HUAWEI MatePad 12 X (2026) Review
Starmobile unveiled back in June the UP Max – a smartphone that wants to cure your power and entertainment woes by packing a huge 5,000mAh and Digital TV feature. Check out our initial impressions of the device below.
The UP Max at first glance, looks like your typical Anroid smartphone that features a plastic build accented with a metallic band around the frame. To make it look like it’s a bit “different”, the manufacturers opted to slightly curve the top and bottom of the device. We’re not quite sure of the aesthetic benefits but it made the bezels appear larger especially at the bottom.
Looking at the front, we have the 5-inch IPS display with HD resolution or 294ppi. Right above it are the earpiece, 5 megapixel front camera, and ambient light sensor. Down below are three illuminated capacitive buttons for Recent apps, Home, and Back.
On the left hand-side we have the volume rocker, while on the opposite side is the power/lock button. Like the frame, the buttons are also made of plastic but with a metallic finish.
Found right up top is the headphone jack, while down at the bottom are the microUSB port, speaker, and microphone.
Flip it on its back and you will see the 13 megapixel BSI AF camera accented with a gold rim, dual-LED flash, microphone, Starmobile logo, and the removable backplate with textured finish.
On hand, the UP Max is hefty at 175g and chunky at 9.6mm. Although some might consider this as a disadvantage, the UP Max’s dimensions feels nice on the hands as it is easy to grip, while the weight will mostly remind you of how big the battery is. Overall, the UP Max feels like its built like a tank.
The Starmobile UP Max has a SRP of Php7,490. We’ll be doing a full review which will come out in a week. If you have questions about the device just write it at the comments field below.
Starmobile UP Max specs:
5-inch HD IPS display @ 1280 x 720 resolution, 294ppi
Dragontrail Glass
1.3GHz MediaTek quad-core processor
Mali-400MP2 GPU
1GB RAM
16GB ROM
Expandable up to 32GB via microSD
13MP rear camera with Sony Exmore RS IMX135 sensor
5MP front camera
Dual-SIM
3G
Wi-Fi
GPS, A-GPS
FM Radio
ISDTB-T Digital TV
5,000mAh Li-Po removable battery
Android 5.0 Lollipop
146.4 x 71.5 x 9.6mm
175 grams
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David says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
I’ve tried it. Too slow.should put at least 2gb ram and digital tv recorder not working all the time.
LostWanderingDrifter (@roweleebee) says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
Sure 16GB ROM but how much of that can be used to install apps? The first Starmobile up has generous ROM but only has around 1.5GB space for apps.
Also, there’s the question of headset compatibility. Most third party headsets with mic don’t work properly with Starmobile in my experience – Coloud, Sony, Phillips, Samsung and even Sennheiser, any popular brand you know that’s not Starmobile. Even if you’d just go to a store that sells headphones with mic using 3.5mm and test any brand or model. It’ll turn out the same: headphones have muted volumes and mic is unusable.) I’d appreciate it greatly if you can include information on usable space for applications and headset compatibility for your future reviews.