Battle of the Mega-Droids

Five inch Android smartphones have been around for some time. The Dell Streak which came out in 2010 was the first such example. It had good specifications for its time, but the concept did not catch on. 

In 2011, Samsung did its own take on the large Android phone with the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note. This mobile phone which is big enough to be considered a mini-tablet sold 9 million phones in 10 months. The successor of the Samsung Galaxy Note, the 5.5-inch Note II has sold 3 million units in its first month on the market. Samsung packaged a stylus with their Note's and software designed to be used with the stylus. So

Despite the success of the Samsung Note series, no other manufacturer has created a direct competitor to the Note combining the large display with a stylus and dedicated software package.

Recognizing the demand for larger displays, other manufacturers have began Mega sized Droids. We do not have HTC's and LG offerings available in the Philippine market at the present time. But other lesser known brands have answered the call.

You can get one of these new Mega-Droids at a surprisingly low price these days, from our own local brand, Cherry Mobile.

Cherry Mobile Titan (Php6,499)

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Dual SIM
• 5" WVGA (480 x 800) display 
• MediaTek MT6588  chipset with a dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU and PowerVR SGX531 GPU
• 512 MB RAM
• 5 MP autofocus camera with 1080p video recording
• VGA front-facing camera
• 4 GB internal storage, microSD card slot
• 2350 mAh battery

At the price, the Cherry Mobile Titan has excellent specifications. Those looking for an entry level phone, have a viable option giant screen choice.

Sharp 530U (Php12,999)

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Dual SIM
• 5" WVGA (480 x 800) display 
• MediaTek MT6588  chipset with a dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU and PowerVR SGX531 GPU
• 512 MB RAM
• 5 MP autofocus camera with 1080p video recording
• VGA front-facing camera
• 20 GB internal storage, microSD card slot
• 1950 mAh battery

The Shapr 530U has almost identical specifications to the Cherry Mobile Titan, at twice the price. For double the money Sharp does give you more internal storage, and a sleeker lighter case which is 20% lighter than the Cherry Mobile Titan. However, the Sharp does also come with a almost 20% smaller battery.

I really do not think the Sharp 530U is worth paying double the price for.

Lenovo S880 (Php13,880)

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Dual SIM
• 5" WVGA (480 x 800) display 
• MediaTek MT6588  chipset with a dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU and PowerVR SGX531 GPU
• 512 MB RAM
• 5 MP autofocus camera with 1080p video recording
• VGA front-facing camera
• 4 GB internal storage, microSD card slot
• 2250 mAh battery

Lenovo's S880 has the same specifications as the Cherry Mobile Titan, at more than double the price. 

Lenovo K860 Quick Specs: (Php18.500)

• 5" IPS HD LCD (1280 x 720 pixels resolution) with Corning Gorilla Glass protection
• Exynos 4412 Quad chipset with quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU and Mali-400MP GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 8MP autofocus camera with 1080p video recording
• 2MP front-facing camera
• 8GB internal storage, microSD card slot
• 2250 mAh battery

Lenovo's second Mega-Droid offering is much more interesting. The Lenovo K860 brings a HD display to the battle, with a  Exynos 4412 Quad chipset with a quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400MP GPU and 1 GB of RAM. Hardware wise, it is essentially a 5-inch Samsung Galaxy S III.

This is also adds features like Corning Gorilla Glass protection, making it a flagship grade phone at a mid-level price.

If I were buying a 5-inch Android, I think I would either pick-up the incredibly priced Cherry Mobile Titan, or spend a lot more cash and get the Lenovo K860. Should you find the Titan or K860 too heavy or bulky, the Sharp 530U with its slimmer case and lighter weight could be the Mega-Droid for you.