Cherry Mobile Flare 3 unboxed, first impressions

Cherry Mobile has introduced the Flare 3 yesterday during their event. We were lucky enough to get ourselves a brand new unit so we immediately unboxed it and here are our first impressions on the device while we prep up the full review.

The Cherry Mobile Flare 3 is a 5-inch phablet that utilizes a plastic build all around. Because of this, you’ll immediately notice that the device is light when you pick it up to hold it. On the face of the handset we have the scratch-resistant IPS display with One-Glass Solution (OGS) technology that helps in making the elements in the screen pop out more.

On the bottom are the Options, Home, and Back capacitive buttons; while right under them are the microUSB port and microphone.

The only buttons you’ll find in the Flare 3 are the Power/Lock Screen button and volume rocker which are both nestled at the upper part of the right side. During our brief time exploring the device, it was easy locking and unlocking the phone even while using one hand.

Up top, the 3.5mm audio jack sits alone. The device inherits the rounded corners commonly seen in CM handsets which is okay as it goes easy on the hands and somehow aids in handling. Also seen below is the 3MP front facing camera next to the speaker for calls.

The entire back plastic cover has a glossy finish. Here, the 8MP rear camera is positioned right in the middle of the device with a single LED flash under it. As seen on the first image, the camera is protruding making it lie against the surface when it rests flat on its back.

The device and company’s name are also printed on the cover. Finally, we have the speaker grille that is lodged at the lower left of the back panel.

The Flare 3 carries a similar form factor as CM’s other devices, but button placements are different than the Flare 2.0. What we’re after here, though, are the above-average specs for its price that should help boost its overall performance. So far, how are you liking the hardware and specs combination of the Flare 3?

We will be discussing more of its performance in the following days. Stay tuned for our review.

Cherry Mobile Flare 3 specs:
5-inch qHD IPS OGS display, 220ppi
Scratch-Resistant screen
1.3GHz MTK 6582 quad-core CPU
Mali-400MP GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
up to 64GB via microSD
8 megapixel BSI rear camera w/ LED flash
3 megapixel front camera
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
HSPA+, 3G
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0
GPS, A-GPS
Android 4.4 KitKat
1,980mAh battery (removable)
Available in black, white, blue, silver, and red.
Php3,999USD 68INR 5,777EUR 65CNY 496 SRP