Mobile

Globe CloudFone vs. Smart Netphone

Name: Globe CloudFone vs. Smart Netphone
Brand: Globe
Rating: 4.2 (1 reviews)

Abe Olandres September 22, 2011 · 2 min read

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A lot of people that heard about Globe’s Cloudfone had the impression that it was developed to compete with Smart Netphone. Well, I think that’s as believable as the idea that Globe got the Samsung Galaxy S2 to compete with the Smart Netphone 701.

Ok, let’s pretend for a moment that the Cloudfone Ice was a direct competitor to the Smart Netphone 701. Globe’s ad somehow gives us a hint in that direction (the strategic naming of the phone is also a giveaway).

Let’s look at the hardware specs and see which handset is better (funny how Huawei and ZTE are always the brand behind all these).

Except for the screen and RAM, the two handsets are like cousins (much like what the Samsung Ace is to the Galaxy SL).

The biggest difference is in the price point. The Smart Netphone 701 is twice the price of the Cloudfone Ice. The two handsets belong to different price categories. In hindsight, people would look at the price first and say the Cloudfone Ice gets you the better bang for your buck. We Filipnos are very price-sensitive.

At that price range, the Cloudfone Ice competes with the likes of Alcatel and Cherry Mobile Android phones while the Smart Netphone competes with Android handsets from LG, Sony Ericsson and Samsung.

If we look at the postpaid offering, I am more inclined to compare Smart Netphone’s Plan 999 to Globe’s SE Walkman W8 with My Super Plan Unli Surf Combo 999.

The differentiator — SmartNet. Both handsets run on the Android platform but the Netphone adds a social ecosystem on top of that.

Comparing the Smart Netphone to Globe Cloudfone is like comparing a BlackBerry Curve 3G on BIS to a Nokia C3 on SuperSurf. They’re different and the deciding factor will still depend on one’s needs and budget.

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globe cloudfone smart netphone

Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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130 Comments

UP Smart Grad · 14 years ago

the differentiation is so dumbly lame.

You don’t really need smartnet if you can download better app suites(such as nimbuzz)

It’s just stupid bloatware.

For comparison, take na’s link.

so second guessing.

it’s the chipset(snapdragon vs not)and gpu (adreno vs not adreno) that takes the netphone higher, hence the higher price.

same with computers. higher GPU = Higher Price
anyways they are still computers , only on another OS.

got it?

tink · 13 years ago

i don’t think UP Grad in general talks the way you talk. Do they?

u don’t have to include “stupid” “lame” words as commentary, just to sound smart. LOL

na · 14 years ago

Conpare nyo na lang sila at kayo na ang mag judge.

http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=3451&idPhone2=3391

mina · 15 years ago

miss my cloudfone. Lost it in Milan 3 weeks aog… huhuhu. given the price, the features are great as far as I’m concerned. I like the solid feel.

anne · 15 years ago

i’m using cloudfone, so far it good except for being slow and the camera is not that good,, but for android applications i can say that the price is sulit..

Mickey · 15 years ago

May Smart Netphone ako and so far, okay pa rin siya sa akin. Gusto ko makita yung Cloudfone sa totoong buhay para ma-compare ko talaga siya sa Netphone ko. :)

Terter · 15 years ago

Alin ba tlga mas better phone dito Ung cloudfone Ice or smart netphone

JE · 15 years ago

I’ve been to Globe Trinoma and SM North, out of stock ang cloudfone. Sa Smart naman out of stock din Netphoe. Wanted to buy Cloudfone kaso wala naman mabilhan.

chu · 15 years ago

kung netphone hanp mo. pnta sa sa main office ng smart sa makati. meron cla

JE · 15 years ago

Yung Cloudphone talaga sana kasi mas mura siya, pang pprepaid ko lng sana.

sugunoy · 15 years ago

android 2.2 is way better. does cloudfone support multitouch?

Meekoy · 15 years ago

I agree with sugunoy. Android 2.2 has a significant advantage over Android 2.1.
Android 2.2 is almost 4.5-times faster!

http://gizmodo.com/5536751/android-22-vs-android-21-froyo-is-450-faster

Jas · 15 years ago

Another plus factor for Netphone is its free GPS. No need to connect to internet. Dunno yet if cloudfone also offers free GPS.

cowscrubber · 15 years ago

umm…do you not know that GPS is always free?

