We’ve been using the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 as our primary device for a whole week now and so far we’re very much satisfied with it except for a few issues. Let’s have a look at what CM’s first quad-core smartphone is capable of by reading our full review after the break.
Before reading further I suggest reading our first impressions of the device here which include a hands-on video and benchmark results.
Design and Construction
One of the first things you’ll notice when you look at the Flame 2 are the wide bezels at the top and bottom. Thick bezels may not look good in today’s smartphone designs but the one on the Flame 2 does not look bad at all. The bezels house the earpiece, VGA front-facing camera, and light sensor at the top, And the four capacitive buttons at the bottom. The rest of the front real estate is taken up by the 4.5-inch display.
Located on the right side is the volume rocker while the left is devoid of any buttons. Found at the top are the headset jack and power/lock button while the microUSB port and microphone are found at the bottom. Flip it on its back and you’ll see the 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and the speaker.
Display
The Flame 2 is equipped with a 4.5-inch qHD (540×960) display which calculates to a pixel density of 245ppi. It doesn’t have IPS so viewing angles are limited but it does come with the One Glass Solution touch screen. This means that the display panel is thinner and optically clearer. It also has great colors but still susceptible to glare.
OS, UI and Apps
The Flame 2 runs Android 4.1.2 Jellybean with some UI customizations by Cherry Mobile. Basic UI navigation is slightly different from your standard Jellybean device as it uses four capacitive buttons (Home, Options, Back, Search) instead of the usual three (Back, Home, Recent Apps). If you want to access recently opened apps you will have to press and hold the Home button for a couple of seconds. The capacitive buttons are also difficult to see if it isn’t illuminated so we sometimes experience pressing the wrong button.
Cherry Mobile had some apps pre-installed like benchmarking tools and the Juice Defender app which helps you monitor battery usage. All these apps can be uninstalled except for Cherry Mobile’s own apps and the Opera Mini browser.
Camera and Multimedia
The Flame 2 is equipped with a 5 megapixel shooter with LED flash. While the camera is smaller compared to other quad-core phones with large cameras, the images produced by the Flame 2 is pretty much decent. Colors appear washed out but with acceptable amount of clarity and will suffice for uploading to SNS like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Although image quality is acceptable, camera speeds are not. When shooting in Normal mode we have to wait two seconds before we move on and shoot another. Not doing so will result to a blurred subject. There’s a Speedily option which shoots faster than the Normal mode but you’re restricted to using an aspect ratio of 4:3.
Aside from HDR and Panorama, the camera also has a feature called dual-shot which lets you take a photo or video using the rear and front camera at the same time. The camera then overlays the front camera’s capture on top of the rear’s. This mode only works when you’re shooting in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
As for video recording capabilities, the Flame 2 can shoot videos of up to 720p resolution at 30 fps. At the same time it also has the capability to capture photos while recording. Take a look at the sample video below:
Sounds coming from the speaker is audible but does not provide much power especially when it comes to bass. You may crank up the volume to fill a room but expect the sound to be a bit hissy.
Performance and Battery Life
Performance is good on the Flame 2 and you can definitely say that this phone is carrying a quad-core processor and a big RAM. We played Temple Run 2 and Dead Trigger in their highest graphic settings and I’m glad to say that it managed to run smoothly. There are occasional lags but can be easily disregarded. You can watch our Dead Trigger game test in the video below:
As for battery life, the Flame 2 comes with a removable 1,600mAh battery. So far this is the lowest battery capacity we’ve seen on a quad-core phone. During our use which consist of two SIMs on standby, constant WiFi connectivity, playing a few sets of Candy Crush, moderate calling and texting, the Flame 2 was able to last for 11 hours. But add mobile data and graphic intensive games and you’re down to 6 hours of battery life.
Cherry Mobile is aware of this concern that’s why they pre-installed the Juice Defender app and included a power bank promo for early buyers.
Conclusion
Overall, we’re satisfied with the Flame 2’s performance. UI navigation is fluid, gaming is fast, and the display is crisp and clear. The only gripes that we have here is the poor camera performance and short battery life.
Probably the best part here is the sub-Php7K price tag. Some people stereotype affordable phones with a “you get what you pay for” attitude. That a low price tag would always equate to a poor performing device. With the Flame 2, I believe that doesn’t apply. A 4.5-inch qHD OGS display, a quad-core Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, and Android Jellybean in a nicely built package? You actually get more than what you pay for.
Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 specs:
4.5? qHD (540×960) capacitive display, 245ppi, OGS technology
1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8225Q Snapdragon S4 processor
Adreno 203 GPU
1GB RAM
4GB internal storage
microSD up to 32GB
5MP autofocus camera with LED flash
720p HD video recording @ 30fps
VGA front camera
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
FM Radio, Bluetooth with A2DP
Li-Ion 1,600mAh Battery
134.6 x 66 x 9.3mm
Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
Php6,999USD 119INR 10,111EUR 114CNY 869
What we liked about it:
*Fast UI & gaming performance
*Android 4.1.2 Jellybean out of the box
*Slim profile
*Good build
*OGS display technology
*Affordable price
What we didn’t like about it:
*Poor camera performance
*Short battery life
*Limited viewing angles
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buster says:
Thanks for this review Louie!
darren philip says:
sayang sana. may unit din silang pinagcombine ang Flame 2.0 + omegahd! ;)
chacha says:
watch out for MyPhone A919i:
5″ HD quadcore 1GB RAM 12mp phone.
angel says:
berinice review. thanks, this helps me a lot in purchasing this device.
Sweetie Len says:
Great Review ! :))
I’m really dying to have one.
Wanna be the first to have Flame 2.
Just wanna know when will it be released in the market ? Thanks.
juice says:
nung saturday nagpost sa page ng CM Sm North Edsa po na nag release na sila ng flame 2.0,pero limited stocks lang :)
April says:
Good review! Hope to have one soon!
Graciana says:
This review is a big help! Can’t wait to have this phone!! :DD
Anon says:
6-11 hours on batt?Nice phone, but you need to have a powerbank handy to enjoy its features.
But honestly I’d rather have a dualcore phone that can last a day than this. Still a good buy if having a quadcore phone is a big deal for the user.
pfb says:
juice defender doesn’t work that good either. in any case very good review – for phone worth buying
ian says:
Juice Defender and other battery savers like Du Battery pag full version paid apps at naka install sa rooted phones, have features that slows down the CPU pag naka lock ang screen, clears loaded programs every so and so minutes, stops syncs etc pag so and so ang level ng battery at kung ano-anong configurable settings para maextend battery life mo. Pwede mong iextend ang 6 hours operating time to 12 base sa experience ko.
Ryan says:
pa full review naman omega HD
Diss appointed says:
It’s great CM can sell us a fully feature phone. I don’t need a 12 mpixel cam, but Thad not what’s worrying me. Is the durability. My sarmobile engage 7 tabs broke 2 months after buying. Us. Two of them. Customer service is pathetic. How can Cherry Mobile be an better with such low prices?
ferdinand marte says:
ey bro, by “pathetic service” are you referring to Starmobile? If it is, that’s really worth remembering. Maybe you can share more about your experience.
john chua says:
New Cherry tablet was manufactured by Ainol.
An Ainol user for 8 months now, still no problem at all.
Using Cherry Flare for 3 months now. No problem at all.
lawrence says:
Using an Ainol tablet for 6 months and a CM Flare for 3 months. Did not experience any hardware problem as of now. Happy with them for the price I paid. sulit na sulit.
ian says:
CM Flame user. 3 months, 3 serious drops, still no problem.
Diss appointed says:
Sorry for the grammatical mistakes. On mobile the page jumps back n forth n auto correct. Errrrrrrr!!!!
Edwin says:
All i need to know about this device are all in this review. thanks!
geek says:
One solution to extend the battery life of this smartphone: Root the smartphone, download an app that can control the CPU and underclock / disable cores of the CPU.
Yeah says:
That’s not a good idea, bibili ka ng quad core then for the sake ng battery didisable mo yung ibang core, useless. bili na lang ng single core or dual core. Walang pinagkaiba sa mga bumubili ng phone na napakaganda ng display pero lagi namang nasa low ang brightness. :)
Derp Derpton says:
or.. set profiles in SetCPU.. conditional underclocking lang.. unleash its full potential only when needed (???)
kusina101 says:
kung si willie yang phone na yan, sasabihin yan lang sayo; “You don’t do that to me!?”
Ian says:
Du Battery – miniminimum clock speed ang CPU pag naka lock ang screen. Nagtatanggal din ng loaded apps sa memory every 10 minutes or depende sa iyo. Configurable na isara ang wifi at data pag ilang percent nalang ang battery. Malaking bagay din nagagawa. X2 or more ang itatagal ng battery mo. Yun nga lang kailangan rooted ang phone mo at paid full version ang app. Pero 120 lang naman ang mga apps na yun.
