When Cherry Mobile announced their new Alpha series last September 9, the Alpha Style made international news as the most affordable Windows phone for only Php2,999 ($70). Definitely worth looking indeed, here is our inital impression for the Alpha Style
Alpha Style Specifications :
Alpha Style should be a game changer, for a Windows 8.1 phone at Php2,999 the price definitely is a shocker for all. Considering most Windows phones are still priced above 5,000Php, this is a great achievement for Cherry Mobile and even Microsoft as Windows-base phones are definitely having a hard time to fight against Android and iOS base on features alone.
Looking at first glance, our initial thoughts was the Nokia 503 in resemblance. It build it similar as well, it has the familiar squarish corners and the overall build is pretty good. Despite the use of glossy plastic materials, it is not disappointing to hold at all. On the package, you will get a standard earphones and microUSB cable and charger (0.8A charge rate).
The layout of buttons are standard where you have the volume rocker at the left, power / lock button at the right. Ports for the is on the top, we did notice that the positioning of the USB port is inverted compared to other smartphones of CM. Lastly the 3.5mm audio jack is located at the top as well, besides the micro USB port.
Speaking of the back cover, it is originally transparent topped by a clear black tint inside to make it black., quite simillar to the Asha 503 indeed. On the photo is a shot against the light so you can see the transparent cover.
At the back is a 1500mAh li-ion battery, dual sim cards and micro SD expansion slot. The battery capacity is good news despite the size of the phone, we still have to test the battery’s performance though.
Specs wise, it might not be impressive as its android counterparts but its definitely a game changer as a Windows phone as its already running on a quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor. Although its only powered by a 512MB RAM, for a Windows phone this is no problem as the OS is optimized even for 256mb of RAM. The only disadvantage is you will not be able to download some applications in the store like games that requires higher RAM usage. Still with our experience, navigation and applications are very fast and fluid, which is a known feature of Windows Phone. Internal storage is only 4GB which is fine, now that MicroSD expansion is now supported in Windows phones.
The display is fairly okay for a 4-inch smartphone, it manages to deliver good colors and viewing angles despite not being HD in resolution. The IPS display is a great add on by cherry mobile since most competitors in the price range are still using regular TN panel screens. Plus the UI of Windows OS gives solid colors which is an advantage, you’ll even hardly notice the resolution because of the UI and its smaller screen size.
Given the price of Php2,999 the Cherry Mobile Alpha Style is definitely a phone worth looking for. The Windows Phone OS and affordable price range is a killer combination. It offers more options to consumers for their preference of OS in their smartphones. Lastly, we think that this is what the Nokia Asha 503 should have been, a Windows Phone at an affordable price range. Unfortunately, not even Windows Phone leader Nokia was able to do this, so great job to Cherry Mobile for definitely changing the game in Windows-base smartphone .
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