It’s just that you usually need internet to make practical use of it. Google Maps, for example, requires internet (although now there’s an offline feature).

cowscrubber · 15 years ago

umm…do you not know that GPS itself is always free?

It’s just that you usually need internet to make practical use of it. Google Maps, for example, requires internet (although now there’s an offline feature).

UP Smart Grad · 14 years ago

well that’s just stupid.
There are apps that harness the GPS Signal and display your location. (GPS ESSENTIALS, SYGIC, GPS STATUS)
the base maps used to display where you are (such as Google Map) requires data connection (through your GPRS or Wi -fi, charging FOR BOTH NETWORKS if the former is used.)

qwertio · 15 years ago

@Momo- sure? I just got plan 299 + Cloudphone ice (+1426), and i already payed it.

Momo · 15 years ago

i just called globe and they said cloudphone ice is down to 3500k

p_droid · 15 years ago

Got a Globe Cloudfone Ice at postpaid plan 499 and bought a Smart Netphone prepiad at P9,900. Will try it out and post my thoughts……

Name: · 15 years ago

cloudfone is just something that globe came up to show that they can come up with something against the netphone.

unfortunately this is a very poor attempt to match up.

First of all the Cloudfone is simply a cheap android phone rebranded to globe’s name. I know your targetting suckers but Come On…

Secondly, most people that got the netphone are complaining about the battery life and yet again give them a lower one… *.*

I know that both telcos are just trying to introduce the filipino masses to android smartphones but giving them crappy phones like this will only introduce trauma to them making them not even want to try to buy a smartphone next time.

Dennis · 15 years ago

^^^ when did you by the cloudfone at saang globe store? Wala kasi akong makita eh.. Thanks

Dennis · 15 years ago

^^ when did you by the cloudfone at saang globe store? Wala kasi akong makita eh.. Thanks

Christian · 15 years ago

I was able to avail of the Cloudfone ICE/Huawei u8500 phone from a globe plan. Since many of you are comparing and everything, it would also be good to give you guys my opinion/review about the phone.
This was actually my first time to use an android phone, since I was more in touch with iOS/ipod touch/ipad, no pun intended.

At first, I regretted even buying an android phone, worse yet, a China-branded android phone. I was actually comparing with other units included in the plan. All the phones provided were pretty basic, and I wanted something new. I chose this phone over a Nokia C2-02 and Corby 2(which was more expensive in the globe plan).

Now for my opinion of the phone: First of all, And the OS version included when I first used it out of the box is 2.2.2. So you might want to correct that yuga if you are talking about Globe’s Cloudfone. I read it’s upgradable to 2.3 but it doesn’t work well for this phone. For its VERY cheap price, It is actually quite decent compared to using a Nokia phone, or even a basic touch screen phone considering it is an Android. All the essential stuff (messaging, calling, web browsing, google maps and etc.) can be done with out much lag. I didn’t bother playing the heavy-hardware req. games because that’s not my intention of using the phone. The screen display looks acceptable also, not pixelated at all comparing to Corby 2. Durability of the phone has yet to be explored. Its back casing is plastic but its side/lateral casing is made of metal I think.

The downside I would note is its 256 MB RAM. It could be a bit faster if it were double. Other downsides would be its not-so-good camera, but considering 3.15MP for a 5k android phone? You tell me. And last 2 points would be its battery, I tried looking for a spare and so far no battery model would fit its terminal. The plastic screen easily gets smudged with fingerprints too.

Overall, a cheap basic android phone that is decent to use. In the end, I was happy with my decision.

P.S. This phone opened me to the power of Android. Screw iOS! haha

blogtroller · 15 years ago

tama lang na x2 ang price ng smart netphone kesa globe cloudfone. mahal kaya ang bayad sa azkals, sam pinto, tv ads, etc. e wala namang endorser ang cloudfone.

dennis · 15 years ago

bakit wala na ung coudfone sa site ng globe? available pa ba to?

yumax · 15 years ago

I don’t agree using Ace and SL here. Both Samsung phones are not cousins in terms of specs. Processor, RAM, LCD….too many differences. Otherwise, this brief dog fight is good enough summary to compare our carriers’ own branded Android phones. Hopefully this is just the start, next time better specs na!

yamaman · 15 years ago

Definitely poor knowledge on the writer. The Galaxy Ace and Galaxy SL aren’t in any way comparable.

