In celebration of their 3rd Anniversary, Cherry Mobile is holding a one day sale on August 15 (tomorrow!) for the W900 Dragon Phone. Okay, so there are actually a slew of great budget Android phones that are already selling for less than the Php6k mark, including the Galaxy Y, Galaxy Pocket, LG Optimus L3, and the Alcaltel 918N. So what makes this particular sale so special? For one thing, this phone originally retailed for Php14,999 and then dropped to Php9,999 on a few special sales. And no way can you get a 1.2Ghz Snapdragon CPU, 512Mb of RAM, a 4″ screen, a 5mp camera and complete connectivity for less than Php6k! But that’s exactly what Cherry Mobile is doing with their sale of the W900. Granted it’s just a one day sale, but with all the other sub-6k Android phones sporting 800Mhz CPU/384Mb RAM configurations or less, the Php5,999 W900 is an incredible steal.
The W900 vs the King of Sub-6k Phones
To give you an idea of how much better the W900 is over every other sub-6k handset out there, let’s compare it with the popular Galaxy Y:
Phone | W900 | Galaxy Y |
CPU | 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon S2 ARMv7 | 832 Mhz ARMv6 |
GPU | Adreno 205 GPU | Broadcom VideoCore IV |
Android Version | Gingerbread 2.3.3 | Gingerbread 2.3.6 |
Screen | 4” capacitive screen, 800×480 resolution (WVGA) | 3” capacitive screen, 320×240 resolution (QVGA) |
RAM | 512Mb RAM | 290Mb RAM |
Internal Storage | 1Gb, expandable to 32Gb via MicroSD | 180Mb, expandable to 32Gb via MicroSD |
Cameras | 5mp autofocus rear camera, VGA front-facing camera | 2mp fixed focus rear camera |
Connectivity | Bluetooth / WiFi b-g-n / up to HSPA+ 21Mbps | Bluetooth / WiFi b-g-n / up to HSDPA 7Mbps |
To put it simply, the W900 kicks ass. The bump in CPU power alone is enough to warrant buying the W900 at that price, and then there’s the GPU to talk about, which isn’t the best, but is the same one found on the Samsung-made Nexus S. The screen is also a huge upgrade, being one inch bigger than that of the Galaxy Y’s, but also having a higher pixel density so you get a sharper image. The 512Mb RAM will help multitasking immensely, and while I would typically recommend 1Gb of RAM for smooth operation, it will still help the W900 perform better than the Galaxy Y with its paltry 290Mb of RAM. There’s also 1Gb of internal storage, allowing you to install more apps using the phone’s storage rather than having to install part of the app on the MicroSD card, which would slow performance down depending on the class of the card you use (Class 2, 4, 6, 10). The 5mp autofocus primary camera of the W900 isn’t that great, and there are plenty of other smartphones with better 5mp shooters. However, it is still better than the dinky 2mp fixed camera of the Galaxy Y, and the 3mp shooters of most other sub-6k smartphones won’t be that much better. To cap it all off, you’ll also get better mobile data connectivity with speeds going up to 21Mbps on the W900 compared to 7Mbps on the Galaxy Y. Take note that speeds will be dependent on the network your on and the kind of coverage you’re getting at any moment.
Yeah, I know it’s unfair to compare a true budget phone like the Galaxy Y to something that originally retailed for Php14,999, however, this comparison is to illustrate just how much of a steal this one-day sale is. We’re talking about Galaxy S performance here, and while it may be just on Gingerbread, there are no other sub-6k phones that are running ICS right now.
With payday being tomorrow for most people, it would be smart to get to a Cherry Mobile kiosk as early as you can while stocks are still plentiful. For a list of all Cherry Mobile concept stores and kiosks in the country, head on over to their Facebook page or official site. Did I mention you also get a free screen protector and 4Gb Micro SD card?
Update: Cherry Mobile has announced on their Facebook page that the W900 will now be on permanent sale at the Php5,999 price. Awesome!
Source: Cherry Mobile via their Facebook Page,YugaTech and IlonggoTech Blog