Cherry Mobile Omega HD 2.0 vs. MyPhone A919i Duo vs. Starmobile Diamond V3 and Phablets by Local Brands

The Big 3 Quad Core Budget Phablet Comparison: Cherry Mobile, Starmobile, and MyPhone
by Mon Arguelles, TP Correspondent

Hi TP friends and all our student readers! Although a bit late, I wish to welcome the new school year with you. I believe this is a good opportunity to establish new acquaintances and reunite with old friends. Of course school requirements are expected and I bet you are all looking forward to doing your reports, tests, and group works! And because of these demands, we all know that the mobile phone is an indispensible device for communication.

As of the moment, you may be thinking of replacing your basic phone with a phablet. For those who aren’t familiar, a phablet is a term coined by geeks which refers to a smartphone with a diagonal screen dimension of 5-6”. It was called as such because the screen size is larger than a traditional smartphone, but smaller than a 7-inch tablet. This once niche device was popularized by Samsung with its Galaxy Note. Today, this product category has become a mainstream consumer product because they have realized the benefits of a smartphone with a big screen.

For students, a phablet is great to have because of:

• Versatility: You have a mobile phone, tablet, voice recorder, and camera all rolled into one device
• Portability: unlike tablets, it can still fit in the pocket or placed in purses or small bags
• Viewing: Pictures, videos, and ebooks are just more enjoyable on a big portable screen
• Gaming: Your view is less obstructed by your fingers when playing games
• Documents: It is easier to create, edit files on a phablet. You may not need to bring a laptop. Just edit and email your document on-the-go. (Especially useful for cramming)
• Social media: Get instant updates on Twitter or Facebook for the announcement of cancelation of classes. (Yey!)

Well, TP friends, if you are in the hunt for a new phablet, you are in luck! What a great time to survey the market because mobile companies have been releasing so many products. With affordable offerings from international brands such as Samsung, O+, and Lenovo, we expect to see phablets with midrange specs and price tags of 12-20k. But local brands are more aggressive in introducing midrange phablets at entry-level prices. And I believe the local brands could easily capture this market because their pricing scheme of below 10k are well-suited for students who have budgetary constraints.

So in the spirit of promoting our own local brands, and to help potential buyers decide what phablet to buy without spending too much, we are presenting a tech spec comparison of the local phablets which falls within the following criteria:

• Price: Below Php 10,000
• Specs: Quad-Core

Do keep in mind that we are comparing the phablets based on key technical specifications alone. Design and brand reputation, and after-sales service are not included.

Click table for higher resolution view

Mark of TP: Note that Mon merely included Pinoy phablets that are already available in the market as of writing. I'll be convincing Mon to create another specs comparison table including Starmobile Knight and Starmobile Diamond V7 as well as other upcoming phablets by local electronics companies as soon as they hit store shelves nationwide.

Looking at the tabular comparison, a clear phablet choice will not be easy. All of these devices have their own strengths and points for improvement. It might seem that Cherry Mobile Thunder 2.0 wins easily on the basis of price. However, one glaring flaw of its spec sheet is the measly 512 MB RAM. Considering this limitation, I believe this phablet might not be capable of running graphic-intensive games smoothly. The Starmobile Diamond V3 has a low quality screen, but has an impressive rear camera (dual LED) and lots of bundled freebies. The A919i Duo and Omega HD 2.0 have the best screen resolution.

Personally, based on specs alone I will consider the Cherry Mobile Blaze 2.0 because of 2 things: it has a big HD screen and the 2,500maH battery pack. I hope this comparative table helps. Do you have your own preference? Tell us what you think.

Mon Arguelles is a long-time TechPinas reader and an enthusiastic contributor. He is currently involved in development work for the government and social entrepreneurship projects.