Neither of these phones is actually available on the market at the time of this rising, but the battle between the two has already begun. Starmobile knows it has a winner in the Knight, which combines premium looks and a very reasonable price. The phone is a looker, and at 7.5 mm thin, it will draw attention to itself.
Quick specs:
- Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
- 4.7-inch IPS HD display (720 x 1280) protected by Gorilla Glass
- Dual SIM
- 4 GB internal storage, expandable via a microSD card slot
- 1 GB RAM
- 1.2 GHz quad core MediaTek MT6589 processor
- PowerVR SGX544MP graphics
- 18 MP BSI primary camera, autofocus with flash
- 8 MP BSI front camera
- HSPA+
- WiFi
- Bluetooth
- A-GPS
- 2000 mAh battery (not user replaceable)
- SRP: Php11,290
Starmobile has spent a fair amount of time and energy marketing its new offering in what is Starmobile's most extensive marketing effort to date.
Cherry Mobile has its own new offering, the Razor. With the Razor, it looks like Cherry Mobile intends to dampen the Knight's entry into the Philippines, with its own thin, 7.7 mm handset.
Quick specifications:- Android 4.x (Jelly Bean)
- 4.5-inch qHD (540 x 960) display with Dragon Trail Glass
Dual SIM capability- 4 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
- 1 GB RAM
- 1.2 GHz quad core MediaTek MT6589 processor
- PowerVR SGX544 graphics
- 5 or 8 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
- VGA front camera
- HSPA+
- WiFi
- Bluetooth
- A-GPS
- 1750 mAh battery (not user replaceable)
- SRP: Php6,490
Both phones have similar specifications, but running on the new and powerful MediaTel MT6589 chipset. The most significant distinctions are the screen resolution, dual SIM capability, cameras and price.
The 4.5-inch qHD display of the Cherry Mobile Razor has a very decent 245 pixels per inch (ppi). The Starmobile Knight comes with a 4.7 HD display which is much sharper at 312 ppi. Ironically, this will also mean the Cherry Mobie Razor will perform better. The PowerVR SGX544 graphics will use less resources in powering the lower resolution display, and hence have more overhead for heavy 3D intensive apps, like games.
More megapixels does not always mean better quality pictures, and right now I am not certain if the Razor is coming in with a 5 MP or 8 MP camera. The Starmobile Knight should have an advantage in terms of still photo quality, if the Cherry Mobile Razor only comes with a 5 MP unit. An 8 MP camera can perform as well as a 12 MP one, and which is better depends on the other parts like the quality of the lens and sensor.
The biggest difference is price. The Cherry Mobile Razor, at Php6,490 is almost half the price of the Starmobile Knight, which has a suggested retail price of Php11,290.
Update: The initial stocks of the Starmobile Knight which I saw on sale came with a jelly case, screen protector and 8 GB MicroSD card, which is about a Php1,000 value.
Update: The initial stocks of the Starmobile Knight which I saw on sale came with a jelly case, screen protector and 8 GB MicroSD card, which is about a Php1,000 value.
So what do you think? Does the lower price of the Cherry Mobile Razor make it the better choice, or is the "retina" grade HD display and dual SIM capability of the Starmobile Knight too compelling to resist?
is the Razor single sim or dual sim? its so confusing and conflicting on post
ReplyDeleteAny idea when will be the release of this phones?
ReplyDeleteIf we're going solely by tech specs, Cherry Mobile should hit a home run here. However...
ReplyDeleteThey have a big problem concerning the online Pinoy tech enthusiast's impression on their support and quality control.
I always keep reading on forums and FB that Cherry Mobile being a local brand, their QC sucks compared to other imported brands like Samsung and Sony. Others say not to bother with them since they sell rebranded China phones. I don't know if that's colonial mentality at work or just plain trolling against CM, but if you read around you'll see posts like these.
It doesn't help that Cherry Mobile's support policies are relatively poor. They only have a 7-day DOA/return period and 6-month replacement on accessories -- some local brands allow for 15 days DOA/return period and 1-year labor and repair/replacement on all parts including accessories. It also seems that their service centers are overloaded as there are incidents of turnaround time of 1 to 3 months for phone repair.
