BLU Life series

[onthecouchagain]

Anyone at all interested in any of these? Unlocked, running Android 4.2 (more up to date than the HTC One; shame on HTC!), and all under or equal to Nexus 4 in price. Specs below.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/15/blu-life-series-smartphones/


BLU Life Play


$229

The smallest of the bunch is the BLU Life Play, as it sports a 4.7-inch display. More of the phone’s specs below:

Quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6589 CPU
PowerVR Series 5XT GPU
4.7-inch HD IPS display with One-Glass-Solution technology
1GB RAM
4GB internal storage with microSD support
8MP main camera with LED flash and 2MP front cam
HSPA – Dual-SIM, Dual Active
1,800mAh battery
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
134 x 68 x 7.9 mm

BLU Life One


$299

Next is the BLU Life One, which comes in an aluminum shell and boasts a 5-inch display with Gorilla Glass 2. Here’s more of its specs:

Quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6589 CPU
PowerVR Series 5XT GPU
5-inch HD IPS display with Gorilla Glass 2
1GB RAM
16GB internal storage with microSD support
13MP main camera with LED flash and 5MP front cam
HSPA – Dual-SIM, Dual Active
2,000mAh battery
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
144 x 73 x 8.9 mm

BLU Life View

$299

If you live by the mantra “the bigger the better”, the BLU Life View won’t disappoint with its 5.7-inch screen. At only 8.9 mm, the View is pretty thin as well considering its monstrous display. Fest your eyes on the View’s specs:

Quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6589 CPU
PowerVR Series 5XT GPU
5.7-inch HD IPS display with Gorilla Glass 2
1GB RAM
16GB internal storage with microSD support
12MP main camera with LED flash and 5MP front cam
HSPA – Dual-SIM, Dual Active
2,600mAh battery
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
161 x 82 x 8.9 mm

 

[MRU]

Yeah, but wouldn't trust international warranty services, and the mediatek processor isn't the greatest.

 

[akuma13]

I'm interested in these phone solely for my parents. I like that they are inexpensive, unlocked and some come with dual sim support (my parents live abroad).

 

[Vegastouch]

Not at the moment. Not until they have some sort of test run and ill let someone else do that, lol. Seems the battery's on all of them are a bit undersized as well.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I'm interested in these phone solely for my parents. I like that they are inexpensive, unlocked and some come with dual sim support (my parents live abroad).

I had similar thoughts too. Can you post some impressions if you end up getting them?

 

[Vegastouch]

Who or where are those made and are they even available in the US?

 

[onthecouchagain]

Who or where are those made and are they even available in the US?

BLU is apparently a US company. They'll be sold in the US unlocked through retailers like Amazon (who have a great return policy).

That's all I know about them, though.

 

[blairh]

Don't you guys read the Verge? They did a small feature about Blu recently.

There offerings to date have been for the budget smartphone market however it looks like their upcoming products aim for a more premium line. (See also their upcoming Quattro line.) I'm seriously considering the BLU Life View. If I don't like it I'll send it back and get the G Pro if and when it comes to AT&T in Q2. I am more than ready for an IPS phablet.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Don't you guys read the Verge? They did a small feature about Blu recently.

There offerings to date have been for the budget smartphone market however it looks like their upcoming products aim for a more premium line. (See also their upcoming Quattro line.) I'm seriously considering the BLU Life View. If I don't like it I'll send it back and get the G Pro if and when it comes to AT&T in Q2. I am more than ready for an IPS phablet.

Do post impressions!

I really like that they use capacitive touch buttons and put the home capacitive button center. Neither HTC nor Samsung could get that right

 

[Vegastouch]

Don't you guys read the Verge? They did a small feature about Blu recently.

There offerings to date have been for the budget smartphone market however it looks like their upcoming products aim for a more premium line. (See also their upcoming Quattro line.) I'm seriously considering the BLU Life View. If I don't like it I'll send it back and get the G Pro if and when it comes to AT&T in Q2. I am more than ready for an IPS phablet.

Hmm, well, i will keep on eye out for the specs when they are released on Amazon. Dont care for teh 5.7" screen but the 5" i would. I assume no microSD slot as well.

 

[TheHateMachine]

So so resolution, sub par battery (We all know how inefficient Android is), Mediatek SOC and supposedly BLU is really terrible about updates and seem to lack support in the dev community... nice pricing though and kudos on metal. Would personally pass.

 

[3bs]

Do post impressions!

I really like that they use capacitive touch buttons and put the home capacitive button center. Neither HTC nor Samsung could get that right

I wonder how you'll open up the recent apps though? Press and hold the home button maybe.

I don't get why the 5.7" model only has a 2600 mAh batter!

Edit: It seems that it is thinner than the Note 2 for example (8.9mm vs 9.4mm) but I still think most people would prefer a bigger battery.

 

[Vegastouch]

I wonder how you'll open up the recent apps though? Press and hold the home button maybe.

I don't get why the 5.7" model only has a 2600 mAh batter!

Edit: It seems that it is thinner than the Note 2 for example (8.9mm vs 9.4mm) but I still think most people would prefer a bigger battery.

Yeah they look cool but the batteries seem to be undersized and only 1 GB of RAM.

 

[blairh]

Hmm, well, i will keep on eye out for the specs when they are released on Amazon. Dont care for teh 5.7" screen but the 5" i would. I assume no microSD slot as well.

It does have a SD slot. 258 ppi is fine. My concern is the chipset (MTK MT6589) and the RAM (1GB). Still worth a shot for $299 until the G Pro comes to the North American market.

I'll most likely wait for the G Pro but if the Life View is available soon I'll get it just to try it out.

 

[Peterg2]

As long as you guys know, Blu is like Micromax, a major "distributor" of cell phones in India. The latter is bigger than Blu and was started just a few years ago by 4 Indian entrepreneurs.

Neither company designs anything. They simply go to the same Chinese manufacturer and have their brand names stuck on the phone with case colour differences and a change of wallpaper. This is why they are able to release phones with JB so relatively early on.

Warranty, QC etc I would have major concerns about. Just read about the fuming Indian buyers of Micromax. Micromax is expanding into many regions.

 

[datagrab]

I'm planning on buying BLU life View on release. Anyone here who can tell me what site I can buy this awesome phone? I really couldn't care less about the warranty considering the price.

 

[TacticalDesire]

The life one looks interesting but I'd rather buy a white nexus 4