Michael Sy bomb2000 says:
why would i need to underclock and disable the cores, its the quad core that’s the selling part of the flame 2.0 if i need a phone with a bigger battery life i would buy a phone with a big battery life, but admit it the battery is the list thing on your mind when buying flame 2.0
cm says:
Yes naman. May bagong kababaliwan ang mga mahihirap wahahahaha! :))) kakalerqui.
diven says:
actual experience: 1st unit: touchscreen problem, taps at the middle lower third of the screen at an interval. 2nd unit: Camera has a block swirl at the middle. 3rd unit: touchscreen problem (again), when softkey back and menu buttons are pressed, the apps at the docks situated above will also be pressed. 4th unit: touchscreen taps randomly when unit gets hot. I’m still waiting what’s this 5th unit has to offer ;-)
Lynne says:
Pareho tayo ng reklamo sa 3rd unit mo.. I thought of having it replaced by the store, but they have no available unit anymore. Nainis talaga ako at first, now kelangan kong sanayin ang index finger ko to tap accurately on the four capacitive buttons and I had the phone calls, text messaing & O.M. apps removed from the dock to prevent mistouches.
ciu says:
how about games like shadowgun, real racing, n.o.v.a, and dead space? these games usually only runs on a quad core device unlike dead trigger which can be normally played on a 1ghz dual core device..thanks.
Mr Sandy says:
@ciu “how about games like shadowgun, real racing, n.o.v.a, and dead space? these games usually only runs on a quad core device unlike dead trigger which can be normally played on a 1ghz dual core device..thanks.”
– You kidding? galaxy y (rooted) can play nova 1 and dead space, those are old games. shadow gun, real racing 1-2 and dead trigger can be played on single core armv7 android devices, I’ve already tested it. of course CM flame 2.0 can play those games, why don’t you check the processor and GPU of flame 2.0 its an S4 processor and also its 1GB RAM, it can handle those games easily.
ciu says:
i know that genius..im talking bwt unrooted of course..not everyone is a genius like you who knows everything.im just saying they should try those games to really know its limits when it comes to hardcore games..ikaw na pre.
ciu says:
some people doesnt wanna go through the trouble of rooting their device just to run an app.some doesnt even knw what rooting is. i just wanna know since its a quad core device will i be able to run those games easily.and having a 1gb of ram doesnt necessarily mean u can run those games easily..again were talkin bwt unrooted device here.
Mr Sandy says:
lol did you read my reply to you twice? like what i’ve said games like dead space and nova 1 will run on a galaxy y which needs to be rooted because it runs on an arm v6 processor. I’ve tested the other games you mentioned on a single core arm v7 device without rooting it,and to name those few phones they xperia tipo and xperia miro which runs on a single core 800mhz cortex a5 processor, adreno 200 gpu and 512mb of RAM.. and btw if you really have thought about it and if you read the last sentence on my reply, again, you should have checked again the specs of the new CM flame 2.0, and RAM matters.
ciu says:
let’s just stick to the facts. clearly ur lying saying that u can run nova, dead space, SHADOWGUN, on those devices without rooting..that is just complete bs..these are hardcore games..iv tried xperia sola, xperia p and lenovo s890..i wasnt able to play those games on these phones considering theyre all dual core phones..come on man..if u have played these games on this flame 2 then il shut up, if not then you shut up!
asdfgh says:
the cherry mobile flare with dual core 1.2ghz, adreno 203 and 512mb ram can run those games, so most likely this CM flare2 can run those games you mentioned. common sense please.
ciu says:
shut up unless uv already tried it on the actual device..
ciu says:
already tried shadowgun and n.o.v.a on a flare unrooted.didnt work.so quit lying.
PATIWAKAL NA! says:
Anggaling mo maganalyze pareng ciu! PAKAMATAY KANA! HAAHAHAHA. Shudapak up. Makikipagtalo ka na nga lang, yung wala pang sense. Sa selpon mo may problema dude.
Marlon says:
i have a flame 2.0. performance is good. but viber is partially working. no voice at the other end of the call. skype is working just fine though.
Carl says:
Posted how to root your Flame 2.0 here: http://carlshark.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-root-cherry-mobile-flame-20.html
ron says:
May review po ba sa cm titan tv?
kusina101 says:
CM is famous for selling low priced, full featured phone but always has mediocre battery. after buying the CM flare, i wont ever buy any phone from them ever again. my free alcatel glory 2(from sun cellular) is much more useful than my CM phone.
Aj says:
why can’t my Flame 2.0 play vidoes of .mp4 and .avi format???
Lynne says:
You may want to download MX Player from the Google Play Store. It has a friendly user interface and can play most videos.
