CM Flare

So last July 6, 2013, I bought a new phone. It's the infamous, "the-national-phone"(according to my friend, since it's so popular especially here in the crowded city of Cebu where pickpockets are famous and students with low budget like me, can't afford to lose an expensive phone), Cherry Mobile Flare.

Since there are so many reviews about this phone out there, I'm just gonna state the basics, and a few words of my opinion about this mobile phone.

As I've mentioned, I'm a student on a tight budget. I can save up (months, even years o.o) for a new iPhone or the latest smartphone and enjoy the price of an earned gadget. (My parents don't give me much moolahs for "unnecessary" things.) 

Nowadays, smartphones, tablets, etc are now needs of uni students. That doesn't mean they have to be expensive though. O.O

Since my phone was(during that time I bought my CM Flare) being repaired (no thanks to Smart POstpaid warranty's turtle-ish affiliated repair shop), I needed a new phone.

My classmates have been using CM Flare and they have been loving it! So yep, I decided to buy one.

CM Flare offers a smartphone for a cheap price. P3,999 (wow that's a steal!)

It now runs on Android Jelly Bean (has been upgraded from ICS) and I love the graphics, though it's not as magical as the leading smartphones out there but yea. And the internal memory is WOW. Even the RAM. I have been downloading apps and I've never even encountered the "FUll Memory storage"..yet. :P I also have the Samsung Galaxy Y and boy, the galaxy Y has a higher price but the Flare is 10x better than the Galaxy Y. 

Another thing is that, the audio output sucks. It ain't compatible with the common earphones. The free earphones suck. And oh, the charger is super short but you can use Samsung Galaxy Y's charger. COmpatible. :P

I have been using it for more than a month now, and yes, it does lag occasionally. ANd sometimes shuts down by itself (but it rarely happens). It's mostly up to the app yknow, some apps can really cause lagging but no worries, like I said, it RARELY happens. (I've been playing Dead trigger smoothly.)

Also the camera. It has a front and back camera, and the back has 5.0 mp and the front..ehh. lower. But let me warn you beforehand, the camera quality is crappy. Yes you can take good pics in broad daylight, but yea, it sucks. But considering its price, we couldn't ask for more.

It comes with a free Screen Protector and mine already has scratches so earlier today, I dropped by a stall and asked for the price of a new CM Flare screen protector...I think it's 159 or 179 or 199php.  I forgot sorry :p

And best feature (for me) is the DUAL SIM. (Although the GO SMS PRO only recognizes the first sim. ANd the first sim is the only one capable 3g connection but u can also use the 2nd one..)

And worst part? THE BATTERY LIFE! FOr me it only lasts up to 2 hours. (watching movies/videos, playing games, opening apps..etc) But if you're not using it all the time, it may last up to 5-8 hours. But really, the Battery Life is soooooooo low.

So here are some pics.

The box (front)

It says right there: "Upgraded to Jelly Bean"

The specs. It says ICS 4.0 but it's already upgraded to JB.

The front. I really like how it looks. Simple. And oh btw, it comes with DOUBLE SCREEN PROTECTORS. I removed the topmost one yesterday because of the scratches and I thought that the phone was bare, but when I went to a mobile shop to get a matte screen protector, the guy who does the job told me that there was still a screen protector on the phone. :D But I changed it to matte anyway.

And a little tip: It DOESN'T look good with a matte screen protector. ( the graphics, i mean)
It makes it look blurry and dark (you have to adjust the brightness and that uses up much battery), and it doesn't look as clear. I'mma have to get the glossy one next month.

This is the back portion. I really really do not like how it looks so I covered those labels with my One Piece Chopper sticker.

The back contradicts the cool interface of the front.

The apps. Oh if you're looking for a good theme/launcher for your android device, I suggest 
SMART LAUNCHER coz it's simply and it's awesome. I've tried GO Launcher EX and downloaded some themes and I also tried those other Launcher themes but they're all so complicated for me. Smart Launcher is just awesome. (if you know a better one, tell me :P) 

So this is what's inside the box. (Except for that Dream Catcher necklace I got from Palawan, I didn't know it was there when I took the pic. Sorry >.<)

-Earphones (which sucks, imo. It ain't durable. Mine is already damaged)

-Charger (I really don't like how the wire is black and the adapter is white. And how it's too short. I just use my galaxy Y charger.)

-Manual  (I haven't opened and read though lol. who does that?) ( I think it contains the warranty form)

-The device.


OHHHH A little tip. It took me long before I realized how to take a screenshot. (I've downloaded apps but they failed me.)


HOW TO TAKE A SCREEN SHOT

ANyway, what you are going to do is: 
Press and hold the (-)Volume located on the left side and press the power/lock button located top.

Volume (-) + Power Button

Wait for about 3-4 seconds and you'll hear a shutter sound.

Here's the receipt. I went to the Cherry Mobile stall but they ran out of stock. I went to some other stores, still no stock. They all told me a lot of people are buying this because it's cheap yet you get more than what you deserve.
So I bought it at Junrex in SM Cebu. It was about time for the mall to close but still the people at Junrex were so accommodating. Thumbs up for good customer service.
So yeah, price is 3,999php.

 Thinking of buying the Cherry Mobile Flare?
I suggest you do. :)