There are only 500 units produced, and we were able to get our hands on it. This is the Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Premium, the company’s current crown jewel.
Cherry Mobile didn’t mention anything about a limited edition Flare S6 variant when the line was announced back in October. We did get the special Red color option later, but the new Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Premium is nothing quite like it.
First off, the unboxing experience. Unlike the Flare S6 Selfie (review here), the Flare S6 Premium comes in a more tasteful looking box. For starters, the device comes in a much wider packaging, with a slightly more elegant artwork.
Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Premium Specs
- Android 7.1 Nougat
- Dual SIM, Dual Standby
- 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution
- MediaTek Helio x27 2.3GHz deca-core processor
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB internal storage
- WiFi, WiFi hotspot
- 13-megapixel dual rear Sony cameras (RGB + monochrome)
- 13-megapixel front camera
- Fingerprint scanner
- 4G, LTE
- Bluetooth
- GPS, A-GPS
- USB Type-C
- 3680mAh battery with MediaTek Pump charge 2.0
The right side has a tiny ribbon that lets you slide out the actual contents. Pulling it out reveals the Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Premium on top. Digging in further reveals all the included accessories laid out in a symmetrical manner.
There’s a packet that houses the SIM ejector tool, quick start guide, and a leaflet that details Cherry OS’s features.
On the right side, we see a pair of in-ear headphones, a black wall adapter, and a red USB Type-C cable. Cherry Mobile is also throwing in a micro USB to Type-C adapter so you can use your existing cables in case you still have some around.
And other than the matching cable, it also comes with a stylish plastic case with a leather-like accent at the back to further justify its “Premium” status.
The Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Premium has a 5.5-inch Full HD display — a screen size that sits on the perfect sweet spot of not being too large, but not too small either. But for someone like me who reviews smartphones for a living, I easily got really comfortable with the handsets that have a tall and slim 18:9 aspect ratio profile.
With that said, going back to a 16:9 smartphone feels a bit uncanny. The device feels huge in the hands. The top and bottom bezels are really thick, while the sides, despite being slim, are a bit stout by today’s standards.
In addition, the Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Premium also has some noticeable weight to it — but that’s for a good and acceptable reason. For one, the handset has an all-metal, unibody design and a chunky 3,620mAh battery inside. I’ve been really impressed with the battery longevity, and I find it a good fit when going out on longer days.
Cherry Mobile used the new MediaTek Helio X27 chipset to take care of the processing side of things. It has a 2.3GHz with six cores, assisted by 4GB of RAM, and Mali-T880 GPU.
The processor’s performance during my first few minutes was a bit underwhelming. I installed basic apps like Facebook and Instagram, and for some reason, the interface feels really laggy. I’m not sure if the entire system is still warming up, but it’s still worth noting. However, after a while, I find it speedy enough to do most tasks.
See also: Cherry Mobile Desire R8 Review
To reinstate, the front of the device is tinted in black, while the back is painted in red. The Flare S6 Premium looks really elegant, however, the paint job is nothing against the likes of the OPPO F5 6GB which is also tinted in red. But I guess it’s not an apple to apple comparison, considering that the red edition OPPO F5 retails for a whopping Php21,990 and the S6 Premium has a better overall metal build quality.
And speaking of prices, we have some bad news for you. Since it’s limited to 500 units only, it seems like you won’t be seeing the Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Premium in all of the company’s stores and kiosks nationwide. As it turns out, Cherry Mobile is only offering it to their partners and endorsers, which means that the average consumer won’t be able to get their hands on it.
During our short time with it, the Flare S6 Premium showed that it’s a really good smartphone on its own. Hopefully, Cherry Mobile would change their minds and produce more units for the general public.