Thursday, July 4, 2013

The Cherry Mobile Razor takes on the Starmobile Knight

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. 

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?

26 comments:

  1. is the Razor single sim or dual sim? its so confusing and conflicting on post

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry, I was of the impression it was dual SIM. Made a quick inquiry, and it only has one sim card slot.... but apparently the camera is a 8 MP unit. Okay, need to revise the article.

      Delete
  2. Any idea when will be the release of this phones?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Knight, this or next week. Not sure about the Razor

      Delete
  3. If we're going solely by tech specs, Cherry Mobile should hit a home run here. However...

    They 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In a way, you do get what you pay for. I imagine their margins per sale are small. They pretty much undercut all their competitors by Php500 to Php2,000.

      As for the established brands. Sure, if you don't mind spending for a Galaxy S 4 or S III, why not. If you are going to buy a S III mini or Mega 5.8, which have half the performance levels of the locally branded quad cores, you have to ask yourself do you need the speed.

      Basically, if I got a Razor, and encounter a warranty issue I will buy another one while my first phone is being repaired. Php13,000 for that.

      Delete
  4. tama po kayo hehe..
    bili pa ng isa habang nasa warranty ung isa sulit parin diba

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't subscribe to the spend more, cheaper is inferior train of taught.

      If it's cheap, I will try it. If it turns out to be a bad deal,maybe I won't try it again. But really, why should I not try a good deal.

      Delete
  5. Knight has 18MP Main cam and 8MP Front cam. Razor has 8MP main cam and VGA front cam..

    ReplyDelete
  6. The 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"

    My advice to starmobile, if you're planning to release a new phone by December this year, do a marketing launch on January next year.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The product Starmobile Knight is an excellent product. The only thing that's bad about it is:

    1. 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

    ReplyDelete
  8. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  9. HOld on to your pockets, there's cherry mobile cosmos Z. full HD na sya. Starmobile Knight is just OVER-HYPED.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That'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.

    ReplyDelete
  11. got this phone, i so love the form factor, bilis wala ako issues, kasi a want a phone that its not as heavy and super slim, love that its micro sim and internal battery making the cm razor the cutting edge, iphone5 feel nah,

    however, hnd ako mkpaniwala since i am confident sa dragontrail glass nya eh ngkaroon p rin ako ng hairline scratches, define as scratches with no exerted effort pero to my surprise nagkscratch p rin sya, worst is, when nahulog ang phone for the 1st time, ngkroon ngcrack sa top part ng phone.. (btw- usingthephonewhilecomenting)

    anyway, tama naman at its price i couldnt complain more, its so affordable that the issues id face may come irelevant but just wana say -hoping it will reach cm-razor.

    i was into starmobile but, in terms of accesories sasakit ang ulo mo, its hard to find or at most wala theydont have it in the market.

    last! totality i still love the phone-razor ... even the battery will last a day, wifi, andtexting and all.

    ReplyDelete
  12. i just wanna add, thumbs up for razor, since it slimmest form and lightest feel, i love the fact its not dual sim, and micro sim at that, mch more the internal battery, making this phone a big leap,

    kasi you know all locally made phones comes in dual sim, and for my experience at most you dont use both ehh, but it does work if you make the other sim ur internet powered sim.. #justsaying

    ReplyDelete
  13. for 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...

    ReplyDelete
  14. I would have bought both phones however im just not at ease with the "non replaceable" battery thing :D

    ReplyDelete
  15. Correction on the specs just got my CM Razor it can handle HSPA+
    its 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that is correct. Same chipset on both phones. Will correct the post. Thanks.

      Delete
  16. 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. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Razor is just a single micro sim only Cant decide which one to buy... the CM RAZOR or CM Apollo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm add it on the Razor has scratch resistant glass and a slim case. The Apollo has the advantage of a 720p display, 1080p video capture and a replaceable battery. Hard choice, but I would probably go with the Apollo.

      Delete
  18. cherry 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

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