The midrange smartphone segment used to be dominated by Chinese smartphone manufacturers. However, that’s about to change as our very own Cherry Mobile is joining the game.
Just recently, the company came up with the Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus, a new device from the local brand that aims to take on the big names in the midrange category.
This move from Cherry Mobile is timely as a recent report suggests that midrange smartphones are slowly climbing the ladder in the Philippines — a market that was used to be led by low-end smartphones.
Currently, this territory is dominated by numerous smartphones from OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, Samsung, and Huawei. So, how does a locally-branded smartphone stack up against these Chinese tech giants?
Today, we’ll be comparing the Flare S7 Plus with the Huawei Nova 3i, a crowd-favorite from the Huawei camp. In our Nova 3i review, we immediately liked the device’s design, cameras, capable processor, and impressive battery life.
With that, it goes without saying that the Flare S7 Plus is going to face a tough competition. Can it hold up? Is Cherry Mobile’s latest attempt to enter a saturated price market be successful? We’ll see about that in our Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus versus Huawei Nova 3i specifications and features comparison.
| Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus | Huawei Nova 3i | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo | Android 8.1 Oreo EMUI 8.2 |
| SIM | Dual SIM Dual Standby Hybrid | Dual SIM Dual Standby Hybrid |
| Display | 6.18-inch FHD+ IPS 2246 x 1080 pixel resolution ~403ppi 19:9 aspect ratio Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | 6.3-inch FHD+ IPS 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution ~409ppi 19:9 aspect ratio |
| Processor | 2.0GHz MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core | 2.2GHz HiSilicon Kirin 710 octa-core |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP3 | Mali-G51 GPU Turbo Technology |
| Storage | 64GB expandable via microSD up to 256GB | 128GB expandable via microSD up to 256GB |
| Front camera | 16-megapixel | 24-megapixel + 2-megapixel f/2.0 AR Lens/ 3D Qmoji |
| Rear Camera | 16-megapixel + 5-megapixel BSI LED flash AI scene detection FlareMoji | 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel f/2.2 PDAF AI scene detection LED flash |
| Security | Fingerprint scanner Infrared Face Unlock | Fingerprint scanner Face Unlock |
| Connectivity | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.2 GPS, A-GPS FM Radio USB Type-C | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth 4.2 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS FM Radio microUSB |
| Dimensions | 155 x 75.5 x 7.85 mm | 157.6 x 75.2 x 7.6mm |
| Weight | 200g | 169g |
| Colors | Black | Iris Purple Pearl White Black |
| Battery | 3,050mAh battery non-removable Wireless charging | 3,340mAh non-removable |
| Price | Php11,999 | Php15,990 |
Despite the substantial price gap, the Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus was still able to keep up with the more expensive Huawei Nova 3i. In fact, it has some missing features that we were able to find in the more affordable option.
One of the biggest leads of the Flare S7 over the Nova 3i is the wireless charging support. This is actually an impressive feat for Cherry Mobile as not a lot of devices today, even the high-end ones, have this feature.
Related: Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus vs Vivo V11i: Specs Comparison
Cherry Mobile’s offering is also protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 3, while the Huawei used a slightly inferior glass on their device.
But performance-wise, both these devices have equally reliable processors. The Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus sports a MediaTek Helio P60 chipset, while the Huawei Nova 3i used their own Kirin 710 processor.
The Flare S7 Plus does come with a more powerful Mali-G72 MP3 GPU. However, the slightly underpowered Mali-G51 graphics on the Nova 3i gets an extra boost thanks to Huawei’s GPU Turbo technology.
And since the Huawei Nova 3i is still the more premium option, some of the items in its spec sheet offers better numbers than the Flare S7 Plus.
For one, it comes with 128GB of expandable storage, while the Flare S7 Plus settles for 64GB. Also, despite the lack of wireless charging, its 3,340mAh battery is still marginally bigger than the 3,050mAh battery of the Flare S7 Plus.
Probably one of the biggest pros of the Nova 3i over the Flare S7 Plus is the cameras. This handset comes with a 24-megapixel + 2-megapixel front cameras, and a 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel rear cameras. The entire camera system is backed with powerful AI-enabled features, plus tons of novelties like face filters, AR lens, and more.
But to give Cherry Mobile some credit, the Flare S7 Plus is actually their first smartphone to have AI scene detection. The company also launched FlareMoji on this device, which will go against the 3D Qmoji of the Nova 3i.
So, to finally sum it up, the Huawei Nova 3i’s good cameras, larger storage capacity, and the really appealing design make it a compelling device for Php15,990.
But if you want something that has a similar performance, screen size, wireless charging capability, and a more affordable price tag, going with the Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus and its Php11,990 is the obvious option for you.
As a bonus, if you pre-order the Flare S7 Plus until October 11, you can get a free wireless charger that goes really well with it.