yumax · 15 years ago

I don’t agree using Ace and SL here. Both Samsung phones are not cousins in terms of specs. Processor, RAM, LCD….too many differences. Otherwise, this breef dog fight is good enough summary to compare our carriers’ own branded Android phones. Hopefully this is just the start, next time better specs na!

silverlokk · 15 years ago

One other feature that I wish Yuga included was the presence of a front-facing camera, for videocon. If I’m not mistaken, the Cloudphone has only the rear camera.

p_droid · 15 years ago

It appears that both of them don’t have a front facing camera

googlerX · 15 years ago

bumili ka na lng ng iba kesa jan papanget mahal pa

jonaflormicfren · 15 years ago

To spend wisely is to choose wisely, and that is what I want..

PJ · 15 years ago

will either phone work outside the Philippines? the netphone is dependent on smartnet.

lawrence · 15 years ago

What the F? U can get the XPERIA MINI of SE with 1Ghz CPU, 5 MP and HD video recording for 9200PHP! The netphone doesnt make sense anymore, considering it come from an inferior OEM.

Anyway I hope Yuga can make a review of XPERIA MINI, definitely the best bang-for-buck and only smartphone that offers full flashsupport and HD under the 10k price point :)

Noir · 15 years ago

That is what I’ve been saying as well. The 2nd bang for buck would be the Optimus NET.All other phones in this price range are just money grabbers.

Although it woundnt hurt if you can post where did you find a 9200 PHP Mini? The lowest I saw was 9850 PHP

jacob · 15 years ago

where did you find a xperia mini in such low price? thanks :)

Kyle · 15 years ago

@ Lawrence

Where’d you find the Xperia Mini at such a low price? I can live with the HVGA display. The QSD 8255 on the Xperia Mini is absolutely delicious for that price.

lawrence · 15 years ago

sa SM Malls po, particulary SM San Lazaro and SM Manila.

Pero I’ve seen this http://www.cmkcellphones.com/sonyericsson.html

still under 10k. HVGA screen is the minimum resolution for most of the android apps to work, so no issues here. Plus the HD capable camera and 1ghz for adobe flash support close the deal.

if u already have a wifi at home or does not rely on plans, better check out other phones. ok din ung LG Optimus net and pro, kasi 800Mhz lang ang cpu so no flash support.

If you’re for the data plans siguro, pwede na rin to, pero parang di parin. HAHA

Noir · 15 years ago

Hmmm I already checked cmk That’s where I got the 9850 PHP price.

Hope you can remember the actual store name :D

fufu · 15 years ago

saw a mini sa sm north edsa 9500, introductory offer ata nila kasi new release daw. forgot the shop eh, pero 3 shops ang nakita ko. the rest 9.6 to 9.9K ang price. still mura for the specs.

Val · 15 years ago

I guess Globe is just trying to divert some of the attention that the Smart Netphone is getting in the past few weeks since launching.

Roch · 15 years ago

agree :)

Jas · 15 years ago

Agree din. :)

nameless · 15 years ago

This “smartnet” is too overrated. I would not spend for a ZTE android phone with a price of SE or Samsung just because of this “smartnet”. Hell yeah. Smart will just find a way here to consume more customers’ money.

Kyle · 15 years ago

The comparison is a bit misleading. They are both ARM11-based SOCs. However, the MSM 7225 on the CloudFone was launched two years prior of the MSM 7227 on the NetPhone. The MSM 7225 doesn’t feature a floating point unit (FPU) and an L2 cache, which offer comparatively lower performance than the MSM 7227 on the NetPhone. However, a WVGA screen, twice the RAM, and a slightly faster processor doesn’t justify the doubling of the price for most people. If it at least packed a 2nd-gen Snapdragon or OMAP 3630 in addition to the RAM and screen, it would’ve been reasonable.

Simply put, it would be better to compare the CloudFone with the Huawei Ideos U8150. The U8150’s prepaid price is higher than the CloudFone (north of 6K vs 5K for the CloudFone). Postpaid, they’re basically equal unless you’re Sun Cellular which offers the U8150 at Plan 350. However, the CloudFone’s HVGA screen makes the U8150’s QVGA screen look like garbage.

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 15 years ago

@kyle – sorry for the over-simplification of the specs. there are more minor differences that I did not include in the table (like the chipset, dimensions, weight, DPI, internal storage, ports).

