Starmobile announces the Diamond V3 and V7 quad-core phablets

Local smartphone manufacturer, Starmobile, has made the Diamond phablet line official. Rocking the lineup is the Diamond V3 and V7.

Starmobile’s President Michael Chen was heard saying “We are very pleased with how the market received the original Starmobile Diamond. With this new line, we want to give Filipinos a choice of ample sized, best value phablets that are truly cut above the rest.”

First in line, the Diamond V3, is an Android Jelly Bean phablet with a 5.3 inch touchscreen using the scratch resistant Dragontrail glass. Loaded with 1GB of RAM and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon MSM8225Q chipset which has a 1.2Ghz quad-core processor, it can easily run intensive games and apps without breaking a sweat.

The V3 has a 12MP rear camera and a 2MP front cam, enough for taking selfies and is equipped with Backside Illuminated sensors for amazing low light capabilities. It also has a built-in streaming TV app and dual sim capabilities.

Although no exact pricing has been announced for the V3, expect it to cost less than Php10k.

The V3’s older brother, the Diamond V7, which is slated to arrive in July, comes equipped with a 5.7 inch screen and also uses the Dragontrail glass. It’s pretty much the same as the V3 but like the  Starmobile Knight, the Diamond V7 rocks the cameraphone segment with an 18MP rear camera and an 8MP front cam which are equipped with BSI and auto focus.

The Diamond V7 is one of the thinnest dual sim phablet we’ll see in the market real soon. No price for this one either but we’ll update you as soon as we have it.

Starmobile announces the Diamond V3 and V7 quad-core phablets

Starmobile Knight, 4.7-inch phone with 18MP+8MP cameras

Premium local phone and tablet brand, Starmobile, unveiled 11 new devices in the opening of their flagship store in Manila at the 3^rd floor of SM North EDSA Annex last week.

Leading the pack is the Starmobile Knight.

The Starmobile Knight is the brand’s latest flagship Android phone. It is ideal for camera junkies as it sports two great cameras – an 18MP at the back and an unheard of 8MP front camera for those who love to take selfies. Of course a geek will tell you that for a mobile device, it’s not about the megapixel but casual buyers can surely be blinded by those numbers.

But the camera isn’t the only thing shining on this Knight. It’s also packed with some decent specs. Powering it is MediaTek’s 1.2 GHz quad-core processor along with 1GB of RAM, enough to play and run some of the most demanding games and apps on the Google Play today.

Its 4.7” touchscreen is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass technology while the screen boasts of an impressive pixel density of 315 PPI, which will satisfy the HD junkies out there.

I don’t know about you but I think this phone will separate Starmobile from other local players in the market today.

The Knight will be available in their flagship store sometime around mid-July. Price has yet to be disclosed so let’s ask you, readers, how much do you think such phone should cost.

Starmobile Knight, 4.7-inch phone with 18MP+8MP cameras

5-inch Starmobile Diamond on sale for Php7,490 until June 2 only

The Starmobile Diamond is a 5-inch dual-SIM, dual-core Android Jelly Bean phone with an HD IPS display protected by DragonTrail glass. It also has 1GB RAM and 4GB internal storage along with a 12-megapixel rear camera with BSI lens, and a 3-megapixel front-facing one. Impressive right?

Starmobile is selling the Diamond for Php9,990 but for a limited time, it’s down to only Php7,490. The catch is that it’s only available at the freshly-opened Starmobile concept store at the SM City North EDSA Annex until closing hours tomorrow, June 2. The price is actually a good deal for the type of phone you will be getting so if you have the chance to visit SM North, you might want to drop by Starmobile.

Starmobile is also doing a trade-in promo at their concept store which you might be interested in.

5-inch Starmobile Diamond on sale for Php7,490 until June 2 only

Cherry Mobile Omega HD vs Starmobile Diamond: Which is the winner?

Can Starmobile beat Cherry Mobile?

