Starmobile Crystal vs. Cherry Mobile Flame: Specs Fight!

The battle for the 4.5-inch qHD Android ICS smartphone is now starting to heat up! Starmobile has finally launched its newest Android Phone with a 4.5-inch qHD IPS display called Starmobile Crystal, while the Cherry Mobile Flame is the newest 4.5-inch smartphone from Cherry Mobile. With that a lot of people are asking which is better between the two? So, aside from their looks, can you really tell the difference between the two? If not, let’s look at their specs side-by-side after the jump.

Starmobile Crystal vs. Cherry Mobile Flame
Starmobile Crystal	Cherry Mobile Flame
MediaTek MT6577 1GHz dual-core processor, ARMv7	Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 1.2GHz dual-core processor, ARMv7
PowerVR SGX531 GPU	Adreno 203 GPU
Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)	Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
4.5-inch qHD (540 x 960 pixels) IPS Capacitive touchscreen 5-point multi-touch feature (245ppi)	4.5-inch qHD (540 x 960 pixels) IPS Capacitive touchscreen 5-point multi-touch feature (245ppi)
512MB RAM	512MB RAM
4GB of internal storage	4GB of internal storage
microSD up to 32GB	microSD up to 32GB
8MP auto-focus BSI camera with LED flash (Rear-facing)	5MP auto-focus camera with LED flash (Rear-facing)
2MP camera (Front-facing)	VGA Camera (Front-facing)
720p HD video recording	720p HD video recording
Dual Sim / Dual Standby	Dual SIM / Dual Standby
Bluetooth / WiFi / WiFi hotspot	Bluetooth / WiFi / WiFi hotspot
microUSB 2.0 / 3.5mm audio jack	microUSB 2.0 / 3.5mm audio jack
GSM 900/1800 (Dual-band)	GSM 900/1800/1900 (Tri-band)
3G network support (UMTS 850/2100MHz)	3G network support (UMTS 2100MHz)
GPS with A-GPS support	GPS with A-GPS support
Google Play Store (Google Market)	Google Play Store (Google Market)
Li-Pol 1,700 mAh battery	Li-ion 1,800 mAh battery
Talk time up 7 hours	Talk time up 5 hours
Standby time up 250 hours	Standby time up 200 hours
Php7,990 (SRP)	Php6,299 (SRP)

If you can see both the Starmobile Crystal and the Cherry Mobile Flame have the same RAM, internal storage and both have GPU's that can play Angry Birds, Bad Piggies, Temple Run and is compatible with Adobe Flash, but the Starmobile Crystal edges the Cherry Mobile Flame with its superior 8MP backside illumination (BSI) camera, 2MP front camera and dual-band UMTS connectivity, while the Cherry Mobile Flame only edges the Starmobile Crystal with its tri-band GSM connectivity, 1,800mAh battery and its unbelievably low price of just Php6,299 only!

Now, which phone wins the fight?

Note:
A back-illuminated sensor (BSI), is a type of digital image sensor that uses a novel arrangement of the imaging elements to increase the amount of light captured and thereby improve low-light performance. The technique was used for some time in specialized roles like low-light security cameras and astronomy sensors, but was complex to build and required further refinement to become widely used.

Update: 
- According to AnTuTu Benchmark v3.0.3, the processor of the Cherry Mobile Flame is a Qualcomm MSM8625 Snapdragon S4 and not MSM8225. The phone also comes with VGA front camera according to specs found at the back of the retail box.
- The MediaTek MT6577 is faster than the Qualcomm MSM8225 S4. The MT6577 is a dual-core Cortex A9 while the MSM8225 S4 is a dual-core Cortex A5. The A5 is more efficient, but peak performance the A9 beats it handily. However, it the speed difference is pretty negligible for general usage. It'll only be apparent in benchmarks and games. Thanks AnaIvanovic2!

If you own one of this phone, please share some of your experiences and opinions about this phone, so that others may be aware of it. Thanks!

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