Cherry Mobile Cosmos X2 first impression

Cherry Mobile has finally sent us all 4 of their latest Cosmos series offerings, one of which is the 4.8-inch handset called the Cosmos X2. And while we’re still prepping for our final review, we thought of sharing some of our early insights about the new and exciting mid-range smartphone under the Cosmos lineup.

We’ll kick things off with the X2’s design, which to me is one of the stronger traits of this handset. Although I’m really not a fan of its glossy, all-plastic body, I have to admit that the X2 doesn’t come off as another cheapo, rebranded Android handset.

At a distance (and when viewed head on), the X2 looks deceivingly like the Nexus 4 with its rounded edges and all black front panel. However, this vague sense of similarity quickly dissipates once you flip the phone on its back, revealing its glossy, non-glassed posterior which offers little to no resistance to fingerprints and smudges.

Although the front panel is mainly occupied by the X2’s 4.8-inch S-AMOLED display, the maker was still able to make room for an earpiece and a 5MP front-facing camera at the top, as well as a pair of capacitive buttons (Menu and Back) and physical Home button at the bottom.

There’s a faintly protruding, pseudo-metallic rim on the sides which creates a slight separation between the front panel and back side. Along this section, you’ll come across a pair of ports for the audio jack (top) and Micro-USB (bottom).

The Cosmos X2’s priced component, its slightly bulging 18MP main camera, is placed at the top-center portion of its posterior with a couple of LED flashes just below it. Also found on this side of the fence, are a pair of tiny holes (near the camera and near the bottom) which I assume is for the microphones, as well as a fairly sizeable hole for the loudspeaker.

But the thing I liked the most about the X2’s design is the ergonomic placement of the buttons, particularly the power button and the volume rocker. These buttons are placed on each side of the phone and are comfortably within reach of my thumb (Power) and middle/index fingers (Volume) without having to shift the way I hold the X2.

Rounding up the list of some of Cosmos X2’s notable components are the Micro-SD card slots and two SIM card slots which are found underneath the plastic back cover. Albeit these slots aren’t tucked beneath the 2,200mAh power source, one still has to remove the battery pack in order to access it.

From the design standpoint, we have to say that the Cosmos X2 is one of the more decent looking handsets we’ve seen in recent times. We wouldn’t go as far as putting it among the leagues of the HTC One or Sony Xperia Z1, but it’s definitely not something that you would be ashamed to take out of your pocket.

So the Cherry Mobile Cosmos X2 has the looks. The question now is does it have the fire power to go along with its pretty face? Stay tuned for our full review in a week or so to find that out.

Note: The Cherry Mobile Cosmos X2 is now available in the country and retails for Php11,699USD 199INR 16,900EUR 190CNY 1,452.

Editor’s Note: You can also read our Cherry Mobile Cosmos Z review here.