Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt Review: Quad-Core Tablet Right on the Budget

Fusion Bolt, Cherry Mobile
Cherry Mobile Fusion Bold Ad
Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt is one of the most awaited Android tablet in the market.  Why is that so?  It would be one of the first, if not, Quad-core processor in the market with the latest Android version, Jellybean 4.1 as the OS and is priced at a whooping 3,999 pesos only.  Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt will be officially out in the market tomorrow.  Cherry Mobile, just like the Flare Day wayback November, now will launch the Fusion Mania Day tomorrow starting 12:00 Noon.  What is best about this release is that they are giving surprise gift - this is a powerbank freebie to the first 50 buyers, but of course, we can expect a long line and long wait just like the Flare Day.  But before you go there tomorrow as early as 7:00AM, you better check first this review so that you know what to expect with the big bang to the buck tablet of Cherry Mobile.

Well just to let you know that the Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt is a prototype of the Ainol Novo 7 Venus II.  They just replaced the back cover but everything looks the same as the original.  So yes, it is just rebranded from the Ainol Novo 7 series.  Just check the reputation of the Ainol Tablets as well.

Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt Specs:
  • 1GHz A9 Quadcore Processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • Vivante GC1000+ GPU
  • 8GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 32Gb
  • 7-inch HD IPS Capacitive Touchscreen
  • WiFi b/g/n
  • Supports external 3G dongle
  • 5-point multitouch display
  • 2.0 Megapixel rear-facing camera
  • 0.3 Megapixel VGA front-facing camera
  • mini HDMI slot
  • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
  • 4,000mAh Battery
  • 186.2mm x 126.9mm x 10.8mm
  • 320 grams
  • Comes in black or white
  • Suggested Retail Price: Php3,999
Physical Feel of the Fusion Bolt

Fusion Bolt Front
Front Face of the Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt


The Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt doesn't feel cheap at all when you get hold of it.  You would not even think that this device is only 3,999 pesos.  It has a solid feel and doesn't feel plastic at all and you can even think that this device is roughly 8,000-10,000 pesos.  Why did I say this so, because the screen is so good, brightness is really good due mainly to its IPS screen (IPS - it means that even if you are viewing the screen on an extreme angle, you get to still have the brilliant screen detail, and not only a mere light).    Secondly, the back cover of this Fusion Bolt has a feel of the Asus Google Nexus 7, which is more of a rubberized finish.

The IPS screen is really impressive and at par with the Asus Google Nexus 7 since it has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels with are quite competitive given the price of this tablet.  The colors, crisp and quality are highly commendable and able to edge up with other branded tablets in the market.
Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt Front Face Standing
The Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt has all the needed ports on the sides like microSD slot, micro USB slot, mini HDMI slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the power slot for the power cable.  And you can check on the top  side part of this device the power button and/or power lock and the volume rocker.
Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt Side
Performance Check:  Don't set TOO MUCH expectations
AnTuTu Benchmark of the Fusion Bolt based from Cherry Mobile Site
According to the official Cherry Mobile website, the benchmark that they gained is 11,932 which is quite to be tolerable given the specs of this tablet but from what other benchmark test that was conducted this was the results taken:
Another AnTuTu Benchmark test
Of which we can say that this 5,378 benchmark is quite disappointing for a Quad-core tablet and with a Jellybean 4.1. platform.  The low score could be due to the RAM and GPU of the Fusion Bolt.  The unit uses a 1GHz A9 Quadcore Processor Actions Semiconductor ATM 7029 of which are quite new to the ears of the gadget freaks.  You cannot compare this quad-core to you typical Samsung S III expections or other quad-core brands in the market.  It is more of the cheaper version of quad-core so do set your expectations that much.  The RAM is also running only on 716MB and not the full 1Gb as expected.


Gaming Experience
Temple Run 2 on a Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt
Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt is a great deal for you typical games like Temple Run 2, it doesn't have lags and don't have a problem with the gyroscope just like the Cherry Mobile Flare problem before.  You just have to set the games into the medium settings because as what was stated a while ago, the GPU and RAM is not enough for this.  At times you can experience slow graphics especially if you use this on High Settings mode. And if you are able to run heavy graphical game like Dead Zone or NBA 2K13, I think you will be experiencing lags and some slow graphics performance.
Heavy Graphic Game
Battery Performance and Camera
The Fusion Bolt has a great battery with 4,000 mAh capacity.  It will give you enough time to do everything from browsing, social networking, gaming, music tripping and picture moments with your friends.  Roughly this will give you 6-11 hours in the making in a day in heavy usage.

