Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Deluxe Unboxing and First Impressions

Cherry Mobile has been quiet for awhile, and came back to drop a bombshell with their new line of smartphones. Today, we're looking at the Flare S7 Deluxe!

The Flare S7 Deluxe

The Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Deluxe looks to break expectations of PHP 5,999 smartphone with 3GB RAM, 5.85-inch IPS notch display and four cameras running on Android 8.1 Oreo!

Let's take a closer look at this possible game changer.

Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Deluxe Specs

Display: 5.85-inch 2.5D curved IPS screen w/ 1512 x 720 resolution at 286 ppi

CPU: 1.3GHz 64-bit MT6739WA quad-core processor

GPU: PowerVR GE8100

RAM: 3GB

ROM: 16GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 128GB

Back Camera: 13MP OV12830+ 2MP GC2385 w/ BSI and LED flash

Selfie Camera: 13MP OV12830+ 2MP GC2385

Battery: 2,800mAh

OS: Android 8.1 Oreo

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 700MHz 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, OTG, GPS, A-GPS, dual SIM

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: Fingerprint sensor, face unlock, USB Type-C

Dimensions: 150.3 x 72 x 9.2 mm

Weight: 185 g
Price: PHP 5,999

Unboxing/Accessories

Unboxed!

The Flare S7 deluxe is housed in a matte textured box with Cherry Mobile branding. Inside is the phone, power plug, earphones, USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, and documentation.

Build Quality/Design

Eye catching back!

The build and design materials for the S7 Deluxe are ground breaking for the price! It is made of premium-looking glass-like and metal materials all through out. There's no mention of glass protection like Gorilla Glass though.

The back in particular has a shiny reflective paint job that will immediately catch anyone's attention when you walk inside a room with the Flare S7 Deluxe. The camera is on the upper right side while the fingerprint scanner and logo is at the middle.

We noticed the thick chin bezel, but the price is just too good. It is also one of the few phones with a notch out there.

3.5 mm headphone port on the top

USB Type-C below

Left

Power button, volume rocker

On the left side is the volume rocker and the power button while the right side is smooth. 

At the top is the 3.5 mm headphone jack while the bottom has two speaker grills and one micro USB port. We have yet to see if both speaker grills have a speaker or one has a speaker and the other a microphone. We'll update this article as soon as we get more time with the phone.

On the front is the 5.85-inch 2.5D IPS display with a deep notch, thick side and bottom bezels.

The phone is easy to hold because of the curved nature but the metal finish and the glass makes it a fingerprint black hole.

At first we thought that it would be slippery to hold but we were surprised that it wasn't as slippery as it looked.

It's amazing how Cherry Mobile was able to give these features at under PHP 6,000!

Initial findings

1. The Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Deluxe is breaking market expectations because it gives a notched 5.85 inch 2.5D IPS display with build materials and design that can be found in higher priced phones. Sure the bezels are large but it is a worthy trade-off for the price!

2. It is running on the 1.3GHz 64-bit MT6739WA quad-core processor and PowerVR GE8100 with 3GB RAM. The processor isn't class leading but it is an upgrade over the usual Snapdragon 425 and Mediatek MT6737 which still made it attractive given the price point.

The whole device is powered by a 2,800mAh battery.

3. It is running near stock Android 8.1 Oreo. This means that it could possibly be light and snappy with added features. It may or may not have pre-installed bloatware.

4. The Flare S7 Deluxe is one of the first phones to introduce four cameras in one smartphone. The rear Camera is a dual lens setup of a 13MP OV12830 and 2MP GC2385  BSI and LED flash while the selfie camera is also a 13MP OV12830 and 2MP GC2385.

5. It is one of the few devices with USB Type-C. It also has an accelerometer, light sensor, orientation sensor, proximity sensor, gyroscope, and magnetic sensors.

As of the moment

The Flare S7 Deluxe rivals higher priced phones with its stylish design and specifications like the quad camera set-up, USB Type-C, 3GB RAM and the notch IPS display!

But, it only has 16GB of internal storage and huge bezels but for the price, although this is one of the best phones in its price range for value, looks and specs!

We look forward to spending more time with it!