Cherry Mobile V3 Hands-on, First Impressions

Cherry Mobile is known for its wide-range of mobile phone offerings at affordable price points, from feature phones to smartphones. If you’re looking for the former, with some extra features, then you might want to take a look at the Cherry Mobile V3.

The Cherry Mobile V3, like the Cherry Mobile V2, is not your typical feature phone thanks to its premium feel and slim design. While some feature phones sport boring looks and a cheap build, the V3 features a brushed metal finish. It also has chamfered edges and tapered sides at the back which makes it look and feel thinner than it already is.

On the front are the 1.5-inch TFT color LCD, the earpiece, and the plastic T9 backlit keys with gold accents. The keys provide good tactility, are clicky but firm.

Found at the bottom are the microphone, micro USB port, and the dual-SIM hybrid card tray. It can accommodate a microSIM at the SIM1 slot and a nano-SIM at the SIM2 slot. The SIM2 slot also functions as the microSD card slot.

In the hands, the V3 is easy to hold thanks to its slim body. If you’re used to holding a smartphone, holding the V3 would feel like you’re holding a tiny TV remote control.

What’s nice about the V3 is that it includes a jelly case in the package. It funny at first considering that a feature phone is expected to be tough and doesn’t need such accessory, but it’s actually a good idea to further prolong its life.

Now onto its features. The V3 has its own File Manager to navigate the contents of your microSD card and a music player to play your favorite tunes. It doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio port, but you can instead use the earphones included in the package that connect to the phone via micro USB. Other features include a calendar, calculator, and alarm, but what stands out is its Bluetooth Dialer feature.

What it does, is it connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and it will function as an extension of your primary device, allowing you to remotely make calls, receive notifications, send SMS, and control its camera on the V3. Before that happens though, you will need to install the MediaTek SmartDevice app on your Android phone.

Once installed, it can now start to receive notifications, retrieve SMS, and make calls remotely. So far it works well and has decent call quality as we had no problems hearing or being heard by the person on the other line. This feature is very handy especially if you’re outside and don’t want to take out your primary phone in unsafe locations.

The Cherry Mobile V3 is now available for purchase for Php1,499USD 26INR 2,165EUR 24CNY 186.

Cherry Mobile V3 specs:
1.5-inch TFT LCD
Dual-SIM Hybrid
GPRS Class 12
microSD up to 32GB
Multimedia Player
Bluetooth with dialer function