Starmobile Diamond X1: A hands-on review

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine smartphone manufacturer Starmobile is set to release before the end of January its first smartphone for 2014, the 6-inch Diamond X1 phablet.

The headline feature of the Diamond X1 is it's 8-core processor. 

While we've seen octa-core-powered smartphones before – like on the non-LTE variant of the Galaxy S4, which came with an 8-core Exynos processor – the 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek processor on the Diamond X1 uses all 8 cores at once. 

PERFORMANCE

Other specs include 2GB of RAM and 8GB of free space. The built-in space is a bit disappointing – we would have wanted to see at least 16GB on the X1. The operating system takes up about 1GB of space, and pre-installed apps, another 5G, so you'll benefit from an optional microSD card. Starmobile supports up to 64GB, but they recommend going with a 32GB card instead. 

While the X1 is now Starmobile’s top-of-the-line phablet, it doesn’t come with a Full HD display like the Diamond V7. We’re told this is to ensure the “best possible performance.” Surprisingly this shouldn’t make the phone any less desirable. In fact, the 720p IPS display looked pretty good, despite struggling under direct sunlight. In the future, we’d also like to see darker blacks, but this is really nitpicking; colors were vibrant under normal lighting conditions.    

WATCH OUR HANDS-ON REVIEW:

SPECS:

Processor: 1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek processor

GPU: Mali-450MP4 @ 700Mhz

RAM: 2GB

Storage: 8GB (expandable to 64GB via micro SD card)

Display: 6-inch HD IPS (1280 x 720)  / Asahi scratch resistant glass

Camera: 18MP AF + BSI / 8MP BSI

Battery: 2300 mAh

OS: Android 4.2.2

Dual SIM (one standard size, one microSIM)

Dual Band WiFi (2.4GHz, 5GHz)

WiFi / Bluetooth

Yamaha Speakers

3G / HSPA+

CAMERA

Starmobile writes its own image processing algorithms for its smartphones and, as a result, outperforms competition in the camera department. While we didn’t have the time to take comparison photos, Starmobile promises the X1 takes better photos than the V7.  

DESIGN

Aside from the octa-core processor, design is the other feature worth noting about the X1.

With this release, Starmobile veers away from the plasticky build that has been it's trademark. The phone sports an aluminum back plate and frame that gives the phone a premium look and feel. 

When it comes to smartphones, first impressions matter, and when we first saw the X1, it immediately looked and felt like something we wouldn’t mind using.

Because the phone employs a one-glass solution (OGS), the X1 is Starmobile’s thinnest yet at 7mm. The 6-inch display is made of Asahi scratch-resistant glass, which we would have loved to test out but couldn’t, in deference to it being one of the first X1’s ever.

The back plate is still removable, although removing it is not as straightforward as usual. Instead of just popping off the back case, you remove a plastic cover from the lower back part of the phone first, then slide the back plate off. 

Two Yamaha speakers located on the top and bottom of the back of the phone provide pretty good audio when playing music via the phone’s speakers. 

SOFTWARE 

Small touches – like adding a RETURN button to its texting app (because Filipinos like to text in length) and pre-installing a host of video codecs to its media player – are touches they are proud of. 

We also liked the iOS-like assistive touch feature, which made it easier to access menu, back, and home buttons. We preferred using these onscreen shortcuts than the buttons on the bottom of the phone which, on a tablet of this size, were quite a stretch to reach for. 

The company has also developed an app called Starmobile Sync that allows the transfer of contacts from any phone via Bluetooth.     

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

The Starmobile Diamond X1 is available in white and black and will retail for P13,999 when it hits retail stores and kiosks on January 30. – Rappler.com

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