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New kid on the block alert: Blu has a smartphone they want to sell you for $300, and it doesn’t look too bad. They’re calling this thing the Blu Life Pro, a 5-inch 720p device that’ll house a 1.5GHz quad-core processor (MediaTek make), 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a 12 megapixel backside-illuminated camera with a whopping 5 megapixels for the front.
The device will launch with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, though there’s no word on whether or not it’ll ever go beyond that. At this point you’re likely looking at the list of specs and wondering what they could be making so much noise about.
Well, one of the selling points they’re banking on is that this is the world’s thinnest 5-inch smartphone. There aren’t tons of 5-inch devices out there so it’s not like it was terribly hard to claim that feat, but there it is anyway. They’re also touting “Blu Bright+,” the camera technology that will supposedly perform extremely well in low-light conditions. It’s too early to tell if that’s a legitimate claim or if they’re just using buzzwords to try and make it sound better than it really is.
When you think about the fact that you can grab the Nexus 5 for just $50 more, you start to wonder how Blu could hope to win the hearts of those who are educated in mobile technology. We’ll have to keep the microscope fixated on them over the next month to see how they plan to do that, but what you see is what you get. Does this look like something you’d want for $300?
[via Blu]
I’ve used the camera on last year’s model. It’s very good. Not iphone good, but better than most Android devices. Build quality was as good as Moto’s. If they keep that up they can do well.
It worries me that with a 5″ display and being that thin they battery will be pretty small so runtime will be a problem. Personally I would prefer a thicker phone with excellent battery life. I’d rather spend more and get a Nexus or less and get a Moto G.
2500mAh battery, not too bad. For reference, Nexus 5 is 2300.
not to mention it has a lower resolution display, and the processor frequency is way lower than the S800, the battery life should be pretty good.
I like how the packaging looks like a Nexus device.
http://bluproducts.com/images/lifepro/gallery/small/big/6.jpg
The aluminum construction and camera seem nicer than the Nexus 5, but like you said, for $50 more I can future-proof my purchase with better internals and timely updates.
They’re putting up a great fight with other phone manufacturers, but it’s hard to get ahead when you’re less known than the relatively obscure (to the general public) Nexus lineup. It’s a great trend, I hope they can keep it up.
250 might have been a better price point , since 300 is too close to nexus territory, it for 50 bucks more I can have a nexus I’ll take that any day
I think Moto G and Nexus 4 and 5 are better options than this phone
Not thin enough to make an impact. Nexus 5 is almost as thin as this Blu… In fact, you won’t notice that this Blu is thinner than Nexus 5.
Just a little more ram and there would be a winner
uh oh they compared the phone to be as thin as a pencil. they’ll get a subpoena from Apple in a few days. :-)
yea they should have used a pen.
To me the one big miss that Blu is making with all their phones is the lack of software updates. I bought a Life Play last August and it was also on JB 4.2 (and still is). My Nexus 4 started on 4.1 and is now on 4.4. An extra $50 for a Nexus phone ensures that you will get Android updates as they are released. As long as they insist on using a branded version of Android and don’t support their products with timely updates I’ll be sticking with Nexus.
True, but the Life Play is only $209-$229,so the whole $50 more thing doesn’t really apply here.
The Nexus 4 released for $300 initially, so $71 more. And then it dropped to $200 I think, so it was even cheaper.
Now you can make the comparison of the 5 to this new release.
Sorry I wasn’t more specific. I was referring to the cost difference between the Nexus 5 and the Life Pro. There is a whole different set of trade-offs between the Life Play and the Nexus 4. Since I own and use both I much prefer the Nexus 4, and it gets regular updates as well. The point is that if my experience with the Life Play is any indication once you buy the Life Pro the odds that it would ever be updated to a newer version of Android is pretty slim. With the Nexus 5 you will certainly get the updates, at least for 18 months. That being said the Life Play is actually a pretty decent phone for a good price, and the dual sims are actually a useful feature. My first one did fail after a few days, but Amazon replaced it in one day. The second one has been working since mid-August without any problems.
The Life Pro is actually going to get 4.4. But I think it’s gonna be like 4 or 5 month’s, unfortunately Lol
That main pic looked like Iphones.
If only they had better processors.
Aren’t all phones as thin as a pencil now-a-days?