Cloudfone Thrill 430x - 4.3-inch phone with a 4160 mAh battery

When we think of Android smartphones, we normally think of established brands like Samsung, HTC, Sony, Motorola and LG. Lately, lesser known brands have been giving good reason to look at newer players.  Earlier this month you had Cherry Mobile announcing its dual SIM Flare which features a 4-icnch WVGA (480 x 800 display), a dual core 1.2 GHz processor on a Qualcomm a MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 chipset and Adreno 203 GPU graphics, for a introductory price of Php3,999. Later this month, the ZTE Grand X brought a larger 4.3-inch display with a higher qHD (540 x 960) resolution to the realm of low cost smartphones. 

Now we have the Cloudfone Thrill 430x.  This phone features the same dual core 1.2 GHz processor on a Qualcomm  MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 chipset and Adreno 203 GPU, as the Cherry Mobile Flare. Like the ZTE Grand X, it has a 4.3-inch qHD display. Priced at Php7,777, it sits between the Flare and Grand X price wise. As a killer blow, the Thrill 430x has an enormous 4160MHz battery.

The other specifications are typical of entry level smartphones these days. The Cloudfone Thrill 430x comes with Android 4.0, offers 4 GB of internal storage (expandable by MicroSD card), has a secondary camera, HSDPA connectivity, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth. It does come with a 8 MP primary camera, which is bigger than the usual 5 MP camera's you find in other entry level smartphones, but the performance is not all that much better than a 5 MP camera.

Now this is a big phone, a bit over 14 mm thick and weighing in at 182 grams, so it is not for everybody. But with a 4160 mAh battery, you really cannot expect it to be slim and light.

Between the three, the Cherry Mobile Flare is the budget king, the Cloudfone Thrill 430x will rule endurance category, and the ZTE Grand X will cater to those looking for a phone from an established manufacturer.  Basically, it looks like at the below 10K price range, the established players will be having a hard time fielding competing devices, and the Cloudfone Thrill 430x will be a top choice in this arena for a long time to come.