Cherry Mobile Flare X with 3GB RAM Price is Php 6,999 : Complete Specs, Unboxing, Antutu Benchmark Score, In the Flesh Photos

In terms of technical specifications and value for money, Cherry Mobile Flare X is quite simply the best midrange handset the country's current top smartphone seller has released to date.

Priced at only Php 6,999, the budget-friendly CM Flare X is powered by a 64-bit Octa Core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex A53 CPU and Mali-T760 GPU based MediaTek MT6752 chipset, has 3 GB of RAM for seamless multitasking and comes with 16 GB of expandable storage -- the combination of which makes it the most powerful device in its price bracket right now.

For that amount, you get this complete retail package; Let me show you how the box looks and let's take a peek at all the accessories that ship with the smartphone.

The box has a black outer sleeve with an X cut-out in front revealing a patch of green from the printed image of the handset inside.  

At the bottom, Cherry Mobile printed a list of the Flare X's key technical specifications. It could have been more meticulous but at least, it's enough to give a geeky buyer an idea of how powerful the device is with one glance.

Pulling the inner box out, we are greeted by a photo of the phone's face.

Lifting the cover reveals the Cherry Mobile Flare X in its carton cradle.

The accessories are neatly lined in individual compartments.

Here's the complete package.

To protect the glass touchscreen during shipment, it comes covered with this sticker that shows the phone's main selling points in a grid.

The microUSB to USB port for connection the handset to a computer and also for charging it.

The standard headphones with noise-cancelling in-ear silicone buds and microphone for making calls.

The travel charger with 1,000 mA output

CM Flare X User Manual

The obviously removable 3,000 mAh Li-Ion battery pack

Cherry Mobile Flare X has Dual microSIM card slots -- both of which support Category 4 LTE connectivity albeit not simultaneously. This means that you'd have to pick which SIM card you prefer to use for mobile surfing via Settings.

"As a leader in the local tech industry, Cherry Mobile feels that its is our duty to produce world-class, yet affordable, mobile devices for everyone. In fact, we want to continue to break the standard by offering the best all-in-one device at competitive price points," said Mr. Lonson Alejandrino, Product Manager for Cherry Mobile, during Flare X's launch held at the Crowne Plaza in Ortigas, Pasig City last June 19, 2015.

Here's how one of the products of that lofty vision looks in the flesh.

Cherry Mobile Flare X sports a massive and brilliant 5.5-inch Full HD IPS OGS display that's protected by scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3 with oleophobic coating. Above the display, you will find the phone's 5 MegaPixel front camera with BSI sensor.

The phone's power button and volume rocker are both located on the phone's right side for easy access using your thumb, if you're right-handed.

One of the highlights of this model - apart from its powerhouse internal specifications and stunning display - is its 13 MegaPixel camera with Sony IMX214 Exmor RS sensor and Dual LED flash that makes it one of the best cameraphones in CM's current line-up. This Sony sensor gives Flare X's camera great low light performance and boosts color accuracy in various shooting conditions.

Looks-wise, I'd say the Cherry Mobile Flare X is a cross between the first ever Flare phone from 2012 and the Asus ZenFone 2 released earlier this year. If those two handsets made love and had a kid, it would most likely look like this model. Just telling it like it is.

The 3.5 millimeter audio jack is located on top...

... and the microUSB port is the bottom.

The Flare X runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat right out of the box. During the phone's launch, Cherry Mobile gave word that they'll be releasing a Lollipop upgrade for the device sometime in the future; No exact date yet.

Android 4.4.4 KitKat on the Flare X is not vanilla. Cherry Mobile placed a skin on top of it that's not all that heavy but adds some neat customization like this multi-tasking panel that frankly looks like that of iOS. Check out the icon near the bottom that shows you how much of the total 3GB of RAM is still available; You may click on it to close all apps.

Another cool feature of the UI. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to change connectivity settings and to adjust display brightness.

There are many 5.5-inch Full HD phablets that are available in the market but what makes Cherry Mobile Flare X really special are its internal hardware, mainly its 64-bit Octa Core MT6752 SoC, 3 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of ROM. Again, this is a powerhouse combination.

The above-mentioned innards gave Cherry Mobile Flare an Antutu Benchmark Score of 39,729 when I ran the app on device just this afternoon. This is one of the highest marks you'll get from a smartphone in this price echelon. This also tells you that the Flare X delivers top-notch gaming performance; This handset can run any game - no matter how specs-intensive - crash-and-lag-free.

Me with the Cherry Mobile Flare X at the phone's media launch.

To quote Cherry Mobile, "Staying true to its mission of providing world-class value-for-money devices, Cherry Mobile tapped various locations around the country to identify the consumer’s most honest wants and needs – to aid in producing devices that meet such demands. The grassroots project resulted to the company being able to pin-point entertainment, imaging, gaming, and being social ready as they key factors being considered by its consumers, aside from the ultimate factor of affordability. These results have led to Cherry Mobile’s release of its newest device, the Cherry Mobile Flare X."

Of all line of smartphones and phablets from Cherry Mobile, 'Flare' is the most popular among consumers as it features handsets that cost almost 50% less than competing devices with largely the same technical specifications. That's what Mr. Lonson Alejandrino pointed out when he presented this  SRP and specs comparison table during the event.

All-in-One powerhouse Cherry Mobile Flare X will be available at all CM Concept Stores, kiosks, and authorized retail partners across the archipelago come first week of July 2015. Again, you can get it for only Php 6,999 (which puts it in direct competition with Lenovo A7000 and Alcatel Flash Plus) and it's out in two colors, namely, Black and White. I highly recommend this model, TP Friends. It's really good.