Cherry Mobile had been pretty quiet in the last couple of quarters, which was uncharacteristic for what is still the country’s top smartphone brand. In the meantime, Vivo and Oppo have continued to erode into their market share and while Cherry Mobile has retained its top spot, the gap is no longer as wide as it used to be. The local brand hasn’t been as worried about that as you might think though. The other top 5 brands have mostly been competing in the midrange while Cherry Mobile still has a solid hold on the sub-Php 5k segment despite being as quiet as they have been.
That doesn’t mean we haven’t missed a good release from them though. After all, it seems like we’ve gone an entire year without a notable Flare series worth talking about. That suddenly changed with the arrival of the Cherry Mobile Flare S7 series. Starting at just Php4,599, they pack a lot of features for the price.
Flare S7
Obviously, the entry level model in the series, the Flare S7 comes in 2GB and 3GB RAM variants. You get an 18:9 HD+ screen and 16GB RAM driven by a reasonably decent MT6739WA 1.3GHz quad core processor with a 2,400mAh battery providing the juice. Other cool features include a quad camera setup (2 in front, 2 on the back) and a fingerprint scanner.
The choice of processor here is important since the MT 6739WA natively supports dual camera setups. Some of Cherry Mobile’s affordable but older dual camera smartphones sported the MT6580, which didn’t actually support dual cameras. The end effect was more of a radial blur than a real bokeh effect resulting from a true depth-sensing camera.
For just Php4,599 you can get the 2GB RAM version, but spend a little more and you’ll be able to get the 3GB RAM variant for and additional Php500 (Php4,999).
Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Specs
| DISPLAY | Type | IPS |
| Size | 5.5" | |
| Resolution | 720 x 1440 | |
| Aspect Ratio | 18:9 | |
| Multitouch | Yes | |
| PLATFORM | OS | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Chipset | MediaTek MT6739WA | |
| CPU | 1.3GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 | |
| GPU | PowerVR GE8100 | |
| MEMORY | RAM | 2GB/3GB |
| Internal | 16GB ROM | |
| CAMERA | Primary | 13mp + 2mp |
| Autofocus | ||
| LED flash | ||
| BSI | ||
| Secondary | 13mp + 2mp | |
| Autofocus | ||
| LED flash | ||
| BSI | ||
| CONNECTIVITY | Network | Up to 4G/LTE |
| WLAN | a/b/g/n | |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | |
| GPS | Yes | |
| USB | Type C | |
| BATTERY | mAh | 2,400mAh |
| Removable? | Yes | |
| MISC | Sensors | Fingerprint scanner |
| Colors | ||
| Body | 150.3 x 72 x 9.2mm | |
| 185g | ||
| 2x nano SIM | ||
| Price | 2GB / 16GB : Php4,599 | |
| 3GB / 16GB : Php4,999 |
Flare S7 Deluxe
As good as the Flare S7 is, it doesn’t have a notch. Maybe you’re into the whole notch trend, maybe you aren’t, but the Flare S7 Deluxe has one on its 5.85″ (720 x 1512 resolution) display. Of course, you’re not paying a slightly higher price tag (Php5,999) just for the notch. You’re getting an upgraded 2,800mAh battery as well.
Flare S7 Deluxe Specs
| DISPLAY | Type | IPS |
| Size | 5.85" | |
| Resolution | 720 x 1440 | |
| Aspect Ratio | 21:10 | |
| Multitouch | Yes | |
| PLATFORM | OS | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Chipset | MediaTek MT6739WA | |
| CPU | 1.3GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 | |
| GPU | PowerVR GE8100 | |
| MEMORY | RAM | 3GB |
| Internal | 16GB ROM | |
| CAMERA | Primary | 13mp + 2mp |
| Autofocus | ||
| LED flash | ||
| BSI sensor | ||
| Secondary | 13mp + 2mp | |
| Autofocus | ||
| BSI | ||
| CONNECTIVITY | Network | Up to 4G/LTE |
| WLAN | a/b/g/n | |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | |
| GPS | Yes | |
| USB | Type C | |
| BATTERY | mAh | 2,800mAh |
| Removable? | Yes | |
| MISC | Sensors | Fingerprint scanner |
| Colors | ||
| Body | 150.3 x 72 x 9.2mm | |
| 185g | ||
| 2x dual nano SIM | ||
| Price | Php5,999 |
Flare S7 Plus
While the Flare S7 and Flare S7 Deluxe are decent options around the Php5k price point, the real talk of the town is the Flare S7 Plus. It too has a notch, albeit on a larger 6.18″ screen and with a higher 1080 x 2246 resolution. It’s also powered by a much beefier Helio P60 processor to go along with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage. As if that wasn’t enough, Cherry Mobile managed to include cool features such as fast charging and, even better, wireless charging. All on a smartphone that costs just Php11,999!
Flare S7 Plus Specs
| DISPLAY | Type | LTPS |
| Size | 6.15" | |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2246 | |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | |
| Notch? | Yes | |
| Multitouch | Yes | |
| PLATFORM | OS | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio P60 | |
| CPU | 4x 2GHz Cortex-A73 + 4x Cortex-A53 octa-core processor | |
| GPU | Mali G72 MP3 | |
| MEMORY | RAM | 4GB |
| Internal | 64GB | |
| CAMERA | Primary | 16mp + 5mp |
| Autofocus | ||
| LED flash | ||
| BSI sensor | ||
| Secondary | 16mp | |
| BSI | ||
| CONNECTIVITY | Network | Up to 4G/LTE |
| WLAN | a/b/g/n | |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | |
| GPS | Yes | |
| USB | Type C | |
| BATTERY | mAh | 3,050 |
| Removable? | No | |
| Wireless Charging? | Yes | |
| Fast Charging? | Yes | |
| MISC | Features | Fingerprint scanner |
| Face ID | ||
| Body | 155 x 77.5 x 7.85mm | |
| 200g | ||
| 1x micro + 1x hybrid nano | ||
| Price | Php11,999 |
Now, the Flare S7 Plus is easily the best value of the three smartphones. If you’re itching to get one or any of the other Flare S7 series smartphones, they’re currently on pre-sale until October 11 where you can get them with a free Bluetooth speaker or wireless charger worth Php2k!
So which one are you getting? Let us know in the comments below!