Biggs · 15 years ago

Papi, sigurado ka na Qualcomm MSM7225 lang ang Cloudphone Ice? Kase 528 MHz lang ang CPU para sa chipset na ito kagaya ng sa Huawei Ideos U8150.

Kyle · 15 years ago

@ Biggs

Yeah. Practically every site that lists the U8500’s SOC says MSM 7225.

Mr. Yuga’s comparison with the CPU should be more or less accurate though, as the performance increase by the MSM 7227 over the 7225 isn’t marginal. It would be disheartening to know if you’re paying twice as much for the NetPhone for the following improvements: slightly larger screen, WVGA screen and twice the RAM. The MSM 7227 should be able to add an additional value proposition to the NetPhone, as I am displeased at Smart for overpricing it this much. Barring any economic factors such as purchasing power parity, Smart should be able to price it well under $200 or 8,500 Php and below. I hope they realize the implications of having an outdated ARM11 SOC paired with Froyo or Gingerbread and its impact on overall user experience. Froyo and Gingerbread weren’t initially optimized to run on ARMv6 code.

garz · 15 years ago

Man, you’re too technical…

Mark · 15 years ago

Ang galing ng analysis mo sir, Pero kung businessman ka maintindihan mo kung bakit ganyan ang presyo.

Angry Birdie · 15 years ago

I think yugatech should change the speed of cloudfone to 528MHz.

actually my brother has an android phone similar to the specs of the cloudfone and I own a netphone, ill try to test both phones to really prove if there is only minimal difference in terms of the processors performance

Eason · 15 years ago

Kyle, compare Smart’s Netphone to Globe’s Cloudphone in terms of marketing then you have you answer to the issue of “Overpricing”

Biggs · 15 years ago

Paps, 1250 mAH ang baterya na Netphone. Paki wasto na lang.

kmart · 15 years ago

I’m eyeing Netphone because of SmartNet. Ha! Pero I’m gonna wait for more later versions (heard Smart’s coming up with some soon), so I might buy myself one this December at the latest.

Noir · 15 years ago

Smart Netphone is a dud when compared to either a LG Optimus NET or a Sony Xperia Mini which are both 10K in price.

Both of those phones are better than the Smart for the same price

Jay · 15 years ago

Specs-wise, yes. But you’re missing out SmartNet, which only Smart Netphone has.

Noir · 15 years ago

I dont think the Smart Net is a justifiable means of pricing it the same as the latest offerings from either LG or Sony…

Name: IC DeaDPiPoL · 15 years ago

still looking at that free SmartNet access*

……until December 31 2011

cowscrubber · 15 years ago

That’s because Smart overpriced the Netphone.

In Europe, it goes as low as 4100 pesos (60 pounds).

That’s insanely cheap for a phone with the Netphone’s specs.

suplado · 15 years ago

For me cloudfone is usefull if you have a non 3g ipad or just a wifi tablets, Because it can be use as a mobile router..

-Sent via YugaTech Mobile App

SarapMoBaby · 15 years ago

I went to Globe Business Center in Trinoma Mall, out of stock bigla ang Cloudfone ice ng Globe. Baka daw this week may darating pero pa ilan ilan lng daw. Then, I tried looking up the globe website, the Cloudfone ice was no longer there. But this afternoon when I tried looking, it was still there. Hala!! what happend kaya? It used to be in between the SE walkman phone and BB curve 8520. Ano yun they took it out? kasi marami gusto mag avail or nagkamali sila ng pricing?

Gumz · 15 years ago

almost identical feature… go for the cheapest…

Angry Birdie · 15 years ago

personally compare the two units, netphone has an edge over cloudfone, netphone’s screen is AMOLED and has 267 ppi pixel density while cloudfone only has 180 ppi pixel density mas sharp image sa netphone and mas malaki din screen, also ang chubby nung cloudfone…

try niyo din maglaro ng angry birds (or any other games sa market) sa dalawang unit na yan mas snappy sa netphone :)

also you forgot about SmartNet of Netphone, unlike of cloudfone na ordinary android phone lang

p_droid · 15 years ago

It appears that CloudFone has the m.globe.com.ph portal that displays account balances similar to the smartnet. also, it has Squish which consolidates social media. Netphone has its own IM though, which is great. my problem right now is, i cant chat with anyone, dont know which of my friends are on netphone.