Happy viewing!
Jc_rockerz says:
Is flame 2.0 adobe flash player supported?
Teeyoy says:
Hay, supposedly April ang availability then when my kid went there today (SM Annex) , it was sold out na raw before holy week. No wonder marami ng over priced units sa Sulit. CM next time ayusin nyo naman ang availability.
Lynne says:
It’s true that the ads said it should be released on the market by April 2013. But if you are keen on purchasing the product, you could have watched for it and read several blogs posted on the net. Luckily, I’ve read that it got a surprise launch along with CM Omega HD last March 18. So, I went to their store here at SM City Cebu. They’ve asked me to leave my number and note the device I’m interested in. They just sent me a text the day that it was already available. That’s how I got mine last March 26. :-)
Lynne says:
I can’t seem to find my FM radio on my device, CM Flame 2.0… where’s it hidden at papano ko ba maa-access ito? My Samsung device has the radio player app where I can play local radio stations. Bakit wala yata ito sa Flame 2.0 ko?
JKB says:
kelangan po munang maroot ung device para mainstall ung radio app
juneau says:
meon nman skin, nung nag update ako ng software
Rye says:
any comment sa battery? madali ba ma lowbat???? kasi 1600ma lang sya tapos yung flame na hindi 2.0 1800ma….
any idea sa inyo jan?
Lloyd says:
can you compare MyPhone a848i to Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0
crayoneye says:
I’ve had this phone for a couple of days now. It is superb when it comes to full feature apps. High demand 3d games are smooth as silk.
I rooted the phone immediately and got rid of all the crapware from both cherry and google. After a few minutes of tinkering with my new toy. i noticed a major bug!!!
The wifi switch of the device gets stuck when you turn it off and on again. then it just stays stuck on “connecting to wifi” i tried to do a CWM recovery and reset the unit to factory settings and simply reinstalled all utility apps i use. no help….
its still stuck. I tried looking for the stock rom of the Karbonn S1 Titanium online but there seems to be no one who did a stock rom backup of this yet. no help from the CM website either. can somebody please create a stock rom ZIP for this just in case others encounter the same issues i did?
Courtney Parabas says:
I have the same problem. Looking for solution :(((
akosijf says:
ask ko lang po regarding on this unit..ideal ba siya sa mobile browsing gamitin? thanks
boomboompow says:
i prefer bigger screens kasi malaki fingers ko :D
UdontSay says:
Bat adreno 203? dapat 225 at tsaka bat ang processor ay 1.2?
Rex says:
Grabe Maganda itong phone na ito…
nagamit ko na xa as if 2 weeks na sya sakin ngayon
the phone is smooth
the touch is good!
but there such thing na ayaw ko dito is
*Ung Screen nagiging Holographic in other angles
dapat nasa front mo ung screen
*the Battery Life isnt good enough
*ung cam po kapag madilim ng onti or may shade ung lugar blurred. ok sana kung 8 mp ung cam
-pero ok na ito…
you still get more what you pay
Thumbs Up na rin sa CM!
i assure you guys na kung bibili kayo nito worth it!
Kevin A. says:
Kuya rex… maganda po ba flame 2.0… ano po mas maganda flame 2.0 or flare 2x…?
iamshyboi says:
i just want to ask..kapag nagseset ako ng own time ko. nagkakaconflict naman sa messages ko..network time padin ang gamit ng narerecieve kong messages kaya mas nauuna. ,even inuncheck ko naman sa settings nya,.,please help..
lawrence says:
You can use SMS Time Fix which can be found on the Playstore. i had the same issue with my CM Flare. I used this neat little aopp and never had a problem since.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mattprecious.smsfix&hl=en
Donna says:
Good day,
I just want to know if they accept 0% using credit card?
Diwata Jopia says:
I got mine a week ago. I have observe that the dual-shot is not functioning in my unit. To my surprise the store attendee insist that the dual camera function only function one at a time. So I show him the User’s Manual (p.15), so what do I expect? He don’t know either how to activate the so called “Split-Frame” which you say “dual-shot”.
Can somebody help how to activate the function, what setting should I? TIA
Louie Diangson says:
Check camera settings and make sure you’re shooting at a 16:9 aspect ratio (doesn’t work at 4:3).
markdean says:
hi ask ko lang po kung pano ko po maturn-off yung shutter sound kapag nagkukuha ako ng pictures gamit ang flame 2.0?
hindi ko po kasi makita sa settings,.,.,salamat.
