The Cherry Mobile G1 is Cherry Mobile’s second Android One phone; the first one being the Cherry Mobile One. In comparison, the G1 is an improved version in all aspect of specifications from the One, but is priced 2,000Php more than its predecessor. Oh! and don’t get confused with the Cherry Mobile G1 watch phone. That is another watch/mobile phone developed by Cherry Mobile in the earliest stages of wearable technology.
Design
When you first see the Cherry Mobile you would expect physical buttons located at bottom part. There is non, the G1 one has on screen buttons that makes the bottom (around .5 inches) bezel useless. The earpiece located on top is something worth mentioning as it is round and resembles a sink hole; pretty much a different take on mobile phones’ earpieces which are standard to be straight and boring. Beside it is your 13MP front facing camera.
Located on top is your stealthy auxiliary port for your earphones. This comes handy when your phone is inside your pocket, while listening to your tunes. This will allow your earphone cord to comfortably dangle. Charging port is located at the rear/bottom part of the phone, while a pair of speakers sits on the right and left part of it. The speakers might pose a problem when playing games as your hand will be covering that part of the phone.
The back cover is made out of plastic with matte finish, it curves slightly on the edges for better grip and lets the phone sit very comfortably in your hand. On the upper part of the back you is the 13MP camera and just below it is the dual LED flash.
With the screen facing you, the right part of the phone has your power/unlock button and your volume rocker, while the left part contains no button whatsoever. The glossy finish, with metal accent gives the G1 a more premium feel.
This 5-incher phone is a simple yet beautifully crafted mobile gadget. Side buttons are easily pressed, the curved sides of the back cover gives you a comfortable hold on the phone. The earpiece is unqiue while the micro USB and auxiliary port are located conveniently.
Display
A 5-inch with IPS display at 1280 x 720 resolution is stunning, pair it up with a scratch-proof Dragontrail glass to give it more protection. My only problem with the screen/ display is it is great finger print catcher. There are times that you might notice your finger print while using a white-heavy application (ie. Youtube), which is subtly annoying.
Other than the display is pristine, very clear and crisp. The whites are a little warmer than other displays, and the glass tends to end on on top with a black plastic edge that is connected with the frame on the sides.
Multimedia Capability (Video and Audio)
The speaker grills are located on the bottom part of the phone. When watching a video on landscape format, it should rest on your left or right hand. This might pose a problem as there will be times that you could cover the speakers not allowing sound to flow through. Pushing the sound the its loudest volume may cause the audio to break, so it is better to hold it in 50% without headsets an only up to 70% on speaker mode. In my personal opinion, bass is lacking and while treble is quite high in most cases.
Google Camera comes as the default camera app for the Cherry Mobile G1. Focusing takes a quite some time, and the automatic shots tends to be warmer. Megapixels are adjustable depending on the size you need, and features added are Photo Sphere, Panaorama, and Lens Blur. you could also turn on manual exposure to set it to 0, -1, + 1 ,-2 ,+2. On the video side, it is pretty much straight forward. You could turn on the flash for added lighting, and the back camera could shoot HD 1080p, HD720p down to SD480p. Front camera could shoot HD 720, SD 480p and CIF.
Sample Photos
OS and UI
Running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, the Cherry Mobile G1 is packed with Google-developed applications. While everything should be working fine, I found it troublesome to use Google Camera and Google photos as your main camera and gallery. Screenshots were found inside ES File Explorer rather than on the default Google Photos. Other than, being equipped with stock 5.1.1 Lollipop and all stock Google apps makes it very light and smooth. The only non-stock application is Cherry Mobile’s eWarranty app. Software will be supported by Google for two years.
Battery
This handset is equipped with a 2,500mAH Lithium Ion battery pack. A significant improvement from Cherry Mobile first Android One phone which had a 1,700mAH capacity.
Conclusion
The Cherry Mobile G1 has a same namesake with another Cherry Mobile product which is a mobile phone/watch, please be sure not to confused this phone with that watch phone. Moving on, the design is spectacular as it looks premium and although the G1 is a 5-inch phone, phablet fans might argue otherwise on their first glance. The display sports a scratch-proof Dragontrail glass, with very nice bright yet warm colors produced on the screen. The IPS is a plus factor for multimedia junkie but the bottom speaker and audio quality is a bummer. The camera, and video options is okay but not great – you might want to download additional application for both. Overall, the phone is really great for the price of 5,999Php.
Pros
- Aesthetically Great
- Google Phone. Yey!
- Nice spec to price ratio
- 13MP Back Camera, 5MP Front Camera
- Comfortable to hold and to use
Cons
- Screen is a fingerprint basin
- Some Google app are very hard to use (personal preference)
- Audio/Speakers are not that good
Specification
- 5-inch IPS display with Oncell Technology, 1280 x 720p with Dragontrail glass
- 64-bit 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor Adreno 306 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB internal storage Expandable up to 32GB
- 13MP rear camera with dual LED Flash 5MP front camera
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.0 GPS Dual-SIM 4G LTE
- Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
- Battery: Lithium Ion 2,500mAH (removable)
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