Cherry Mobile Skyfire 2.0

Cherry Mobile has released another 5-inch Android phone. The display is a qHD display, which has a 540 by 960 pixel resolution, and not the higher resolution HD (720 x 1280) display we have in the new crop of low cost (below Php10,000) 5-inch smartphones. 

The new low cost 5-inch HD Android phones includes the Cherry Mobile OMEGA HD, MyPhone A919i Duo and Starmobile Diamond. Of the three, the A919i Duo is the best overall package since it combines a HD display with quad core processing and a faster graphics chip. The Omega HD and Diamond are far behind the A919i Duo in terms of performance. 

How does the Cherry Mobile SkyFire 2.0 stack up? Overall, I think it is a better balanced package than either the Omega HD or Diamond. The lower resolution qHD display still has a reasonably sharp 220 pixel per inch density. While it does not march the sharpness of the HD displays on the Omega HD and Diamond, the sharp display on those phones does come with a penalty in terms of HD video playback and 3D graphics performance. 

Quick specs:

• Dual SIM
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• 5-inch IPS qHD display (540 x 960) 
• 4 GB internal storage, expandable via a microSD card slot
• 1 GB RAM
• 1.2 GHz quad core Qualcomm S4 Play processor 
• Adreno 203 Graphics
• 8 MP primary camera, autofocus with flash
• 2 MP (BSI) front camera
• HSPA+
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 2000 mAh battery

It won't outrun the MyPhone A919i. That phone mates that 5-inch HD display with fast PowerVR SGX544MP graphics.

Best to wait for the actual benchmarks, but basically you can expect AnTuTu Benchmarks to look like this:

MyPhone A919i - 120000 to 13000 point range

Cherry Mobile SkyFire 2.0 - 10000 to 11000 point range

Cherry Omega HD - 6000 to 7000 point range

Starmobile Diamond - 6000 to 7000 point range

Priced at Php7,999, which is at the same price as the Omega HD, I am inclined to recommend the SkyFire 2.0. If you are looking for the best low cost 5-inch phone, the MyPhone A919i still is the best choice.