If you are after the high quality camera, well this is not for you since the back camera is only 2 Megapixels, but it is already tolerable for your typical picture.  It doesn't have a flash but will give you a good one so far.  As to the front camera, don't expect too much since it is only 0.3 Megapixel, bearable enough for a Skype Video call.  If you are a high standard camera whore, you have to think twice on this part.

Overall Verdict
Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt can be further improved.  It is also a very promising gadget.  But given the price of only 3,999 pesos, this is worth it already.  REMINDER GUYS:  This tablet cannot accommodate your SIM card so it doesn't have the call and text feature using your cellphone networks.  Physicality is very good but the software can be optimized further for better gaming experience.  The only bad side is the marketing side of Cherry Mobile, saying that it is 4x the speed, therefore the expectations of the consumers are so high, giving it an edge over the other branded quad-cores in the market.  If it is just simple task performance like social networking and the like, we can say that it is fast enough but not as fast as your typical Samsung Quad-core, but hey!  It is only 3,999 pesos!


picture credits:  Cherry Mobile, Unbox.ph

26 comments:

  1. try to flash it to novo 7 venus lite firmware like yugatech did and try again to see its benchmark.

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    Replies
    1. San po nakukuha ung firmware na sinasabi nyo? sa Google Store or the store mismo na pinagbilhan ng CM fusion bolt?

      May bayad ba?

      Delete
  2. http://www.yugatech.com/personal-computing/cm-fusion-bolt-gets-a-boost-with-new-firmware/

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  3. Thsnks for the share! I will do this and post some reviews about it.

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  4. I will try flashing the ROM now and I will post the results of this.

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  5. pwede ba to sa streaming sa radio and watching tv sa iwantv?

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  6. Pwede po basta mabilis ang internet nyo. It will still depend sa bilis ng internet. I tried aksyonTV radio streaming ok naman.

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  7. sure kang A9? I heard na A5 lang daw yan.

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  8. Sir yan ang nakalagay sa "market" nila the same with their Press Release but I think also na A5 lang kasi it was just rebranded from Ainol e. then medyo dinowngrade kasi nga para mabenta ng mas mura.

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  9. We know for a fact na its a marketing strategy so you really have to feel the whole process to assess.

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  10. UPDATE: As of the moment daw po ay ubos na ang stock nila sa SM North EDSA.

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  11. pwede ba magamit ang smartbrodband or globe tatoo sa fusion bolt tab???

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  12. na initial charge kona ng 4hours nka off... tpos ginamit ko nung gabi... half pa un battery nung off ko tpos pag gising ko ng umaga drained na un battery... simot... 0% battery T_T ayus ah...

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  13. nako saklap naman nyan. di kaya yan grounded? kasi bigla nalang nagdrain e.

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  14. mine not working anymore, cannot detect and connect to wifi. sayang 4K hay!!

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  15. Diko namalayan biglang na drain na ang battery ng fusion bolt ko? Ano ang dapat gawin? Ilang oras ito kung i charge?

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  16. Diko namalayan biglang na drain na ang battery ng fusion bolt ko? Ano ang dapat gawin? Ilang oras ito kung i charge?

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  17. bakit di ko ma-expand yung memory nya gamit ng removable sd card?

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  18. "Roughly this will give you 6-11 hours in the making in a day in heavy usage" - is this true po? COz mine last to 5-6 hours only of continous usage. Should I get the battery replaced?

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  19. Yun Battery ko naglalast ng 5-6 hours of continous usage. is that normal po?

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  20. ask q lng san pd bumili ng usb adaptor ung iba daw sv sold seperately un.ask q lng din if pd ung ibang gaming emulator jan like gba,nds and psp.w8 4 response thanks.

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  21. kagabi my sister's fusion bolt was charging. tapos mga 84% na sya.. then the power went out tapos biglang nag-zero %. hanggang ngayon she can't use it without plugging it in. anyare??!

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  22. hindi aq mka pag video call sa skype .....

    ReplyDelete