Blu phones

[mclld]

I have never given these a look but they have caught my attention with their ces announcements. They have a wide range and even have one with a 5000 mah battery. What are your thoughts on these new phones from Blu?

http://www.gsmarena.com/blu_unveils_7_new_phones_thin_powerful_lollipop_and_more-news-10679.php

 

[MRU]

Known about them a while and looked at them on Amazon a few times, but as they can't be really bought outside of USA I never gave them a second thought.

 

[mattopotamus]

This is the first time I have ever heard of them. Looks like a very good bang for your buck phone. Does it run pure android?

 

[epicrayban]

And does it have all the supported GSM LTE bands in the US?

 

[mattopotamus]

And does it have all the supported GSM LTE bands in the US?

from the article: "There's no LTE though, the phone tops out at 21Mbps 3G HSPA."

 

[AppleRobert]

I have two, no surprise I guess to some of you.

One is the Win HD from the Microsoft store and the other is an android I got on Amazon for $129 and a pretty big following there for it since it is unlocked and dual SIM.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M78E2IO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1420741759&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

I do not have cellular service connected but I am pretty sure neither gets LTE. Both run pretty well and I have no complaints given the price.

 

[Black Magic]

None of the BLU phones support LTE and from what I understand they are decent phones. Camera isn't great or nearly anything else about the phones but they can get you by. Decent prices for unlocked phones.

I'd pass on them myself.

 

[iBlazed]

This is the first time I have ever heard of them. Looks like a very good bang for your buck phone. Does it run pure android?

Yes, basically. But see below for why you should stay away.

None of the BLU phones support LTE and from what I understand they are decent phones. Camera isn't great or nearly anything else about the phones but they can get you by. Decent prices for unlocked phones.

I'd pass on them myself.

What are your thoughts on these new phones from Blu?

I've owned one. Very briefly. I order a BLU Studio 5.0c HD on Amazon on sale for only $109. The specs seemed pretty amazing at the time, but here is the review I left on Amazon after I returned it...

At first glance, this phone seems like a great value. With a big bright crisp screen, quad core processor, and high resolution camera, what more can you want? As a matter of fact, I bought it when it was on sale for $109 which is even cheaper than the $140 it costs at the time of this review. And in a lot of ways, it is a great value, that is unless you plan on actually using it. The battery life is absolutely HORRENDOUS. You lose a percentage point for almost every minute you use this phone for any basic feature like web browsing or texting. No way can it make it through a day of moderate use without a recharge. On to the next issue. This company has horrible customer service and no guaranteed update support. The phone is stuck on 4.4.2 KitKat with no update to the latest KitKat, nevermind the newest version of Android, Lollipop. It may never receive the update. So if you're looking for update support and battery life, this phone is not for you. Do yourself a huge favor, forget about this phone and buy yourself a Moto G (2014) for a measly $40 more than this phone would cost you. You get a significantly better battery, it's actually not even comparable. It lasts all day. On top of that, you have GUARANTEED update support from a trusted company like Motorola. They already released the Android Lollipop on it, and it has a better Qualcomm brand processor than the generic low grade processor the BLU phone uses. For the price difference, it's a no brainer. Stay away from BLU phones.

----------

It's also weird that two of their new phones are just rebranded phones by an Indian company named Gionee.

 

[mclld]

I wonder if these are rebadged generic Chinese phones. I will keep an eye open on these new ones to see what reviews say

 

[iBlazed]

I wonder if these are rebadged generic Chinese phones. I will keep an eye open on these new ones to see what reviews say

The article itself that you linked to says that at least two of them are rebranded Indian phones.

You're better off spending an extra few bucks and getting a phone from a major brand with good update support that you know will still be around in a week if you have to take them up on their warrantee for whatever reason.

 

[Savor]

I wonder if these are rebadged generic Chinese phones. I will keep an eye open on these new ones to see what reviews say

I never paid much attention to Blu but I know the Philippine-based MyPhone based their Iceberg from the Blu View. Most locally branded Philippine phones are really made in China and base the specs on other brands like Blu or Karbonn.

My suggestion (caveat emptor), stick to brands you are familiar with. Asus, and if Xiaomi ever gets their act together by marketing US, them too. Very difficult to trust cheap phones esp from China or from more obscure brands. Even the global brands have their own share of defects and issues. Xiaomi and perhaps Oppo and Huawei are exceptions from being labeled a bad Chinese brand. I don't trust Lenovo all that much when it comes to smartphones and their terrible, buggy custom skin.

1. Google (USA)
2. Xiaomi (China)
3. HTC (Taiwan)
4. Sony (Japan)
5. Asus (Taiwan)
6. Nokia (Finland)
7. Sanyo (Japan)
8. Motorola (USA)
9. Apple (USA)
10. Samsung (South Korea)
11. Microsoft (USA)
12. LG (South Korea)
13. Oppo/OnePlus (China)
14. Sharp (Japan)
15. Huawei (China)
16. MyPhone (Philippines)
17. BlackBerry (Canada)
18. Meizu (China)
19. Lenovo (China)
20. Acer (Taiwan)
21. Gionee/IUNI (China)
22. Kyocera (Japan)
23. Pantech (South Korea)
24. Kata (China)
25. O+ (USA)
26. ZTE (China)
27. Alcatel (France)
28. Starmobile (Philippines)
29. Arc Mobile (Philippines)
30. Cherry Mobile (Philippines)

^^^ Anything beyond the Top 10-15, and you better be prepared rolling the dice and getting what you pay for.

 

[venomgt95]

I found out about BLU about a month ago. Im in the market for a new phone, and im really set on the orange BLU Win HD. Runs windows, 5 inch screen, plus its dual SIM'd. Plus the orange looks amazing.

 

[TacticalDesire]

Blu makes some good low budget phones. They have too many models but they have quite a few decent ones. The skins they put on some of their phones is atrocious however. I'd take touchwiz any day.