Cherry Mobile earlier launched its latest affordable smartphones packed with 5G connectivity, and one of them is the Aqua SV 5G. For something priced at under PHP 12K, it packs a 6.6-inch AMOLED Curved Edge display with a 90Hz refresh rate and MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset. Read our initial thoughts below.
One of the things that got our attention is how premium the Aqua SV is as it is not what you’ll usually see in smartphones in the same price range.
You’ll immediately notice the large 6.6-inch AMOLED screen with curved sides. It’s immersive with thin bezels and vibrant and punchy colors. It also has a 90Hz refresh rate and is protected by Gorilla Glass 5.
Found on the upper left are the dual front cameras consisting of the 16MP main and 2MP depth.
On the right, we have the power/lock button in red, and the volume buttons. They’re solid and clicky, and we like that they’re placed near the middle of the frame for easy reach.
Up top, there’s the secondary microphone and the earpiece.
At the bottom, we have the card tray for two nano-sized SIM cards, the main microphone, USB-C port, and the loudspeaker.
Flip it on its back and you will see the protruding camera module that houses the quad cameras consisting of the 64MP main, 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP depth, and 2MP macro.
Design-wise, it’s impressive. It has a sleek metallic frame that makes the device feel like it’s thin, even though it measures 8.8mm thick. It’s tall but narrow, so it’s easy to grip. Although you’ll definitely need your other hand to reach the top part of the screen.
The back panel looks luxurious with its faux leather material. It feels nice and doesn’t attract fingerprints and smudges but if you want to protect it from drops, there’s a clear case included in the package.
Powering the Cherry Mobile Aqua SV 5G is a MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset with a Mali-G57 GPU, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB UFS 2.2, Android 11, and 4,200mAh battery with 30W fast charging. We’ll know more about its performance in our full review. But for now, the Aqua SV 5G is definitely looking good for a smartphone priced at PHP 11,999.
Cherry Mobile Aqua SV 5G specs:
6.6-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED Curved Edge display
90Hz refresh rate
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC
Mali-G57 GPU
8GB LPDDR4X RAM
128GB UFS 2.2
Quad-rear cameras:
• 64MP main
• 5MP ultra-wide
• 2MP depth
• 2MP macro
Dual-front cameras:
• 16MP main
• 2MP depth
Dual-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFI 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.1
GPS, A-GPS
USB-C
Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
Android 11
4,200mAh battery w/ 30W fast charging
160.5 x 73.8 x 8.8 mm
175 g
Looks like this phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack, Cherry Mobile ought to sell wireless earphones under their brand.