Starmobile released another selfie centric smartphone called the Starmobile Up HD a couple of weeks ago. And we are so lucky that Starmobile gave us the opportunity to review the Up HD. They company has not a newbie when it comes to offering smartphones with for selfies. In fact, they have around four other phones with excellent front facing cameras – the Diamond D3, Muse, Up Lite and the Octa. So, how the the Up HD fared on our tests (including camera tests)? Read on with the review.
Starmobile Up HD:
- 1.3GHz Quad Core Mediatek MT6582 processor
- Mali 400MP graphics
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB internal memory expandable via MicroSD up to 32GB
- 4.7-inch HD IPS LCD display (1280 x 720 pixels) 312 ppi
- 8 megapixel rear facing camera with autofocus, BSI and LED flash
- 5 megapixel front facing camera with flash
- Dual SIM, Dual Standby (Standard + Micro)
- HSPA+, WiFi, WiFi hotspot, Bluetooth
- Miracast ready, Chromecast support
- GPS, A-GPS
- 1,800 mAh battery
- Android 4.4 Kitkat
- SRP: P4,990
- Status: Available on Starmobile stores and kiosks
Related story – Starmobile Up HD Unboxing and First Impressions
HARDWARE AND DESIGN:
Well you can’t really deny where Starmobile got their inspiration with the Up HD. Fooling most of your friends that you may be holding an Apple iPhone 6 will be very possible. Just like any other Starmobile we’ve reviewed it is well built and very solid. It is surprising light and nice to hold because of its slim profile. Having a phone this size remains to be a sweet spot for many of us because we normally have small hands, especially girls. Speaker quality is loud enough and your third party earphones will work here.
DISPLAY:
One main selling feature is the display. All smartphones belonging to the UP series does not have HD displays. It is a good thing that this phone has an HD display. Now you can enjoy playing games and watching videos in HD quality. The 4.7-inch display may be big enough for some when it comes to gaming, but it has good sunlight and outdoor visibility. Colors do pop here!
SOFTWARE AND PERFORMANCE:
The company decided to put the tried and tested quad core MT6582 processor from Mediatek. It is a decent performer and it can play midsize games like Clash of Clans. It can run games memory hogging games like Dead Trigger or Asphalt 8 but it might not run properly due to limited 1GB RAM. Yes there are lags here and there but it is most of the time smooth and fluid. We advise you to download app cleaners like Clean Master to maintain your phone’s optimum performance.
CAMERA:
Another main selling feature! Despite having only an 8 megapixel rear camera, photos appeared to be really good. Back Side Illumination (BSI) works well in low light situations and the flash works fine it you need it. Selfies are better in the dark with the help of the front facing flash.
CONNECTIVITY:
Calls and text messaging works fine with the UP HD. Internet connectivity using Globe and Smart SIMs works fine on places where signal is at best. WiFi works fine too. 🙂
BATTERY:
You might be thinking that the 1,800 mAh battery might fall short but to our surprise, it didn’t. Since we are heavy smartphone users, we managed to get 8 hours of battery life with 12% power left. We had an average of 4 hours and 9 minutes of screen on-time during our battery drain tests. That includes an hour of Spotify, an hour of iWantv and You Tube, an hour of games, web browsing, camera shootouts, and social media at auto brightness, GPS on, WiFi and HSPA+ on.
VERDICT:
Looking for a selfie camera on a smartphone at a more compact, pocket-friendly size? Then look nowhere else. Get the Starmobile Up HD for only P4,990. Plus, you have a bonus of fooling people that you own an iPhone. 🙂
If you already own one please do share your experience with us. Got questions? Tweet and follow @filipinotechie on Twitter and @immarkmarcelo on Instagram
