My Starmobile Diamond – Part 2

In this part, I would discuss why I decided to buy a Starmobile Diamond. This is partly a review but it would be very subjective. It’s based on my preferences. There are a lot of gadget reviewers out there. So I would leave you to check how they provide a more objective and detailed review of the Diamond specifications and features.

Since my Motorola L72 is almost six years and it’s already showing its age, I decided to go for a hunt that will replace my old dog. Besides my guideline, I told myself that I will really buy a gadget when I think I need digital help to become more productive and more efficient. Since I’m starting to forget things more often and I feel like I’m getting disorganized lately, I decided to finally get a smart phone.

So how does the Diamond fare with my guideline? Why not an Apple or Samsung gadget? Or why not go for Motorola?

I considered Apple iPad Mini. It feels great in my hand. Not too heavy. Pretty solid and has a slim dimension and design. I didn’t buy it because it still expensive and it’s not phone capable. I really like Motorola Droid RAZR M but the distributor here in the Philippines didn’t do anything to bring the device here even with Motorola fans clamoring about it in their Facebook page. Samsung offers good phones but it’s like none of their devices would fall squarely in my guidelines.

I first saw the Diamond last month. It was just a cardboard ad displayed in the shelf of E-Phone in SM North EDSA. I was intrigued with the DragonTrail glass feature. I inquired about the product and I was informed that it will be available by April at P9,990 and I can purchase it through credit card – three months installment with 0% interest. The first criterion is already met.

But I have to convince myself that it’s a worthy purchase to make. I have to make my research. I looked for the DragonTrail glass and I was pretty convinced with the torture test it received.

In my research, I discovered that Cherry Mobile has a competing product – the Omega HD. It has all the same specifications, except for the front facing camera. The Diamond has 3 megapixels and the Omega HD has 2 megapixels. The cost of the Omega HD is P7,999. I discovered more head-to-head comparisons. With the information from the internet, I thought that Omega HD is already a good buy. I went to the Cherry Mobile concept store in SM North EDSA but the rude staff told me that there’s no available stock. I would have been comforted if I was asked if I like to reserve a unit just in case there’s a next delivery or if I was asked for my number so that they could call just in case there’s a new batch of stocks. But none of that happened!

Then my brother told me that there’s a stock in SM Novaliches. I went to check it. I wanted to see and feel so that I can have a tangible appreciation of the phone. It really feels great in my hand. It’s pretty solid and sleek. It’s a 5” phablet.

I looked into the apps but the productivity apps I’m looking for is not yet installed. I don’t have internet in my home so downloading apps would be a hassle. In my subjective opinion, the IPS responsiveness of Omega HD is quite slow. I checked the camera. The store is well lit but I still got a grainy, soft image. The staff told me that they only offer cash or straight card payment with additional P300 on top of the unit’s price. And there are no freebies! The unit I checked is also the last piece. I would have wanted to purchase a product fresh from a sealed box. It was disappointing!

I told myself that I may consider another brand. I researched again. Omega HD is quite a heavyweight contender but there’s really no stock. Starmobile announced in their Facebook page that Diamond would be available by April 13. Then I saw Youtube reviews of Omega HD that ironically made me decide to buy the Diamond. Cherry Mobile doesn’t offer freebies but Starmobile offers a free screen protector and an 8 GB micro-SD card. The cost for the purchase of the Omega HD and accessories (don’t tell me you wouldn’t buy a micro-SD) would have been almost the same if you would just buy the Diamond with all the freebies with it.

E-Phone got a stock. My reservation was honored. I was asked if I would really buy one. I reluctantly said “Yes.” There’s no turning back. This is it! The phone was taken out from a sealed box. Sweet! Diamond has different exterior design than Omega HD but it’s fine. It’s a minor issue. The IPS responded much better and faster to my perception. The back and front camera seems better than the Omega HD. The apps I needed are pre-installed already. The screen is readable at any viewing angle. The staff also installed paid apps for free. I got my Diamond through credit card – three months installment with 0% interest.

The screen is really okay. I don’t have difficulty reading texts in my phone in the dark and especially in very bright outdoor light. It has Android 4.1.1 Jellybean OS. The photo I’ve taken registers an aperture of f/2.4. It has a BSI sensor. It basically has the same specifications as that of the iPad Mini. That’s pretty amazing! The image I took is pretty sharp and detailed. 

My high resolution DSLR photos are also previewed very crisp in it’s high definition screen. Diamond’s processor is a 1Ghz dual core and RAM is 1GB. I believe that all my criteria were met by Diamond. I will just see if it will last long like my L72.

Some additional notes:

The user manual is not too helpful for first time Android phone user or touch screen phone user like me. But the English is good. Compared to the manuals of the other Philippine-based phone companies, the English is well written. The box is pretty solid. You will have the impression that the product you’re buying is taken seriously and it doesn’t feel cheap!

Some issues that I yet to check with the seller or the service center of Starmobile is that it takes more or less seven hours to charge the phone. The user manual says the process would usually takes three hours. The free screen protector already sustained a number of scratches.

I would have preferred the black matte finish version of Diamond but there’s none when I bough my unit. Quite disappointing because the published announcement of Starmobile says it will be available in black and white.

There’s no available flip cover or silicon jelly case for this unit yet.

My Starmobile Diamond – Part 1

It took me more than five years to buy a new mobile phone. I’m pretty good with my Motorola L72. It’s still functioning and sturdy. It was quite a benchmark phone during its release. Until now, it’s my benchmark for reliability and stability. Of course, the RAZR was a better phone but I can’t afford it that time.
 
 Smart phones have invaded the market in the recent technological history. These are devices that merged the functionality of mobile phones and PDAs. I wanted one before but I was too picky, the cost of acquiring one is beyond my financial capability or I wasn’t really convinced yet that I needed one.
 
 When I started considering buying my own smart phone early last year, I made some guiding principles for my purchase. Of course, my benchmark is still my L72. So here’s my guide:

-          First, my budget is only P10,000 and if I will go for P15,000 gadget it should be a superb phone that I won’t be changing for a couple of years. I usually buy my gadgets cash. But most stores and brands nowadays don’t give discounts even for cash purchases. Since I have my credit card, I would want to purchase my phone in an installment basis and with 0% interest. With that, I could gain points for my card.

-          With the technological advancement today, I decided to go for a phablet. 9” tablets are heavy and mostly are not phone capable. 7” is still big. 4” smart phones are quite small if I intend to use Adobe Reader and office apps. A 5” phablet is just right for me.

-          It has to be a solid device. I don’t like the feeling the I’m holding a plastic device that would seem to break or crush if you put excessive pressure on it.

-          It has to have a strong, scratch resistant display. My L72 is still without scratch even though it’s not a Corning Gorilla glass. Those that have the Gorilla are quite expensive. But then Asahi released the DragonTrail glass.

-          I would like to have one that has AMOLED screen but as long as I won’t have difficulty reading messages in my phone in dark and especially in very bright outdoor light.

-          It has to have the latest operating system. Today it’s the Android 4.1.1 Jellybean.

-          Since I’m a photographer, I would like to have phone camera that has a wide aperture for low light situations and has a minimum of 8 megapixels.

-          It has to have a minimum of 1Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM.

-          It can have an expandable memory slot.

-          Connectivity via Bluetooth, USB or Wi-Fi.

-          Freebies, of course.

With that I will discuss why I opted to buy Starmobile Diamond in my next post.