Is Cherry Mobile M1 worth for your money or not?
Cherry Mobile M1 with Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS was officially launched yesterday with a release date in the coming weeks. Powering the new flagship of Cherry is a Mediatek Helio X20 chip with a deca-core CPU. The question, is it really worth for its P12k price or it just a hype?
The biggest surprise yesterday was the asking SRP for a local-branded Android smartphone with decent mid-range specs. It’s decent enough, thanks to the 10-core CPU, 4GB RAM, fingerprint scanner, USB type-C, fast charging, and 21MP main camera. But are these features enough for its price? Let’s give you the highlights of the important features.
How fast is the Mediatek Helio X20 vs. Snapdragon 650/652?
To check how the Mediatek X20 fares against the competition we put some benchmark rankings and non-intimidating specs (here’s hoping) below.
- Mediatek Helio X20 is 140% better than Helio X10 in performance, 60% in GPU in which makes sense for a hype.
- Inside the Helio X10: 8 x Cortex A53 (2 speeds for every 4 cores) and 2 x Cortex A72.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 has hexacore (2 A72 + 4 A53) and Snapdragon 652 has octa-core (4 + 4)
- X20 Antutu Benchmark score: 65,000 – 75,000
- Samsung Galaxy A9, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro with SD 650: 65k to 70k
- Samsung Galaxy A9 PRO with SD 652 scores between 75k to 85k
The Helio X20 is really a capable chip that puts is behind the SD 652 and slightly ahead of the SD 650.
See also: Mediatek X10 vs X20 vs X30 comparison here
How about the 21MP Sony IMX230 camera?
The stars in the camera section are actually the Mediatek Helio X20 chip with its improved dual ISP (image signal processor) and the 21MP Sony IMX230 that shoots 4K video. Both make a great arsenal for Cherry to finally give its local consumers some proper camera performance that is on par with major brands such as on the Sony Xperia and Huawei, at least on this criteria.
See also: Xiaomi Mi 5 vs Galaxy S7 vs Xperia Z5 vs iPhone 6s vs Lumia 1020 Camera Review
Plastic Polycarbonate Build Quality All Around the M1
The fancy word for plastic is polycarbonate on which the Cherry Mobile M1 is built with. This was supposedly the chance of Cherry to really justify the price by putting some premium ingredients, but they missed it. Imagine buying a phone at a P12k price that does feel plasticky?
Well, we go you covered on that with some futureproofing by listing the top budget and mid-range phones with metal and glass design.
Is it an overpriced Cherry phone?
The rest of the specs seem to add some exclusivity for a short period of time, at least in the market for local brands and its commodities. This includes the USB type-C, fast charging, and fingerprint scanner–deservedly so–which are quite rare in the local segment.
Looking at the overall package, however, makes me think that Cherry Mobile is just hyping the M1 without the intention of selling it as many as Infinix or Flare series that did in the past. They are just flexing their muscles while lighting a fire under the local brand market, which is good.
The Cherry Mobile M1 is collateral damage in the making. Mainly because Cherry doesn’t have the brand firepower to dictate such price. The company knows it and that it won’t sell like hotcakes. The M1 will surely do the job of a mid-ranger with modest hardware. But that will still not matter for an overpriced phone.
Top Alternatives for the Cherry Mobile M1 at P12k price
- Huawei GR5 – P10k to P12k pesos (released this Q1 2016)
- Huawei P9 Lite – P12.5k (June 2016 release)
- Asus Zenfone 3 ZE 552KL – P12k and up (August release)
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro – P12k and up (available)
- Meizu MX5 – P13k and up (available)
- LG Nexus 5X – P15k and up
- Sony Xperia M4 Aqua with waterproof – P10-P12k
- Sony Xperia C5 Ultra – P14k and up
Cherry Mobile M1 Full Specs, Price, Official Release Date in the Philippines
- Display: 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p IPS, 401 ppi, scratch-resistant
- Design: Plastic + metal
- Chip: Mediatek Helio X20
- CPU: Deca-core processor (10 cores)
- GPU: Mali T880 graphics
- RAM: 4GB
- Memory: 32GB internal memory, microSD card up to 64GB
- Camera: 21MP main, LED flash, 4K video or 2160p res at 30fps
- Selfie: 8MP front-facing, LED flash, HD video
- Connectivity: Dual-SIM (micro cut), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, WiFi ac
- Battery: 3600mAh, Fast Charging
- Security: Fingerprint sensor
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Colors: Black, white
- Price: Php 11,999 official SRP
- Release date: June 2016 available in the Philippines
nice article. i’m not really high on m1. others are raving and hyping and tossing and turning about this phone, saying things like it’s a game changer. i say what? props for listing the alternatives to m1 because it emphasizes the fact that m1 is overpriced and does not deserve its price tag. aside from the quality issues that cherry mobile is notorious for. between m1 and the asus zenfone 3, why would people choose the m1? don’t forget the alcatel flash plus 2 which is twice cheaper. but you may be right. cherry mobile might just be hyping up the m1 with no intention of selling it. well, they should not try to sell it because i’m sure lalangawin lang iyan. phone consumers nowadays are savvy and smart with their money. they know there are many options to choose from, so cherry mobile, don’t ever try to sell something like the m1 for 11,999.
agree. most consumers nowadays are smart enough to distinguish the real value of the product they’re buying.
Most people are dumb weighing phones because of their brand instead of looking at their specs. it’s a new device. Let them be if they want to sell it at that pricepoint. it’s their own loss if people won’t buy their overpriced and low quality phones as people conceived it.
Kind of a flagship specs for a mid ranger price. Some of those specs are the flagship standards of 2016, so I won’t say it’s overpriced. Some mid range smartphone from international OEMs are way pricier than that one.
I know , right?
How does it compare to galaxy S7 Edge? I checked all th alternatives you provided and the CM M1 would blow them all away quite honestly. It seems the only things going against this phone based on your article is that it has a polycarbonate body and that it does not have a popular brand name.
The plasticy feel of the body will be overshadowed by the power of the phone and the best thing is you are not paying for a brand name but actual awesome specs. Like what Christian Ferrer below said the specs is almost that of a flagship phone. Maybe you just dont like Cherry mobile. lols
You can always choose Cherry Mobile over Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei or Asus, my friend. 🙂