In the past, phones with TV functionality was a hit for some of our fellow Pinoys. Star Mobile looks to bring that fad back with the Astra. Catch the full review after the break.
Star Mobile has been making its mark on the local scene with their affordable products. But not only do their products are inexpensive; it also has a pretty decent build and performance which makes it a choice for most budget-conscious consumers. From the looks of it, the Astra seems to be just that: affordable and feature-packed.
Design and Construction
At first sight, the phone actually looks like an HTC Desire/Sensation with its curved edges painted in metallic brown with a small silver accent on the earpiece part. So if you’re a fan of Sensation’s design, you’re most likely to dig the Astra too.
The phone has a pretty straightforward layout. It has the Power button at the top in between the micro-USB and audio port and a pair of volume rocker on the right side.
Over the back is where the 8MP camera is located along with a pair of LED lights for flash. Still on the back side, towards the bottom part of the handset is a vent for the speaker and phones retractable antenna for the TV functionality.
Lift its plastic back plate and you’ll be greeted with its 1500mAh battery, two SIM card slots and a micro-SD card slot.
Multimedia
As mentioned on our first impression, the Star Mobile Astra has a 4.3-inch IPS display with WVGA resolution. It should be enough to give users a pleasant viewing experience and wide viewing angle thanks to its IPS display.
The sound output was also pretty good. It’s a tad hissy for the most part, but still good enough to get your basic aural needs covered. Its loudspeaker is loud enough for the sound to be audible even when you’re 3-4 feet away from the phone.
There’s no denying that this phone’s main selling point is its Mobile TV app which lets user watch local channels using the handset. As mentioned on our first impression, the TV Tuner is only analog which explains the sub-standard quality, but it should be watchable especially if you have a good reception in your area.
Performance and Usability
Knowing your way around the phone’s settings and options will just be a breeze as the Star Mobile Astra makes use of a stock Android ICS. The same can be said for the default keyboard which also stock Android.
The keys are well-spaced and provides good feedback when pressed but it’s too laggy for my liking which makes it a little bit difficult (and irritating at times) to compose messages.
The phone doesn’t break any new grounds in terms of speed, but its dual-core processor should deliver a decent enough performance to handle your basic smartphone needs without breaking a sweat. I did, however, encounter a number of apps crashing, random restarts and lags that we didn’t experience with the recent dual-SIM, dual-core smartphones we’ve reviewed. In short, the performance was OK, but is a bit lagging when pitted against other smartphones of the same category.
We’ve also experienced a handful of dropped calls and reception-related issues while using the Astra. Of course, network coverage can factor in on the dropped calls, but since we’re using the handset on the same location and using the same network as the other units in the past, we’re inclined to think that it’s the phone that’s causing this.
Camera and Video
Having an 8MP camera w/ flash is a rare feature for dual-SIM handsets in the market. In fact, we only know two devices which are equipped with such snapper; the Star Mobile Astra and the MyPhone A919 Duo. But after taking a handful of pictures using the Astra, I have to say the slight bump in the megapixel count didn’t have a significant difference from those dual-SIM handsets with 5MP camera.
[fancygallery ID= “Astra”]
The videos recorded using the Astra are usable for the most part, but don’t expect stunning quality out of it. The highest quality that this handset can go is 720p, but you’d have to manually set it on the camera settings because the default is 640 x 480.
Battery
Having two SIM cards is too much to handle for the Astra’s 1500mAh battery pack as it struggles to even last a day with light-to-moderate usage which includes SNS running on the background with feeds set to every 5 minutes, an hour’s worth of browsing over cellular data, 15-20 SMS, 10-15 minutes of calls, and an hour’s worth of playing Fruit Ninja.
Note that we didn’t even touch the Mobile TV functionality on that test. When we did use it, the phone only lasted 5 hours which includes two documentaries (Reel Time and Reporter’s Notebook), SNS running on the background with feeds set to every 5 minutes, an hour’s worth of browsing over cellular data and an hour’s worth of gaming.
Conclusion
The Star Mobile Astra has a desirable design, decent camera and of course Mobile TV. However, you’d have to live with the fact that the battery isn’t at par with its competition and is a bit laggy at times. But after using it as my main handset for a little over two weeks, I have to say that you won’t be disappointed shelling out PhP6,990USD 119INR 10,098EUR 113CNY 867 for this smartphone.