The competition among mobile phone companies in the Philippines is getting more exciting by each passing month. Cherry Mobile"s launching of their Omega HD is matched by Starmobile"s introduction of the Diamond.

Omega HD and Diamond are both 5-inch phablets with high definition scratch resistant display, 1 GHz + 1 GB Processor and RAM combo, 12 Megapixel camera with BSI technology and more jaw dropping features.

However, these two phablets also have their differences. These features will determine which handset will sell more to Filipinos.

Starmobile Diamond (L) and Cherry Mobile Omega HD (R)

Let"s compare and contrast the Cherry Mobile Omega HD and Starmobile Diamond in 5 key areas that Filipinos are most interested in: quality of build and looks, smoothness of operation, camera picture quality, additional features or freebies and price.

Quality of Build and Aesthetics: Omega HD vs Diamond

Both Omega HD and Diamond are fitted with scratch resistant Dragon Trail Glass. You can slice the displays of these phones but that wouldn"t make even a tiny scratch.

Based on the prototypes showed by both companies, Diamond follows the same design style as the Starmobile Crystal with the silver or chrome lining running on its sides. Cherry Mobile Omega HD also has the chrome lining especially in the white variant.

Both phones have very thin bezel - the space between the screen and the edge of the phone"s side.

Smoothness of Operation: Omega HD vs Diamond

Antutu Benchmark Scores of Starmobile Diamond (Left) by
Unbox.ph  and Cherry Mobile Omega HD (Right)
by Erdie Caperal. 

Omega HD and Diamond are both powered by a combination of 1 GHz dual core MT6577 processor and 1 GB of RAM. The additional RAM from previous models allows you to open several apps at the same time without lags and hangs.

The difference between Omega HD and Diamond is their graphics processing unit. Omega HD has a PowerVR SGX531 while Diamond has an enhanced SGXS31.

Antutu Benchmark test for Cherry Mobile Omega HD and Starmobile Diamond shows a better performance from the SGXS31 when it comes to 3D graphics rendering. This gives me a hint why Omega HD has a lower price tag compared to Diamond.

Camera Picture Quality: Omega HD vs Diamond

This is one of the sweetest aspects of these phones. Both Omega HD and Diamond are equipped with 12 Megapixel rear camera with Backside Illumination (BSI) technology which improves the quality of pictures in low light situations.

The pictures taken by Omega HD and Diamond are stunning outside and even inside your house.

The difference takes place in the front camera. Omega HD has a 2 MP front camera while Diamond boasts for its 3 MP front camera. This will be useful in video calling since Diamond will offer a better quality of video.

Additional Features and Freebies: Omega HD vs Diamond

Both Omega HD and Diamond has dual sim capability, Wifi and Wifi hotspot, Bluetooth, 3G, FM Radio and other basic features of today"s smartphones.

The difference is that Omega HD has a 2,100 mAh battery while Diamond has a slightly lesser battery capacity at 2,000 mAh only - a small difference. I doubt that this will truly affect the two phones.

Another difference is the fact that Diamond comes with a free 8GB microSD card. This is of the good side with Starmobile products, the freebies.

Finally, the Price: Omega HD vs Diamond

Now that you know the similarities and differences of the specs between Omega HD and Diamond, it"s time to look at the price of the two phones.

Omega HD is priced at ₱ 7,999.00 while Diamond is priced at ₱ 9,990.00 - a difference of almost ₱ 2,000.00.

If I would buy one of these phones, I would definitely go with Cherry Mobile Omega HD. It"s the cheaper one and Filipinos will always go for the cheaper product especially with this one that has an amazing list of specs.

However, there is a reason why Omega HD is cheaper than Diamond, if you don"t want to regret later that your phone lacks something, you better buy a Starmobile Diamond. It looks good aesthetically and the graphics is also better with the Diamond - that"s why it"s called Diamond.

Which do you think is better, Omega HD or Diamond?

Cherry Mobile Omega HD vs Starmobile Diamond: Which is the winner?