In any case Cherry Mobile needs to get its act together on aftersales. That's about the only thing keeping them from being the best option for locally branded Android smartphones.
tama po kayo hehe..
ReplyDeletebili pa ng isa habang nasa warranty ung isa sulit parin diba
Knight has 18MP Main cam and 8MP Front cam. Razor has 8MP main cam and VGA front cam..
ReplyDeleteThe starmobile Knight is immaterial. It has the most foolish marketing plan. It started with a rumor 3 months ago, and built a hype for 3 months, and 3 weeks after released, no stocks pa rin sa cagayan de oro and some other parts in the philippines. Cherry mobile cosmos, on the other hand, 3 days after launch, may stocks na sa cagayan de oro. That itself is what you call, "marketing impact"
ReplyDeleteMy advice to starmobile, if you're planning to release a new phone by December this year, do a marketing launch on January next year.
The product Starmobile Knight is an excellent product. The only thing that's bad about it is:
ReplyDelete1. Started with a press leak/ rumor 3 months ago
2. Created a 3 month frenzy of hype
3. Built so much hype that 3month waiting was an agony
4. 3Weeks after "nationwide" release,still no stocks in cagyan de oro
5. Hype buildup was so strong that the facebook group of Starmobile knight became from closed to secret after the launching of the Cherry Mobile Cosmos.
6. Nationwide Release is not simultaneous. Selected stores lang pala.
7. 3 months from product launching to release is so long. They should've had a product launching this September para sure na available in all stores nationwide.
By the time magka stocks sa cdo, sold out na ang Cherry Mobile Cosmos X
Good things come to those who wait.
Cherry mobile launch the Cosmos lineup, 3 days after released na ang Cosmos X. Instant Product IMPACT
Hubby will buy this nextweek.available n ca sm bicutan and puede hsbc and east west cards. Starstruck kme , not only its a beauty pero hanep s bilis internet.we tested it wifi sm bicutan for youtube. And di man lng ngbuff! Kaloka ung camera and sbrang stylish tlga prang iphone 5.pero quadcore kya panis iphone.
ReplyDeleteHOld on to your pockets, there's cherry mobile cosmos Z. full HD na sya. Starmobile Knight is just OVER-HYPED.
ReplyDeleteThat's right.I believe Knight's direct competitor is the Cosmos Z. With slight price differentials, specs are almost the same except 5" display for cosmos Z (compared to 4.7" of Knight) and slightly (but not noticeable) faster processor (1.2GHz to 1.5GHz). And note that both phone overall design are reminiscent of the iPhone 5's.
ReplyDeletefor the after sales mahina talaga ang CM.. but the good thing is, ung mag dev ng cm phones ang nagdadala.. like my flare, daming complain, but after joining the official flare group, and digging info's at google, flare lasted for 1 day, with texting, browsing, and bug fixes, u just have to know the runarounds in the android world... open source xa, daming tutorials and stuff, madaling i customize, and since mura, wala ka maxado kaba about customization, unlike OEM phones masakit sa bangs, and u still get the apps you wanted... make google ur BFF ehehe... i'm looking forward on buying cm razor this month, and preparing it to look like the xperia again just like nung nanakaw kong flare...
ReplyDeleteI would have bought both phones however im just not at ease with the "non replaceable" battery thing :D
ReplyDeleteCorrection on the specs just got my CM Razor it can handle HSPA+
ReplyDeleteits da same w/ Knight blazing browsing speed well same processor &
chipset no brainer really battery is good for 10 hrs w/ heavy browsing txt & calls I think da price will go up for this phone
I am planning to buy either the CM Razor or CM SkyFire 2.0. Yeah, I am a bit uncomfortable with the Razor's "non-eplaceable" 1750 mAh battery too. I tried visiting a CM store here in Antipolo City. and saw the actual unit. Kung may competition para sa paseksihang local phone sa 'Pinas, panalo na to. :)
ReplyDeleteThe Razor is just a single micro sim only Cant decide which one to buy... the CM RAZOR or CM Apollo
ReplyDeletecherry mobile razor pwede ba ekonekta sa hdtv gamit ang "MHL"o twaging mobile high difination link connet to hdmi sa tv para mapanuod ng malaki ang ang display
ReplyDelete