StarMobile Astra specs:
4.3-inch IPS display @ 800×480 pixels, 240ppi
MediaTek MT6577 1.0GHz dual-core Cortex-A9
PowerVR SGX 531
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD (8GB included)
3G/HSPA, dual-SIM, dual standby
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.0
GPS w/ aGPS support
8MP rear camera w/ dual-LED flash
VGA front-facing camera
TV Tuner (analog)
Li-Ion 1500mAh battery
Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
Dimension: 130.5 x 66.5 x 10.9mm
Weight: 132g
What we liked about the StarMobile Astra:
What we did not like about it:
YugaTech.com is the largest and longest-running technology site in the Philippines. Originally established in October 2002, the site was transformed into a full-fledged technology platform in 2005.
How to transfer, withdraw money from PayPal to GCash
Prices of Starlink satellite in the Philippines
Install Google GBox to Huawei smartphones
Pag-IBIG MP2 online application
How to check PhilHealth contributions online
How to find your SIM card serial number
Globe, PLDT, Converge, Sky: Unli fiber internet plans compared
10 biggest games in the Google Play Store
LTO periodic medical exam for 10-year licenses
Netflix codes to unlock hidden TV shows, movies
Apple, Asus, Cherry Mobile, Huawei, LG, Nokia, Oppo, Samsung, Sony, Vivo, Xiaomi, Lenovo, Infinix Mobile, Pocophone, Honor, iPhone, OnePlus, Tecno, Realme, HTC, Gionee, Kata, IQ00, Redmi, Razer, CloudFone, Motorola, Panasonic, TCL, Wiko
Best Android smartphones between PHP 20,000 - 25,000
Smartphones under PHP 10,000 in the Philippines
Smartphones under PHP 12K Philippines
Best smartphones for kids under PHP 7,000
Smartphones under PHP 15,000 in the Philippines
Best Android smartphones between PHP 15,000 - 20,000
Smartphones under PHP 20,000 in the Philippines
Most affordable 5G phones in the Philippines under PHP 20K
5G smartphones in the Philippines under PHP 16K
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2024
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2023
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2022
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2021
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2020
FuhrerG says:
hi yuga bloggers! please review also the new cloudfone thrill 430X with 4000+ mah battery, it has great specs around 700+ RAM and of course the killer battery which can last for 2-3 days
ferdinand marte says:
Very short review. Where’s the benchmarks & gaming tests??? anyways, i’ve been drolling over this phone a few months back, but no longer. CM’s new smartphone lineup, especially the 2 entries coming this December 20.12, are now what i’m looking forward to owning. Who knows Omega could be priced around 7K.
Rey says:
Astra is really a good deal esp when they were also offering it at 0% interest for 3months, 2333 per month. Almost bought 1 but i saw the exact phone at Compex(same build specs etc) but with a 5inch screen for 9999k, made me hold off for a while. Bka ilabas ng star mobile ung 5inch e.
antux says:
This handset has terrible battery life. Massive disappointment.
mokkorri says:
Any other similar Smartphone like this? Decent and affordable?
eneomaos says:
edi bumili kayo ng class b na battery un high cap bat kung ayaw nyo battery life nito usually kasi mga battery ng mumurahing phone ngaun ginagamit class C d tulad ng branded na kilalang kilala like nokia and samsung…i think battery like nitong astra is sa samsung sa tingin ko lng. lahat ng gnagamit kong phone kasi pinapalitan ko ng battery wala akong tiwala sa original battery na naka package sa phone e.
:) kaya wag na pakumplikahin pa ang buhay haha suggest ko lng yan para di kayo nagagalit bout sa bat life.
paolo says:
san ako sa sm north, annex, or trinoma makakabili nung sinasabi niyong battery? and anong sasabihin ko pag bibili ako ng battery? :)
iks says:
i like it… however mine broke after three days. No support for the cracked screen which was hit from the back (no parts available either). No replies from starmobile for my requests to be directed somewhere that is capable of repairing the darned thing. I guess you get what you pay for… but to be fair with them, I enjoyed and loved every other thing about the Astra… except durability and support.
withlam dreo says:
i like the phone i’ll buy one
for my self but i hope star
mobile astra have to include
one free battery
katherine says:
Meron ba sa inyo na naka try na gamitin to as an emulator for android application programs?
omela says:
umpff.. if nasa cavite aqho san ako makakabili at :) magkanu :) ung starmobile astra ..?
