###update 5/14/15  Phone just received lollipop update (5.0). Not the newest 5.1 update but lolipop indeed!!! Phone feels snappier now with this update It's stock lollipop (flashlight in drop down panel, material design, lock screen, etc). Battery life has been about average 12-14 hours with ~2.5 hrs on screen time) I'm hoping this improves with this update.. I'll be picking up the Studio X Plus for myself this week until the next Moto X releases. :).I bought this phone to replace my wife's Galaxy S4 (cracked screen). I didnt want to spend $300+ for a used flagship so I decided to give Blu a try after seeing a few youtube videos on this phone from 2015 CES. I received it today and after spending about an hour setting it up for her (downloading apps, updating apps and system, applying screen protector,etc) I am really impressed. Having owned a Nexus 5, Galaxy S4 and currently using a 2013 Moto X I can say that this Blu phone is pretty good Build quality is better than i had imagined. Feels great in hand as it has a slight curved back. The pink color is not as bright as in amazon pictures but it very pretty. Phone Connected to my home wifi quickly and tmobile hspa+ is really fast in my area. Phone is running Kit Kat 4.4.2 and NOT lollipop which i thought it was going to be running. I'm pretty sure update is near.This phone is perfect for my wifes use (facebook, calls, texts, light web browsing) I experienced no lag or stutters during the initial setup. camera is okay definitely not at the galaxy s4 level but good enough. . Camera ui is pretty simple and straight forward. So glad its running near stock android and not flooded with bloatware like touchwiz. Overall a great phone for everyday use. I will update this review in a week to include battery life.

I bought this to replace my old BLU Dash Jr which had become painfully slow and inadequate. The Studio X is quite an upgrade for me. The first thing that jumps out is the 5 inch 720p HD display. It's very crisp with good color saturation. The touch is very responsive even around the edges. The body is very thin and sleek, feels good in my hand and fits well in my pocket. Still has a good solid weight to it, seems well put together. Call quality is excellent. The 8 megapixel back camera with LED flash works very well even in low light. There's also a 2 megapixel frontal camera. You get 8 GBs of phone memory and 1 GB of RAM with a 1.3 quad core processor. One thing I like is there isn't too much stock bloatware loaded on the phone. You still have 5.21 GB of internal phone memory to play with out of the box. Generally I've found I have about 600 MB of RAM free at any one time which is pretty good. It can take up to a 64 GB SD memory card. I popped my 32 GB card from my old phone in and all my contacts, music, pics and video are still there. It comes running KitKat although I'm told I'll be able to download Lollipop soon. The other main thing that impresses me is that the phone is fast. It flies through everything quickly with no lag. Flies fast on WiFi. For data, it handles up to 4G HSPA+ (not LTE) but is still very fast. The phone shipped with 50% of the 2100 mAh battery charged, it didn't take to long to fully charge. While the phone itself is great a few of the included accessories left me a little disappointed. The included screen protector is great. So is the extra long data/charger cord. However the user manual is useless. Only 48 of the 144 pages are in English and it doesn't really tell you much. The stereo headphones (although they include a mic and on/off button for calls) are really cheap and sound horrible. I have a nice Sony earbud set that I use instead. The silicone gel case looks and feels nice but does not fit the phone well. It's loose especially around the edges and makes using the buttons difficult. I'm going to go with it for the meantime until I find a better one. But overall I love the phone itself especially given the low price. I would recommend it to someone looking for a high quality Android phone with good specifications at a very low price point.

Ive had this since last Friday and the only problem ive had was connecting to my computer but its because my computer that the issue and not the phone
camera
the camera is by far the best ive seen on any phone the flash is real bight but the front camera is a little washed out but its ok

battery life
the fact it has a non removable 2100mah battery is a let down but i wont count that against the phone because it starting to become the new trend in phones even in the s6 so i wont count that against the phone you can get 8-16 hours depending on usage and screen brightness and it almost takes no power on standby with data off and try finding apps like battery doctor to persevere the battery but with heavy gaming and multi tasking with high screen brightness it drains fast

hard ware
it comes with android 4.4.2 out of the box with launcher 3 as the default launcher i updated today to a more improved version of 4.4.2 the headphone jack and micro usb port are pretty firm and require some force to take them in and out

processing
it plays asphalt 8 seamlessly but may lag wile booting up and loading the home screen because the apps and widgets and little to no long video buffering unless its wifi

call quality
call quality is excellent and the back speaker is clear but can easily be muffled on uneven surfaces such as blankets

display and looks
the bezels on this phone are similar to one of an s4 but narrower and the display nice and colorful and the back cover is a shiny matte finish wich is a finger print magnet

accessories

the case i the same color as the phone its self and has a poor job protecting the bezels but its better than nothing the screen protector does it job fine the headphone the same ones you would see in bigots

all in all its a good phone to consider but if you have 20$ more you should check the studio energy

update 3-6-15
sigh i saw a couple stuck pixels ive used a couple apps to solve it ive contacted blu about my problem and now waiting for a response it still wont affect my rating because this can happen to any or every phone with an lcd screen my moto e had couple too

