, either for yourself or as a gift, have a look at the Alcatel Flash 2 – a 5-inch LTE Android smartphone.
Design and Construction
The Alcatel Flash 2 features a design that is not as generic as other smartphones in the market. To start off, the Flash 2 sports a chrome trim. It is greatly visible upfront (top and chin) while it gradually sinks on the side. The front of the device has the 5-inch display, selfie shooter with its own LED flash, sensors, and three capacitive backlit buttons. The circular home button is always visible with its green outline while the back and recent apps button lights up only when used.
The volume rocker, power/lock button, and one-stage shutter key are all on the right, leaving the left side of the Flash 2 virtually clean. The microUSB port and primary microphone are at the bottom while the 3.5mm jack and noise-cancelling microphone sit on the top. Heading to the back will reveal the protruding camera module with a dual tone LED flash beneath it. The speaker grille and a rather large Flash branding are also at the back.
Overall, the great build of the Flash 2 is praiseworthy. Its textured back panel is also a plus for us. What we just hoped Alcatel did do is giving a full functioning two-stage shutter key, wherein you can press halfway to focus and press harder to take the shot. Much like those shutter keys found on Xperia devices.
Display
It boasts a 5-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels or simply HD. With that number, you’ll get a fair 294ppi density which will result to a display capable of producing sharp images. Also, color rendering is decent with a balanced screen temperature.
Touch response seems to be quirky. There are times where we have to press multiple times just to hit the right spot. Still, the display of the Flash 2 is still one of the best in its class.
MyPhone has released the curtains for its new affordable smartphone just in time for the holidays.
The my27 features a 5-inch display with a 1.3GHz Quad-core processor and a modest 1GB RAM. An 8GB memory is available for internal storage with a possible expansion of up to 32GB via microSD. It’s also equipped with an 8-megapixel and 5-megapixel shooter.
MyPhone my27 specifications:
5-inch FWVGA IPS (854×480 pixels) display
1.3GHz Spreadtrum SC7731 Quad-core CPU
Mali-400 GPU
1GB of RAM
8GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD
8-megapixel rear-camera w/ LED flash
5-megapixel front-facing camera
3G
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
GPS
Dual-SIM
2000mAh battery
Android 5.0 Lollipop
The new MyPhone my27 ships with Android Lollipop and will retail for Php 2,999. It comes with a free 8-year commemorative wristwatch from MyPhone.
Starmobile has just announced their newest flagship, the Knight Spectra — an Android smartphone posed to be a serious contender for mobile photography with its dual rear cameras.
The latest device to come from Starmobile sports a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, thus giving us a crisp 400ppi. Color reproduction is also good and pleasing to the eye thanks to the AMOLED screen.
Rocking a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-core chipset with a generous 3GB of RAM, it scores 39,430 on Antutu 4. Storage-wise, it offers 32GB of internal storage and you can expand it via a microSD.
Starmobile boast its new milestone with the Spectra having a dual rear camera setup, a 13-megapixel and 2-megapixel. They explained that the bigger sensor is the main camera of the device while the smaller sensor acts as a companion to let it do its nifty tricks.
With the pre-loaded proprietary camera software called Star Cam, you can capture a photograph and choose the focal point after taking the shot. This gives the users the ability to re-focus the image if they are not satisfied. It can also apply a bokeh effect of a f/1.0 aperture. Starmobile presented some impressive images taken using the Spectra that were shot by professional photographers.
On the other hand, the front camera is an 8-megapixel shooter. It is accompanied by a single LED flash to help improve low-light selfies.
The local brand didn’t forget to put in a good design with the Spectra. They sandwiched the internals with scratch-resistant glasses. Sadly, the frame of the device is not aluminum but it looks like one. Overall, we were impressed by the looks of it.
There’s also a built-in digital TV tuner for entertainment on-the-go. Local channels are slowly expanding the DTV coverage, so you’ll be able to watch your favorite show or tune into live programs even during commute. Connectivity is also covered as it has LTE on-board, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Starmobile Knight Spectra specifications:
5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display
64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core CPU
3GB RAM
32GB internal storage
microSD card support
13MP + 2MP dual-lens rear camera w/ LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, Re-focus
8MP front camera w/ flash
Dual-SIM
4G LTE, 3G
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS
DTV Support
3,500mAh battery
Android Lollipop
The Starmobile Knight Spectra will be on sale before November ends with an SRP of Php 14,990 which includes a free phone case, screen protector, and a stand to watch DTV channels.
Huawei’s expanding line-up of mid-range smartphones has a new member and it’s the successor to last year’s Ascend G7.
The Huawei G7 Plus features a 5.5-inch 1080p display with 2.5D Gorilla Glass, 1.5Ghz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, a 13-megapixel rear shooter with dual-tone LED flash, a 5-megapixel selfie camera, fingerprint scanner, and a 3,000mAh battery.
There’s dual-SIM functionality and support for 4G LTE. It runs Android 5.1 with Huawei’s EMUI 3.1 on top. A promised update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow is coming in February next year.
Measuring at 7.5mm in thickness, it’s claimed to have 90% metal chassis. The smartphone carries a price tag of $330 or roughly Php 15,560. Thailand is the first country to have the device in three colors — gold, silver, and grey.
