Pop or Flop: “Pop Talk” reviews three Pinoy quad-core phones

Pinoy smartphones with quad-core processors are now available on the market. Will they pass the “Pop Talk” review?

If you’re the kind of smartphone user who likes running a lot of applications on your phone all at the same time, you may be interested in getting a device with a quad-core processor.  Compared to mobile phones with dual-core processors, these powerful mobiles devices operate faster. Luckily, there are a number of affordable Pinoy-branded quad-core smartphones on the market today.

“Ang malaki niyang nakakatulong is yung mga 3D games, ganyan, mga barilan, racing games, hindi siya masyadong humihinto,” explained Alexei Rivera, the techie expert behind the blog The Technoclast and the Big Time Show podcast. He added: “Nakakatulong din siya sa pag-record ng video kasi mas marami siyang pixels na nakukuha. Pag nagple-play ka ng high-resolution movies, mga malalaking video, hindi siya nagla-lag. Malaking matutulong niya kung marami kang apps na gusto talagang pinapaandar.”

To learn more about quad-core processors, “Pop Talk” host Tonipet Gaba, Web Safety Philippines tech expert Sonnie Santos, Lady Eagle and techie student Gretchen Ho, and Kapuso actress Jennica Garcia reviewed three Pinoy quad-core phones.

Cherry Mobile Omega HD 2.0
Price: P8,999



The Cherry Mobile Omega HD 2.0 uses the Dragontrail Glass Technology which makes it scratch-proof. The proof? The phone remained scratch-free even after the “Pop Talk” reviewers intentionally scraped it with a cutter. Gretchen found this feature useful, saying: “For me very important yung scratch-free siya. Busy kasi akong tao so hindi ko na napapansin kung saan ko nilalagay yung phone ko.”



Even after Jennica and Sonnie tried opening a game and playing a video at once, the Cherry Mobile Omega HD 2.0 didn’t show any signs of lagging. Sonnie advised: “Subukan mong i-fast forward and i-rewind [yung video]. Doon natin makikita ang smoothness ng phone.”

Gretchen was also happy with the phone’s 12-megapixel camera. She said: “Nagulat ako kasi ‘di ko akalain na ganito pala kalinaw yung camera ng Cherry Mobile. Sobrang kayang tapatan nito yung mga foreign brands.” However, she also observed that the phone’s touch-screen feature became less responsive while she was using the camera.

Despite this, Gretchen said: “The phone, I think, is very sleek. It looks like an international branded phone. When it comes to the applications, it also features the same applications as those international brands na mahal.”

According to Sonnie: “Snappy siya, responsive doon sa swiping. Tinitignan ko yung different apps, nagre-respond, mabilis. Probably because it’s quad-core.”

Final verdict: 8 pop points

Starmobile Knight
Price: P11,290



The Star Mobile Knight is dubbed as a “selfie phone” because of its 18-megapixel main camera and 8-megapixel front camera features. Both cameras have an autofocus function. Aside from this, the Star Mobile Knight is made of Corning Gorilla Glass which makes its screen scratch-resistant. The “Pop Talk” reviewers tried scratching the phone with a fork, but it remained damage-free.



Multitaskers will also like this phone because it gives the user the ability to text and play a video at the same time without lagging. Jennica said: “Ang pinaka-gusto ko dito sa phone na ito yung pop-in niya na ability. Kasi yung feature na ‘yon, it allows you to literally multitask.”

“What I like about this Star Mobile phone is while taking a video, you can take pictures din,” shared Jennica. Gretchen agreed: “If you want to capture the perfect moment in action, okay ‘to.”

Final verdict: 9 pop points

Torque Droidz Motion
Price: P7,999



The most affordable Pinoy phone with a quad-core processor at the moment is the Torque Droidz Motion. This phone also passed the “Pop Talk” scratch-free test after being scratched with keys.

Another feature of this phone is its smile detection option which enables it to automatically take pictures when you smile. Sonnie thought this is a good innovation while Jennica wished that the phone’s front camera also had the same feature.



“Mas malaki nang kaunti yung keyboard niya. At least para sa akin, hindi ako nagkakamali ng pindot,” said Sonnie after testing the phone’s texting features. For its graphics, Gretchen observed: “Very clear yung video niya saka very responsive. ‘Di nagla-lag.”

Jennica, on the other hand, appreciated the Torque Droidz Motion’s size. She said: “Gusto ko yung laki niya kasi tama lang. Madali kong makita yung images tapos ... yung color quality gusto ko din.”

To test the phone’s processing power, Sonnie tried swiping its screen repeatedly: “Nakikita natin na hindi siya nagba-buffer, hindi siya tumitirik.” He also tested it by using several applications at once: “Ilang apps na ang ating ginamit, maganda pa rin ang performance niya bilang quad-core phone.”

Final verdict: 8 pop points

–Lara Gonzales/PF, GMA News