Mark says:
DO NOT BUY! Aside from the poor battery life we have had to take it back for repair 4 times with various problems. It is obvious we either got a bad phone or the entire product is bad! The service center and store we purchased it at refuse to replace it! This suggests it is a bad product and highlights that their customer service is EXTREMELY POOR!
jasper says:
saan ako makakabili nang mugen battery na legit sa starmobile na astra?please reply. :(
aurie portnoy says:
Opinions
Ronald says:
Ang bilis maglowbat. Maslamang pa ang charge kesa gamit.. Nangangam0te ang astra. Sana gumawa kayo ng battery na mag last.. Try q bumili ng battery kaso walang kasukat yan. Anak ng.. Sayang lang pera namin pambili nito..
Jaime Lumabas says:
na lock astra ko,sv ng phone kailangan lang i type ang google account,i tried it so many times but its not working,what should i do pliz help!
nestor says:
may problema sa wifi ng starmobile astra.. di ako maka connect sa internet ng office namin kahit nire-set na yung router ng I.T. namin. di pa rin maka connect.. HUAWEI router namin.. pro sa iba naman ok.. pls advise tnx..
Jimer says:
If the only problem, wala bang compatible battery with higher rate? Maybe Astra has already a solution for this if that’s the only problem which hinders buyers like us.
Paolo says:
i have this amazing phone right now,hmm, im a little disappointed with the battery life, but that’s all. features,design,durability, functionality.. best!
starmobile will sure provide reserve battery.let’s just wait for it and let’s enjoy the s3 look a like and s3 functionality of our astra device! FTW!
me says:
my problem ako,automatic nagcoconect sa internet ung sim1 ng astra ko=( please help po!
Mark says:
Wag kau bibili nito lahat ng kakilala ko pati ako na daya according to the box and description dito.. 4gb internal memory pero kung iche2ck niyo mabuti ung phone 1gb lang tas ung ibibigay na memory card sa inyo 8gb.
ann83 says:
I bought astra last week (Jan.19,2013 to be specified)…today is the 7th day which means hindi na pwedeng palitan ng tindahang binilhan ko nito. Hindi ko alam anong nangyayari sa nabili ko nag ooperate mag-isa,,,in short sira…hindi naman sya nahulog or something..pagkatapos ko lang syang i charge hindi na nagpa function ng tama..plss..whoever is concern…tell me what to do.
Jeoff says:
I just bought one 2 days ago and honestly, I was hesitant buying it at first coz I thought it’s just one of those low quality phones coz it’s so affordable. Good thing, I have decided to buy it and now I’m amazed with it’s features and so far, I havent experienced any problems with this phone. Just having a bit of a problem with the battery though but that’s okay since I’m not really a heavy phone user. I only use it mainly for music..I would say that this is a worthy phone to buy plus it’s super affordable..
Sirmartin says:
Ano mas ok at sulit bilhin astra o titan? At bakit?
alvin says:
Gustong gusto ko talaga bumili nitong ASTRA n to since December pa pero nung nbsa ko mga comments nyo nagdadalawang isip n me hehehe! i’m using starmobile Q50i ryt now and more dan a year n xa sakin! Sa unang linggo ko n pagbili OK xa pero d next week nagha-hang n din xa at nagloloko battery. Dumating p sa point n di ko n mabuksan. Siguro naka 2 beses nangyari un den pinaayos ko sa Megamall kng san ako bumili den my sinundot lng ung battery nung gumagawa den after nun IT’S WORKING AND FUNCTIONING VERY WELL NA!!! Hanggang ngaon very operational p xa despite of heavy usage! Naka ilang hulog n din xa to d point n nagkalas kalas xa paglaglag pero gumagana padin xa nabasa ko n din ung pon ko pero ok padin xa! So i guess my disalignment lng tlg sa battery but the apps and specs r ol good! Gus2 ko pa din tong ASTRA pero reviewhin ko muna ung CM FLARE hehehe!
yzamsie says:
Hi i have an Astra, but Im not sure I’ve got a 4GB Internal Storage. It says on my Storage that Internal Storage is almost 1GB and Phone Storage has the same almost 1GB, so paranng 2GB lang? Wala namang kaso sakin yun pero do you think I should go their Service Center? Thanks [sorry ha, i’m a complete noobz talaga pag dating sa gadgets lols]
leo says:
can you play youtube on it?
elsa sengson says:
hi ask kulang po san po ba nakakabili ng star mobile astra ?
