So I've been using my CM Alpha Luxe for more than a month now...

[PBNkapamilya]

...and it's amazing XD

Quick backstory: I've been in love with Microsoft's mobile platform ever since the Windows Phone 7 was released. When I saw the Metro/Modern UI design of it, it was just love at first sight. That love grew bigger when Nokia's mobile phones division (now under Microsoft) announced that it would be using Windows Phone as their primary smartphone OS. I've always wanted to have a Nokia 900 (then the 920), but I was only a college student back then and my family couldn't afford to buy a ~PhP 30,000 phone for themselves, let alone for me.

When I started working over a year ago, my mom used her credit card to buy me a Lumia 620. The phone was... OK, to say the least, but it didn't quell my thirst to get a much better Windows Phone. Sadly, my 620 got lost/stolen only after 3 months during a company outing. Fast forward to the start of November, I begged my mom to let me use part of my 13th month pay to buy a Cherry Mobile Alpha Luxe.

Just one look at this phone's specs and I knew right away that this is going to be a worthy alternative to Nokia's current offerings, especially considering its rock-bottom price of PhP4,999 (about US$110).The only major setbacks, at least initially, are the absence of the distinguished Nokia brand (and thus, build quality) and lack of access to Lumia apps. And so, after using this phone as my main driver for more than a month now, here are my thoughts about the Alpha Luxe:

PROS:

• Thin and light design
• Excellent screen quality for a budget phone
• Little (at worst, occasional) screen lag
• Stock earphone works like a charm (for a non-audiophile like me)
• ...and of course, Windows Phone 8.1 :evil:

CONS:

• Games load a tad longer than on other devices (I'm not much of a gamer, though)
• Games suffer occasional lag, but doesn't adversely affect gameplay (depending on the game)
• Battery life could be better
• So does the camera quality (and why doesn't the Camera app have a zoom feature?!)

Although the release of Microsoft Lumia 535 gave me second thoughts (almost the same specs plus a 5MP wide-angle front camera for just an additional PhP1,000), but with the experience I've had with this phone, it's definitely a keeper :smile:

 

[JanZee]

Considering buying this but i have a question.. Have you tried inserti ng 64 GB microsd? It is in the spec sheet up to 32GB only.. But i know.. Thats not always right...

And about the camera.. What i will missis Nokia Camera..

How about ProShot? Have u tried installing it?

Im really stuck between 535 and this at the moment. But this is 720p and 535 is lower...

Hope u can help. Thanks

 

[PBNkapamilya]

Haven't tried inserting a 64GB microSD into it yet because of... ehrm, financial issues (and I don't really need that much memory anyway). But from observing how Nokia does it, it seems there's a specific hardware configuration needed to be able to read 64- and 128GB microSD's, so I think the Aplha Luxe can really only go up to 32GB.

My biggest problem with the stock Camera app, as I mentioned in my original post, is the lack of zoom feature. But the quality of both the main and front cameras are decent for a budget smartphone; not terrible but not impressive either. Also, you need to have good lighting to get a good shot, as the LED flash is weaker than it looks.

Haven't installed ProShot yet. I'll try it later.

Hmmm, if you don't mind not having Lumia-exclusive apps, then go for the Alpha Luxe. The performance is better than you would expect from a smartphone within the same price range. About the 720p screen though, you won't get to enjoy it that much because the GPU is unable to handle playing videos 720p and up without the playback stuttering to death. It even has some trouble playi g 480p video as the frame rate noticeably drops.

 

[greedo_greedy]

Hmmm, if you don't mind not having Lumia-exclusive apps, then go for the Alpha Luxe. The performance is better than you would expect from a smartphone within the same price range. About the 720p screen though, you won't get to enjoy it that much because the GPU is unable to handle playing videos 720p and up without the playback stuttering to death. It even has some trouble playi g 480p video as the frame rate noticeably drops.

Have you tried playing videos with the Moliplayer app?

 

[PBNkapamilya]

@greedo_greedy: Nope, haven't tried it yet.
@JanZee: I tried installing ProShot on my phone, but the app doesn't open all the way after installing. Also, it seems you will have to make an in-app purchase to be able to save the pictures captured using ProShot, which sucks.

 

[matt john2]

So how was the windows phone users/market in your country? I've been there anyway and there are tons of Chinese brand smartphones running mostly android but I rarely find any WP users but that was quite a long time ago, how does your phone perform with WP OS?

 

[PBNkapamilya]

So how was the windows phone users/market in your country? I've been there anyway and there are tons of Chinese brand smartphones running mostly android but I rarely find any WP users but that was quite a long time ago, how does your phone perform with WP OS?

I can't quite gauge just how many active WP users are there in the Philippines right now, since AdDuplex doesn't release detailed reports publicly. If it's any indication though, throngs of people lined up when Cherry Mobile had a "buy one, take one" sale for the Alpha Style (a cheaper WP model) last December. I just hope those people are still using at least one of those phones they got.

WP on my Alpha Luxe performs generally well, but just recently, my phone gives me the annoying "Resuming..." screen whenever I unlock the phone

 

[Antonio Zamora]

I suggest you throw away the in-ear earphone that comes with the CM Alpha Luxe and buy instead a SoundMagic E10S in-ear headphone at Lazada for only PHP1,990 (free delivery). That is, if you really want to enjoy listening to Xbox music on your Alpha Luxe smartphone.

 

[Antonio Zamora]

You can convert 720p and 1080p movies to standard definition quality using Handbrake, and xbox video on the Alpha Luxe will play it well. You can also use CCPlayer to play standard definition movies. If you are viewing a movie on a 5" screen, it really doesn't make much of a difference if it's high-definition or standard definition.