Cherry Mobile has teased a member of the Flare S8 series, confirming that the local brand’s next flagship model will bear a pop-up dual-lens system for selfies and video chat and triple rear cameras, for a total of five.

(Update, July 25: The Cherry Mobile Flare S8 Plus, Flare S8 Pro, and Flare S8 are official! Prices and a specs-comparison chart in this article: Cherry Mobile Flare S8 series debuts for as low as P3,999 [$78].)

What’s more, the phone in question seems to be a rebranded Elephone U2, which was launched earlier this year. The Shenzhen-based phone maker should be familiar to Cherry Mobile users because the recently released Cherry Mobile Flare X3 has the same ODM, or original design manufacturer, as the Elephone A5.  

Cherry Mobile Flare S8 series teaser

The company is set to unveil the Cherry Mobile Flare S8 series July 25. Two more handsets in the lineup were featured in a teaser video, and both come with a teardrop notch and slim bezels.

If the flagship Flare S8 model is indeed the Elephone U2, expect it to use a MediaTek Helio P70 processor with 4GB RAM/64GB storage or 6GB RAM/128GB depending on the variant. The screen is 6.26 inches and 1080p, with narrow bezels even on the chin. Meanwhile, the battery is rated at 3,250mAh and supports 10-watt charging over USB-C.

SEE ALSO: Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 review: Moving up and Watch: Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 is contender for best pop-up camera phone

As for the exterior, the top-end Cherry Mobile Flare S8 features a metal frame and a curved back panel made of glass with gradient coloring. It doesn’t have an in-screen fingerprint reader; instead, it has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The rear-facing camera system has three lenses, with the main camera sporting a 16-megapixel sensor, while the two others are probably used for bokeh and macro photography. Similarly, the second camera on the pop-up module only exists to assist the 16-megapixel front-facer when taking portrait selfies. That said, in terms of standalone cameras, the phone only has two, not five, contrary to what is advertised.

READ ALSO: Xiaomi Mi 9T review: Almost a flagship at half the price

The rest of the specs look good on paper, though. If Cherry Mobile can keep the price tag well below the Xiaomi Mi 9T, it might have something worth considering. The Elephone U2’s price starts at $250, around P12,776 converted, on Elephone’s official online store. 

Elephone U2 specs

• 6.26-inch LCD display, 2,280 x 1,080 resolution (19:9)
• Octa-core MediaTek Helio P70 processor
• Mali-G72 MP3 graphics
• 4GB/6GB RAM
• 64GB/128GB expandable storage
• Triple 16MP, 5MP, 2MP rear cameras with LED flash
• Dual 16MP, 2MP front cameras
• Fingerprint sensor (side-mounted)
• 3,250mAh battery with 10-watt USB-C charging
• Android 9.0 Pie

Main image via iGeekPhone

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