Starmobile goes wireless with Octa

MANILA, Philippines – Starmobile continues to up its game in the smartphone manufacturing industry as it unveils on Wednesday, March 19, the Starmobile Octa – its first device with wireless charging and Near Field Communication (NFC).

With Starmobile Octa, the Philippine smartphone manufacturer hopes to bring Filipinos closer to NFC technology, a feature currently available on most high-end devices of popular international brands.

NFC lets two smartphones communicate instantly allowing for quick exchange of files, photos, and other media.

The Octa is Starmobile’s second octa-core device. Their first one, and also first in the Philippines, was the Starmobile Diamond X1 released last January. 

The Octa, as earlier mentioned, also comes with a wireless charger. To get some juice back on your phone, simply rest it on top of the charging plate. But unlike other wireless chargers like Nokia’s 1520, the Octa’s charger has to be plugged in while charging.

At P16,990 (almost $400), the Starmobile Octa is the company’s first device to breach the P15,000 (about $340) mark. For a limited time, it comes bundled with a wireless charger and a bluetooth speaker valued at (P2,490, or roughly $55). The device is available starting Monday, March 24.

Look and feel

At 5 inches, the Starmobile Octa looks and feels a lot like the HTC One which sports an aluminum body. There’s no confirmation yet if the Octa has an aluminum body, but if it has, it’s a step up from Starmobile’s devices usually made of plastic.

Spec sheet

5-inch One Glass Solution (OGS) scratch-resistant screen
Octa Core processor
2 GB RAM
32 GB internal storage
8 MP front-facing camera
18 MP auto-focus rear camera

– with reports from Josh Villanueva/Rappler.com