Jose Mari Castro says:
Hi, huwag kayo magtiwala sa starmobile astra. last January 2013, first week, bumili ako ng unit sa ADI, L/F ng SM cubao, nirecommend ng OIC ng store. maganda daw, etc. within 1 week nagkaroon ng dead pixel. pinalitan ng new unit, then before mag 1 month nag automatic shotdown, every 10 minutes and so often. ibinalik ko ng last week ng February, until now wala pang action ang starmobile company, kahit nagtatrabaho pa yung anak ng taga starmobile sa ADI…. buisit sila…. napakabagal umaksyon at ewan kung papalitan pa nila….. nasayang yung PhP 6,900.00 ko….. Kahapon, March 15, bumalik ako sa store…. wala pa daw balita…..
RICHITO SHI says:
PATAY…AKALA KO CM FLARE LANG YUNG MAY PROBLEM.MAS MALALA PA PALA TONG ASTRA NI VICE…HAHAHA
NEXT STOP. SAMSUNG GALAXY Y DOUS.
Astra Vano says:
Ireally want to buy Astra because it is my nname at parang signature na nga to me…Pero bakit ang daming bad news akong nababasa, And paborito ko pa naman ay samsung talaga…Nadidismaya ako…Nagdadalawang isip tuloy ako…Do you think sirain talaga ang astra starmobile
oliver says:
I’m disappointed. Battery drains fast and it takes about 5 hours to charge but only 2 hours if used. It goes excessively hot as well. Very poor.
wamz says:
nabalitaan ko din sa friend ko andali daw masira ng ganyan hmmmmmm di pa tlga pede icompette globally ang gawa ng pinoy sa CP kase pati Torque may problema din daw
- bianca ;) says:
– please can you make a review of Starmobile Energy ? kasi i studied the specs of it and it’s pretty satisfying despite of not a dual core smartphone and not an IPS screen nito . and it’s more affordable kasi it’s only php 5690 w/free screen protector and jelly case . :))
freed says:
hay nako sayang pagbili ko akalako maganda panget pala angganda lang ang name loww bat Battery…..sarap tapon,,,,,,,,,,,,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????????????????????????????????
april says:
we buy star mobile astra last dec,ok nman cia.wla kmi ndetect n problem,pro later on,nun mgtransfer aq ng file via bluetooth,it ddn’t work..ndi cia mdetect.ndi dn mkdetect.so we always use usb to transfer data..pano b msosolve 2?wla nman service center ng starmobile d2 s lipa bats.bnalik nmin cia s bnlhan nmin and they told us n reset nlng nmin un unit,gnawa nman nmin and gnun p dn.ok n sna eh,d lng mgfunction ng aus un bluetooth..
shrihari says:
Here is the Custom rom i.e SENSE based Custom rom released for Star Mobile Astra:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2247296
chermae says:
ang dame kong problema sa phone nato ! ayaw gumana ng internet kahit naka wifi kana , lagi nalang no connection plus nag shushutdown bigla ! Nakakainis !
shrihari says:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2247296
Custom Rom for Star Mobile Astra
alvin says:
paano ba iopen gprs ng starmobile astra ?
Marcus Lim says:
paano akong magdedelete ng contacts ko?
carlyn says:
hi guys.. siguro hindi naman lahat ng unit.. kasi ung sakin ok naman .. di nagloloko ..ung charging time 3hrs lang tas qng gagamitin q xa para maglaro or kung anu man umaabot naman xa ng 6-8 hrs..ok naman sakin ung astra.. maganda din ung camera nia.. for me the best xa ..ang sulit ung pera q..
