We were sent a review unit of the Cherry Mobile W500 Titan last week and we know that a lot of you are eagerly waiting to read our thoughts about the local mobile phone brand’s latest release. Well, here it is!
SPECIFICATIONS:
OS: Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Processor: MTK MT6577 1GHz Dual-Core Processor
Display: 480 x 800 pixels, 5.0” Capacitive Touch Panel
Wireless Connections: HSDPA (Both SIM 1 & SIM 2), Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi B/G/N , FM Radio, GPS/A-GPS
Memory: 4GB Internal Storage, MicroSD up to 32GB, 512MB RAM
Connectors: Micro USB port
Camera: 5.0MP (Main), VGA Camera (Front)
Battery: 2,350 mAh
SRP: Php 6,490.00
The Cherry Mobile Titan Unboxed.
Give Me Five!
The Cherry Mobile Titan sports a large 5” capacitive display making it the biggest phone among its lineup to date. The size of the phone and display would give an initial impression that it’s a “Phablet”. It is actually an oversized smartphone that has now gained acceptance in the market for users who wanted to have a larger screen. Having used a Samsung Galaxy S3 for the past 4 months, it was quite a disappointment to find out that the resolution of the Titan only has 480 x 800 pixels. I really think Cherry Mobile should increase its resolution to take advantage of its large screen. The quality of the display doesn’t boast, but it’s good enough to view photos, videos and websites. Speaking of videos, you can watch your favorite movies or TV series on the Titan while on another task by enabling its pop-up video feature. Now that’s something to boast about!
That Executive Form Factor
I’m a sucker for Executive-looking phones and the Cherry Mobile Titan impressed me with its form-factor. The device definitely feels solid and I’m pretty sure users will feel that they paid a good amount of money with the Titan’s looks and feel. It comes with an optional flip cover to make it more like a businessman’s phone. Simply remove the original back cover and replace with the flip cover (which is attached to its own back cover) and you’re good to go.
Twice The Speed
The Titan is the first smartphone I’ve used to have a Dual-Core 1GHz processor powered by Taiwanese giant MediaTek. I experienced a bit of lag a couple of times whenever I open the Application Drawer. I realized that this would only happen after turning on the phone, so when I opened the app drawer on the second and third time, I was able to feel the snappiness of MTK’s Dual-Core chipset. To be honest, I was kind of skeptical on MTK’s processor but after days of multi-tasking on the Titan, MTK finally got my vote of confidence. It worked as it should with Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich operating system (why not JellyBean?!), and I never experienced any lags whenever I switch from one application to another.
Size Comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S3
Two SIMs are Better than One!
I have tested a few Dual-SIM Smartphones ever since they became available in the market and the Cherry Mobile Titan impressed me in this department. The Titan is on Dual-Standby, meaning you can receive calls and SMS on both SIM Cards without having to switch to a main working SIM. Making calls or creating SMS is very easy. After dialing a number, it will give an option on which SIM Card to use to make a call or send an SMS. One of the things I really like with this smartphone’s Dual-SIM management is the ability to switch 3G connectivity on both SIM Cards, so if I want to use 3G data on my 2nd SIM, all I need to do is go to settings and make the switch. Just to let everyone know with other Dual-SIM Smartphones I have used before, I had to turn the power off, remove the battery and switch the SIM cards.
Camera
Battery Life
The Cherry Mobile Titan comes with a 2,350 mAh battery and I was very curious on how it would handle a Dual-SIM Android Smartphone powered by a Dual-Core processor. So I turned on all notifications, 3G data on, Viber on (also had to use Skype for work-related calls), and do all the stuff I would normally do on my main phone. The results were impressive! On an average, I would still have at least 35% of battery juice left before my bedtime. Heck, there was even a time that the Titan’s battery juice lasted for 1 day & 6 hours on a single charge! (with WiFi left on while I was asleep so it can still receive notifications).
Bottomline
A few strangers (including a security guard in Starbucks) were curious about the phone I was reviewing and I made them guess how much it costs. They’re aware it’s a unit from Cherry Mobile but they still think that the phone would cost at least Php 10,000.00. The looks on their faces were priceless after telling them that the regular price of the Titan is only Php 6,490! So do we recommend the Cherry Mobile Titan? If you like an oversize phone like those Phablets with Dual-SIM, by all means yes! However, it’s still not a Phablet, but if you want to treat it like one you can buy a cheap stylus for 30 bucks.
Likes:
- Huge Screen
- Dual-Core Processor
- Switch 3G Connection on either SIM card
- Long Battery life
Dislikes:
- 400 x 840 screen resolution. Cherry Mobile should consider increasing it to maximize the large screen.
- Ice Cream Sandwich is better than Gingerbread, but why not Jellybean?
- Not a Phablet (would have been the cheapest one!)
- Camera takes poor indoor shots
