The Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus is yet to be made available to the public, but it’s now facing another competitor. Yesterday, Xiaomi Philippines announced the arrival of the Redmi Note 6 Pro here in the Philippines.
Just like most of their releases, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro will try to bring the most value you can get for the money. It sports some of the most current features that you can get for a proper 2018 smartphone, with a cheaper price tag when compared to those in the midrange market.
However, providing a justifiable price tag is also the mission of the new Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus. This handset is easily the most interesting smartphone that the local company has come up with in the last couple of years.
So the question is, which between these two devices do a better job of being a bang-for-the-buck product? We’ll see about that in our Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus versus Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro specifications and features comparison.
| Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus | Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo | Android 8.1 Oreo MIUI 9 |
| 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 | 6.26-inch FHD+ IPS 2280 x 1080 pixel resolution ~403ppi 19:9 aspect ratio Corning Gorilla Glass (unnamed version) |
| Processor | 2.0GHz MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core | 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core |
| RAM | 4GB | 3GB/4GB/6GB |
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP3 | Adreno 509 |
| Storage | 64GB expandable via microSD up to 256GB | 32GB/64GB expandable via microSD up to 256GB |
| Front camera | 16-megapixel | 20-megapixel + 2-megapixel |
| Rear Camera | 16-megapixel + 5-megapixel BSI LED flash AI scene detection FlareMoji | 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel Dual-pixel 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 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, A-GPS, Beidou FM Radio Infrared Blaster microUSB 2.0 |
| Dimensions | 155 x 75.5 x 7.85 mm | 157.9 x 76.4 x 8.2mm |
| Weight | 200g | - |
| Colors | Black | Blue Black Red Rose Gold |
| Battery | 3,050mAh battery non-removable Wireless charging | 4,000mAh battery non-removable |
| Price | Php11,999 | 3GB/32GB: Php10,999 4GB/64GB: Php12,990 |
The Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro had a really close fight. But ultimately, I think Xiaomi’s bet takes the win on this one.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Flare S7 Plus is a complete loser. For one, it’s being powered by a MediaTek Helio P60 processor, which has a performance that’s on par (or even better) with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset of the Redmi Note 6 Pro.
Both phones also have an identical screen resolution, RAM, storage, and software version.
The Flare S7 Plus even has wireless charging capability, something that the Redmi Note 6 Pro, and even the other devices in this category lacks. Alternatively, you can charge it via its USB Type-C port, which is more futureproof than the microUSB 2.0 implementation of the Note 6 Pro.
But then again, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro was still able to overtake the competition in some key areas of this comparison. One of its most obvious wins is in the camera department. Its 20-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual front camera is evidently better than the 16-megapixel selfie shooter of the Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro’s rear cameras might have a lower-resolution sensor, but its Dual-pixel PDAF means that it can focus faster and more accurately than the Flare S7 Plus. But to Cherry Mobile’s credit, they were able to add a novelty called FlareMoji on their offering.
It may come with the old microUSB port, but its other wireless standards are more dated than the Flare S7 Plus. It comes with WiFi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, and even has an Infrared Blaster in case you want to control your TV or other compatible appliances using your smartphone.
Lastly, having a larger 4,000mAh battery might be more appealing than having a wireless charging capability. After all, the 1,000mAh difference is really hard to ignore.
In conclusion, the Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Plus is an appealing device for its price of Php11,999. But if you can stretch your budget just a tiny bit, the extra money you’d be paying for the similarly-configured Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro for Php12,990 is the way to go.