Mielito says:
Hi yung nakababatang kapatid. Ko bumili ng astra nung last dec. At di sya nakaranas ng prublema. Kuya ko naman bumili din nung feb naman. Di din sya nagkaprublema. Yung isa kong kapatid marunong sa gadge. Yung kuya ko naman di naman masyadong marunong sa gadget. Then ako naman bumili na din ako nung last june. Di din ako naglaprublema at marunong din ako sa gadget. Lahat kame di nagkaprublema.
gifhel says:
pwede bang palitan ung battery na Li-Ion 1500mAh battery… na mas upgraded d2…
Carlo Timbal says:
Hi. I was just running through the replies here about the Astra and I just wanna share my experience. I bought mine last Nov 2012 and its almost a year since then. By the first month that I bought it, I noticed that there are ghosts on the screen (something taps the screen even with me not touching it) and I have to return it to for repair since I cant really use it and aside from that I broke the charging pin. :-) I got my phone back after two months of waiting and consistent follow up. After that incident, I really have no comment and it works somewhat smooth now. 3G internet is nice, photos and vids, everything. The occasional ghost reappears when using a different charger. But the bottom line is I’m satisfied with it. Proud that a Filipino made this and probably in the future a Philippine SmartPhone can compete with Blackberry, Samsung, and other brands. Just needs a lot of work.
Bryan says:
Hi po. Last July, this year, bumili kami ng Astra sa may Cellzone sa Malolos. In the first week, ok naman siya. Yun nga lang, nagchacharge siya for 5 hours and nagagamit ko lang siya for 3 hours. After learning na Lithium 1500 MaH lang ang battery, sabi ko “kaya pala ganito.”. Pero, as this gets longer and longer, nakakacharge na ako 6 hours 3 times. Hindi ko na siya magamit. After that, pumunta kami sa binilhan ng Astra then pinapalitan yung battery. Ok naman. Nag-upgrade pa nga sa JB yung Android. But after some time, bumalik na naman siya. At may naencounter pa akong dalawang problem: (1) parang nasira yung screen. Nagkacolor black yung screen at may crack. Hindi ko tuloy magamit ng husto. And (2) hindi na siya nagchacharge starting from October. Pumunta ulit kami ng Cellzone and sabi nila maluwag na daw yung saksakan ng charger sa mismong phone. Kailangan daw ng 2 to 3 months para ayusin nila. So, sayang yung P5,990 na binayad namin. Such a disappointment.
joy says:
astra is not a good buy. sobrang maingat ako sa gadget but then in just 11mos the charging port broke. i brought it to their service center at kapitolyo, pasig. its been over a week and yet it was not yet fixed by their technician. i was advised to receive a text once my unit get fixed, after seceral follow-ups. so irritating. sayang ang pera.
joy says:
astra is not a good buy. sobrang maingat ako sa gadget but then in just 11mos the charging port broke. i brought it to their service center at kapitolyo, pasig. its been over a week and yet it was not yet fixed by their technician. i was advised to receive a text once my unit get fixed, after several follow-ups. so irritating. sayang ang pera.
Emzy says:
Hmmm Laggy huh…? Well that is normal to all Android phones even Windows mobile, and IOS. For me what makes our devices/gadgets Laggy is the caused by abusing and filling out the memories in full or even at 15% left of free spaces. Please also noticed that there are a LOT of applications needs to be function that eats RAM a lot like social site such as Facebook, Tweeter, Gmail, Skype, Viber, etc. if you left it Signed In. Yes astra has a 4GB internal memory but don’t forget the partitions that was used by the android OS and factory applications that make looks like a less 3GB. also if the internal memory says that it is 4GB then expect it that it was not exactly a 4GB. Syempre sa panahon na lumabas sa market ang Astra, syempre maganda na yan, at kung ikukumpara nyo agad yan sa ibang brand na ilang months lang lumabas after ng Astra eh natural lang na di na kayo masisiyahan. so wag naman maging S******. It is true that the battery is a little small for what it needs. but if you are using it in a nice way then it will give you an effecient performance. Remember this not only for the Astra but also to the others: Good use of Applications makee your Android in a very good performance.
Fayt says:
My cousin gave me the Starmobile Astra to use when I visited the Philippines and i really liked it till the fact that it finally gave up on charging
The Starmobile phone has potential in my opinion it can even go on par with android phones out there i hope the starmobile creators will do better in the future and just as to show my support im keeping the Astra as a keepsake and maybe buy the SM Knight
Aaron says:
Tremendous things here. I am very satisfied to look your post.
Thanks a lot and I’m having a look forward to contact you.
Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?