Enzo says:
Hi.. Bought this flame 2.0 a week ago. indeed a nice phone w/ nice specs. just wondering if anyone of you experienced difficulty in the use of the touchscreen?im not saying the touchscreen is bad..as a matter of fact,the sensitivity is good,it so happened that I had an experience of poor sensitivity on the lower part of the screen for a few minutes then it went fine after that.. Thank you.
Diwata Jopia says:
yes, i have experience that several times, especially when i’m running application and at the same time downloading application. since it’s only 6,999, i forget complaining about the issue. also check other application that is trying to download adware or ads together with the free apps you have downloaded
Diwata Jopia says:
many thanks Louie Diangson, it works now.
karlo says:
Kakabili ko LNG into sq Chery for 5,999 nka sale kasi siya, all in all good siya sunlit tlga bnyad no… Pedro major con ko Baja IPA replace ko to kasi ubg ¼ nung screen is not responsive..
lovely says:
hi po .. may ask lang po ako ..i have this phone .. and i tried to use skype po .. kaya lang … hnidi gumgana ung front cam ko .. even ung back cam rin … pano po bah un e fix? ..
debong says:
tried skype and it works just fine . nagamit ko yung front cam kaso kapag magswiswitch ako from front cam to back cam nagblablack sya and then wala ngyayari . ewan kung bakit hopefully may tumulong satin
jhe says:
nag buy kong flame 2.0 may 1,2013 after 3 days nagkaroon ng problema ang keypad nag automatic sya ng mga letter.pinapapalitan ko sa sales lady pinalitan nmn. but, sinabi nya sa aking susunod daw pagnagkaroon uli ng problema d na raw pedeng palitan…hayyy
james says:
pwd bang gumamit ng ibang battery sa cm Flame 2.0??
Lem Alibadbad says:
Wala namang FM Radio ha?
crizzan bel colubio says:
interested po ako sa phone, kasi mganda nman po ang mga features nya, pro hnd k pa po nkikita yung phone, magpapabili lng ako.
#cgurado po ba kayo na walang FM Radio? ?
:)
Rod says:
hi everyone. does anyone know what i can do to fix my malfunctioning G-sensor? it was functioning a couple of weeks after i bought it then one day it just decided to stop working. i already reset it to factory settings and still the g-sensor isnt functioning. i really hope somebody can help me. salamat!
xyrex says:
Hi,
i’ve been using Flame 2.0 since april… Im problem with the rotate screen. It’s working now… Anyone who can help me?
xyrex says:
Hi,
I’ve been using Flame 2.0 since April… I’m having problem with the rotate screen. It’s not working now… Anyone knows how to fix it?
ace1930 says:
Bakit po ganun. Kapag magpopost ako ng video sa instagdam tapus gamit ko ung camera sa likud lumalabas “cannot connect to camera# perokapag front pwede? Ganun po ba talaga? Hope magresponse po kayo. Salamat
saint says:
yong batter ng CM-flame2.0 ko ayaw namang magcharge hanggang sa 15% lang siya tapos wala na hanggang dyn nlng siya.kailangan ko tuloy i-connect sa computer ko para magamit.pero ayaw talaga mag charge hanggang 15% lang..meron bang pwedeng tumulong jan?
maan says:
d aq makapg access sa internet ayaw maconfigure ng settings ko, any help?
Jiselle Dela Cruz says:
Good afternoon yung cousin ko kasi my phone syang flame 2.0 pero hindi nya magamit ang front camera pag nag sskype… ako lang ang nkikita nya.. pano ba mggmit ang front cam pag video calls??? hope for ur response thanks
iamshyboi07 says:
san merong software update for flame?? please help//..
James Harry says:
while im listening music with my cherry mobile Flare 2.0 the sound suddenly cuts out. we already did a factory reset and still sound is not working. and in additional when we turned off the mobile phone, there is a sound coming out but just for a split second and also i can get sound when using headphone but no sound on the speaker. i just had this phone for a month and this realy make me aggravated. please help.
jeffrey says:
bakit di ako makaconnect sa wifi mga sir pag scan ko connect tapos un di parin pede
silcax says:
baka di recognize ang mac mo,, isa kasi yan sa security features ng ibang router brands
tinang says:
who can help me how to fix the auto rotate on my cm flame 2.0? auto rotate on settings are already marked check. tried downloading 2 auto rotate apps but stil wont work.pls…
Aldrin says:
Ano po ba gmet nyong music player sa flame 2.0 kse prang hndi gnun kganda ang quality ng music player eh. Plss help
Richard says:
Magkano yung usable ram ni Flame 2.0