Meet Starmobile UP Prime, The Budget 700 MHz LTE Ready Phone

Starmobile's UP Prime is a pretty interesting budget phone. Why? It is one of the few to pack a newer gen chipset, graphics unit, and connectivity options.

The budget 700 MHz LTE ready phone

In particular, it has 64 bit MediaTek MT6737 quad core chip paired w/ Mali T720 graphics and dual 700 MHz LTE connectivity. ICYMI, that type of setup isn't that easy to find at its current sale price of just PHP 3,990.

Sounds fun? Read on!

Meet Starmobile UP Prime

Stylish enough looking body

Like most of the budget Android smartphones, the Starmobile UP Prime doesn't have the sturdiest construction around. As a matter of fact, its body (frame) is just made out of plastic all over. But, fortunately, the plastic that Starmobile used in its body doesn't feel that cheap. It is quite hard and won't bend or break that easy.

Headphone jack slot on top

Mic and micro USB port

Power button and volume rocker

On top of that, the company made an effort to make this a stylish looking phone somehow. It has generous curves, no sharp edges, and nice champagne or dark grey paint finish. It even has a stylish 2.5D curved glass on top.

The 5-inch TFT screen

Speaking of the screen, the UP Prime boasts an a 5-inch HD display. Yes, the panel Starmobile used is just TFT, but at least the resolution is on 720p. Pixel density is also quite sharp at 294 ppi. It also has adaptive brightness and MiraVision display tuning tech. Viewing angles aren't that great though.

Antutu and Geekbench score

Inside, Starmobile is generous enough to pack this handset w/ a 64 bit chip. How? The 1.25 GHz 64 bit MediaTek MT6737 quad core processor found inside this machine is speedier and more feature-rich compared the usual, old, and slow 32-bit MT6580 chips found in the sub-4K space. On top of that, it has the Mali T720 which can handle some of the modern 3D games nicely.

The chip it used is faster than most of the competition!

However, it only has 1 GB RAM. Yes, we know that 1 GB RAM is enough for loading few social media apps w/ ease. But, if you wanted to do more of your phone, 1 GB RAM is simply not enough. This handset would have been a much better deal if it has at least 2 GB RAM for multitasking.

Storage-wise, we are glad to say that the UP Prime has ample 16 GB of expandable storage thru a dedicated micro SD card slot up to 32 GB. It also has large enough 3,000 mAh Li-Po battery for an entire work day of use.

Main camera needs improvement

Camera-wise, it isn't that impressive on paper and actual use. Behind it has an 8 MP f/2.8 shooter w/ AF, BSI, and LED flash. It doesn't really shoot that well even in daylight.

Decent HDR shot

It struggled in close-up indoor shots

It is bad in lowlight

It has selfie front flash!

In front, the 5 MP f/2.8 w/ BSI and LED flash is far from impressive as well. But, at least it has flash to make you kinda visible in lowlight.

Indoor selfie cam sample

The rest of the features

We enjoyed that this handset has dual 700 MHz LTE support. In case you missed it, the 700 MHz LTE spectrum could provide better indoor signals, more stable, and speedier LTE speeds. At home, we are getting an average of 15 Mbps. Not bad.

This phone also boots w/ Android 7.0 Nougat w/ few bloats. The Starmobile Care App even seeded an update to improve stability, security, and performance recently.

However, it has no OTG, backlit keys, and LED light indicator.

Starmobile UP Prime Specs

Display: 5-inch HD TFT 1280 x 720 resolution w/ 2.5D curved glass at 294 ppi

CPU: 1.25 GHz 64 Bit MediaTek MT6737 quad core processor

GPU: Mali T720

RAM: 1 GB

ROM: 16 GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 32 GB

Back Camera: 8 MP f/2.8 w/ AF, BSI, and LED flash

Selfie Camera: 5 MP f/2.8 w/ BSI

Battery: 3,000 mAh Li-Po

OS: Android 7.0 Nougat

Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, HSPA+, dual 700 MHz LTE, Bluetooth, FM Radio GPS, A GPS, dual SIM (micro)

Others: Colors: champagne, dark grey

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, proximity, sound

Dimensions: 143.4 x 72.7 x 10.15 mm

Weight: 160 g

Price: PHP 4,290 (PHP 3,990 sale price)

By the looks of it, the Starmobile UP Prime is a fairly decent budget offering if you are in need of a phone w/ sharp enough HD resolution, decent speed and fast LTE connection w/ 700 MHz support. Multitasking and cameras needs improvement though.

What do you think guys?