Cherry Mobile V3 Review: The Sleek Bluetooth Dialer You Never Knew You Needed

If you regularly commute, it pays to be extra careful about bringing out your smartphone. Bluetooth dialers like the Cherry Mobile V3 might be worth checking out since they allow you to check your messages or even make calls without having to take your more expensive phone out of your pocket and make yourself a target for potential snatchers and the like. I’ve been playing around with the V3 for a while now, and despite its limitations, I came away impressed. Why? Find out in my full review.

What’s in the Box?

The Cherry Mobile V3 comes in a small simple box. However, once you get a hold of the actual handset, you’d wonder why the box wasn’t smaller. Here’s what you find inside:

  • Handset
  • Micro USB headset
  • 400mA output wall charger
  • SIM ejector tool
  • Manual
  • Soft clear case

Build Quality and Design

Even if it’s just a dumbphone, the V3 is undeniably gorgeous and its brushed metal finish looks better than many smartphones out there.

Also, if you’re coming from a smartphone, it’s much smaller than anything you might be accustomed to, even if you had used something with a screen as small as 3 inches. Still, there is a comfortable heft to it. Certainly nothing comparable to today’s large screen phones, but at least it doesn’t feel like the wind could blow it away despite how slim it is.

If you’re familiar with phones from the early 2000s, the V3 will be a trip back down memory lane. It sports a tiny 1.5 inch screen, a circular navigation button, and illuminated island-style alphanumeric keys. You won’t find many details on either the left or right side of the handset, but it gets busy on the underside, cramming the microphone pinhole, micro USB port, and SIM slot into the limited space. There’s also another microphone pinhole at the top, presumably for noise-cancellation. Unfortunately, it lacks a 3.5mm headset jack and instead uses headsets with Micro USB connectors.

Features

While the V3 is being marketed as a Bluetooth dialer, it’s actually a full-fledged dual SIM cellphone that just so happens to be able to act as a Bluetooth-connected dialer for your smartphone. It accepts two micro SIMs, with the second slot doubling as the microSD tray that’s capable of supporting up to 32GB cards.

The feature set isn’t any different from what you’d expect from your typical basic handset. You can call and text using the V3, as well as access the phone book or call logs. This is true whether you’re using an onboard SIM or through a Bluetooth-connected smartphone. There are also a few extra features such as the media player, e-book reader, alarm, calendar, etc. You also get access to notifications from your Bluetooth-paired smartphone with the help of an accompanying app.

So Should You Buy the Cherry Mobile V3?

The Cherry Mobile V3 undoubtedly does more than you would expect from a Bluetooth dialer, functioning as a full-fledged handset with dual SIM connectivity. That means you can technically use 3 different numbers (SIM 1, SIM 2, and Bluetooth-connected smartphone) with a single handset!

At Php1,499, it’s certainly justifiable for those who’d prefer to leave their smartphones alone when the situation doesn’t call for one. If it had sported a 3.5mm headset jack that would allow me to use it with any of my headsets, I might reconsider the V3 as a must-buy. Still, it’s a practical device that a lot of commuters will find invaluable.

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