Firefly Mobile Intense Metal Price is Php 4,299 : Comes with Free Basic Feature Phone

Firefly Mobile Intense Metal has been out in the market since September 2015 and it has become one of the best-selling handsets by the local electronics company thus far.

With official SRP of Php 4,499 upon launch, this model became one of the most affordable full-fledged Android phablet flaunting a main frame made of real metal and featuring a Sony-sensor-powered main camera.

Firefly Mobile Intense Metal
The standard retail package includes the unit itself, free Tempered Glass screen protector with Blue Light Filter, free silicone case, travel charger, headphones with in-ear silicone buds, microUSB to USB connector cable, and user manual. This photo is courtesy of Firefly Mobile fan, Mat Bansag Esperante.

Back in September, its technical specifications could be seen as pretty standard for a local phablet in its price bracket. On the outside, Intense Metal sports a 5.5-inch qHD 540 x 960 pixels IPS OGS Zero Air-Gap display underneath scratch-resistant Dragontrail Glass touchscreen, 13 MegaPixel autofocus camera with Sony IMX219PQ sensor for enhanced low light performance, 8 MegaPixel selfie cam with BSI sensor, and Full HD video recorder. Under the hood, the Dual SIM, 3G HSPA+ enabled handset runs its Android 4.4 KitKat operating system with a 1.3 GHz Quad Core ARM Cortex A7 and Mali 400 MP2 GPU based MediaTek MT6582 chipset, has 1GB of RAM, comes with 8 GB of expandable storage, and is powered by a 3,300 mAh battery pack.

Frankly - however - when we entered the very heart of the Yuletide Season during the first week of December, almost all of Firefly Mobile's competitors in the local game launched smartphones in this price echelon with far better technical specifications - especially when it comes to internal hardware. For instance, Cherry Mobile Flare 4 and Flare S4, which cost just almost just as much, both have more powerful 64-Bit Octa-Core processor and more RAM -- albeit donning a smaller screen.

Firefly Mobile Intense Metal
Photo Courtesy of Marrize Ann Gequillo Vitug

Perhaps to make Intense Metal more appealing to consumers in the face of tough competition, Firefly Mobile recently lowered the SRP of model to just Php 4,299 all while adding a free basic feature phone to the package.

If the price of the bonus handset is - say - around Php 500, that makes the value of the phablet roughly Php 3,800. Not bad at all, I think -- especially when you consider its elegant shell that's crafted from CNC-prepared Magnesium Alloy. I mean, it may not be the most powerful Pinoy Smartphone in its price category as of today but it remains to be one of the most visually appealing.