Starmobile unveils new Crystal Android smartphone, HD tablet

MANILA, Philippines - From upstart new player to now a strong and serious contender, Starmobile consolidates its position as one of the top local mobile phone brands today with the launch of its highly anticipated follow-up to its best-selling Astra Android smartphone.

The new Android smartphone, dubbed “Crystal,” spearheads a new upcoming line-up of Android devices for the first quarter.

In the Starmobile Android roster are no less than seven smartphones and three tablets set for release within the next few months as the brand shifts gears from feature phones to Android.

Starmobile president Michael Chen said, “2012 has been the Year of the Local Mobile Phone brands, and Starmobile, while one of the youngest, is at the forefront of all significant innovations.”

“Now, Starmobile is positioned to offer the best and healthiest line-up of Android devices in the local market, and here, I believe, is where we will make the most difference,” Chen added.

Building on the momentum of its bestselling flagship smartphone, the Astra, Starmobile follows up with Crystal — a 4.5-inch dual-SIM QHD Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) smartphone featuring yet another market first: a backside illumination (BSI) sensor built right into its eight-megapixel back plus a two-megapixel front camera for enhanced low-light performance.

The first and only local mobile brand to offer this hardware advantage, Starmobile has equipped Crystal with the technology to ensure superb image quality and properly exposed photos even in less than ideal lighting conditions.

A quarter high-definition resolution (QHD) on the Starmobile Crystal’s 4.5-inch IPS touch screen completes the entire experience, rendering graphics — photos, videos, and games — in stunning clarity and detail when viewed from any angle.

The Starmobile Crystal’s powerful 1GHz dual-core processor ensures instantaneous and seamless response, allowing you to maximize all the fun and possibilities on an Android ICS platform.

Giving the Crystal a big bang for the buck are features such as Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS and video call — all for only P7,990. The retail price even includes a free screen protector and jelly case inside the box.

On the tablet front, Starmobile redefines form and function with the release of the Starmobile Engage 7HD.

Sporting a sleek brush metal finish for a more premium look, the new seven-inch Android ICS tablet shows off an immersive and vibrant 1280x800 high-definition IPS display producing picture-perfect content each and every time.

Starmobile further improves on the multimedia experience with the addition of two front speakers beside the screen and an eight-megapixel back camera with flash and autofocus plus a front camera for video calls.

The Starmobile Engage 7HD’s light and lean exterior was cleverly designed to house hard-core specs, starting with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 8GB+1GB internal memory and 4,000mAh battery equivalent to 400 hours of standby time and five hours of HD video playback.

Add to that the connectivity support for 3.5G USB modems and an HDMI out for tablet to video playback.

Pre-loaded with social media must-haves such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Skype, the Engage 7HD, which has storage options of up to 32GB, comes with a retail price of only P7,990.