Starmobile Play Max Unboxing And First Impressions - Long Battery Life Guaranteed?

On a tight budget, looking for a smartphone with big battery capacity is a TOUGH task to do. Often, it'll lead consumers to get other devices that doesn't have the juice to help you get through the day.

Starmobile Play Max unboxing and first impressions

Starmobile knows this issue, capitalized on it, and created the Play Max as a solution to this problem. Why? The Starmobile Play Max boast a large 4,000 mAh of battery capacity paired with the power saving capabilities of Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. To make things sweeter, the phone is priced at just PHP 3,290 only!

Will it live up to the expectations and be your next big battery capacity phone on a budget? Find out in this review!

Disclaimer: This unit was provided by Starmobile for an honest review

Starmobile Play Max Specs

Display: 5 Inch HD IPS 1280 x 720 resolution at 294 ppi

CPU: 1.3 GHz SC7731 quad core processor

GPU: Mali 400

RAM: 1 GB

ROM: 8 GB expandable ROM via micro SD card slot up to 32 GB

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

Selfie Camera: 5 MP f/2.8 w/ LED flash

Battery: 4,000 mAh

OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, HSPA+, Bluetooth, GPS, A GPS, dual SIM (micro)

Sensors: Gravity, accelerometer, light, proximity, sound

Dimensions: 143.9 x 71.5 x 9.9 mm

Weight: 159 g

Price: 3,290 Pesos

Unboxing / Accessories

Generous inclusions for a budget device

For a budget device, the Starmobile Play Max didn't skimp with the inclusions found inside the package. We were treated with almost everything your need from a regular 1A USB wall charger, regular USB to micro USB charging cables, and flexible clear TPU case.

Then we might be wrong here, but it feels like its screen has a layer of screen protector on top. As a whole, we are generally pleased with what we saw inside its box.

Build Quality / Design

Brushed metal like back cover, in trendy rose gold

The Starmobile Play Max is a metallic looking phone in rose gold color from afar. It's entirely made out of plastic materials that doesn't feel as flimsy or brittle compared with other super affordable phones.

It feels sturdy enough, but just like most plastic phones, it won't be as tough compared with handsets with metal frames.

That being said, we strongly advise to put on the TPU sleeve all the time to further protect your phone from drops.

Opened! There's a dual SIM slot and a dedicated micro SD card slot

3.5 mm port, micro USB charging cables, selfie camera, selfie camera flash, and sensors on top

Speaker, microphone, and physical capacitive buttons with no light below

Power button and volume rocker located at the right side

Aesthetically, we like the implementation of Starmobile here. Yes it is chunkier (9.9 mm) than its counterparts due to that huge 4,000 mAh of battery, but we find it just okay. What's important is the phone looks good, has generous arc at the back, decent corner curves, and doesn't have annoying camera bump.

Check its hold and feel, the handset just feels thicker in the hand with added heft. On the corners of the screen part, there are slight signs of sharpness in its edge. Buttons and port places are on right locations as well.

Initial findings

1. We like that it has a 5 inch HD screen with average sharpness and color contrast
2. The brushed metal-like back cover and its rose gold color is an eye candy
3. It feels snappy enough for social media use even if it is just using an SC7731 chip
4. It feels like a true 4,000 mAh phone so far (will update this on the full review)
5. There's no OTG support, reverse charging, and LED notification

As of the moment

The Starmobile Play Max looks and feels like a decent budget phone with big battery capacity in the making. There are just few understandable things that we did like that much, but that's acceptable at this very low price.

For our full review: Starmobile Play Max Review - The Budget Big Battery Phone!