5-9-15
so i emailed BLU regarding my dead/stuck pixels and they just sent me a copy of their warranty so much for customer service so my best advice when getting this phone or any phone is to immediately check for any stuck pixels so your not like me who cant return it
aside from that it has been uneventful but some times when gaming i get an over battery temperature warning telling me to remove the battery which is impossible with this phone whether i was playing asphalt or train sim 15 and one other thing that upsets me is not with the phone but BLU for no cases for this phone this phone has been on amazon since mid February and available at best buy since late march and and announced since January and not time since then has their been an after market case in the works but yet both the Blu vivo air and the studio energy have cases for them and this only has screen protectors and skins available and BLU is not a china phone
brand even though its not as popular as Samsung people know about it so i hope they take care of this in the near future and hope after market cases are available soon

After using this phone for about 4 months now, I have found some major setbacks with its design, performance and overall function. I have straighttalk service which allows me to have unlimited messaging including text and picture messaging. This phone will not let me send pictures. So I thought that maybe my service was acting up so I placed my sim card into old phone and found that I COULD SEND PICTURES. I would not purchase this phone again or any BLU phone. It cost so much more to buy brand named phones however, your quality is there. So that is my review of this phone.

Update - June 6,15

Just did the android 5.0 lollipop update from phone via wi-fi. It takes a few minutes to complete so be aware of that. I can't contribute anything meaning as too how lollipop works just yet. But the update process is simply and it works. My only complaint about phone, and I admit I was fully aware of it prior to purchase, is that the battery is not removable/replaceable. My color choice gold is kinda boring to me, but that's subjective.I really like my other brighter color Blu phones because they really stand out, and look quite nice. As too the operation of the phone it's always good with Blu. Screen size is just right for me. I've handled the 6" and above and find that they are a little bit more troublesome to stow away on your person. I hope this helps in your search for a new phone!

Been using Blu products for some time now, and I prefer them over the name brands because they have the features I want at a price that's cost effective. Upgrading to a newer model in the future won't break the bank. If after reading my review you decide that the battery is an issue I have a suggestion for you. The Blu Studio "C" HD would be a good choice. Same price range and features and uses KitKat. Size is a hair bigger and the feel a tiny bit harsher. I enjoy both phones,but we have 2 Studio "C" HD's and are happy with them.

Check - #1. Battery Non-Replaceable. #2. Sim card holders is for the smaller cards. #3. Can't upgrade to Lollipop AS OF 2/24/15. #4 Not capable with TracFone network.

Amazon please fix your false statement that this phone works with TracFone.
Yes, they have a bring your own phone plan, but the network is NOT GSM. I verified this with them.

Update 2/25/15 - Points Of Interest: 1.Battery Life according to user manual on page 44 2nd sentence (BATTERIES TYPICALLY HAVE TO BE REPLACED AFTER A YEAR OF USE). Note that this is non-replaceable battery. You may make an assumption as to the life of an LiOn battery. But consider that the manufacturer is making a very clear statement about battery life. Points Of Interest:2. Lollipop Upgrade for Studio x is missing from Blu.com. Upgrading from phone considers KitKat to be current and up to date with no option for Lollipop upgrade.

I had a BLU phone for about a month before someone stole it, so I'm happy to review the latest model, the Studio X, which took the previous model and made it even better.

Most people who give 4 stars or less fault the BLU because of some shortcoming.

They are missing the point.

The BLU is not trying to be the best phone out there. Leave that to HTC, Samsung, and Apple to fight that fight.

Instead, BLU is positioning itself as a good VALUE. And therefore reviewers (and potential buyers) should consider the price of this unlocked smartphone before passing judgement.

You get a ton of bang for your buck. No contract necessary and you have a smartphone that is better than Samsung Galaxy S4 (which I also owned). In fact, the option of having a MicroSIM makes this better than an S6, which doesn't offer such an expansion option.

In conclusion, if you're working on a budget and you'd rather not buy a used Samsung/Apple/HTC, then go for the BLU.

We have always tried to keep an extra cell phone "floater" around the house for those emergency issueslike when my husband decided his brand new Iphone's screen was just a little too perfect and accidentally dropped a 90 pound weight on it. Needless to say, with it being a new phone, the turnaround time to get a new one through insurance was over three weeks. And that didn't include the days it took just to get the information to the insurance company.

So for those purposes I definitely checked out the Blu Android phone, and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. The phone itself arrived in a nice little boxed package, and once opened the phone is nice and tidy in its little compartment. Pulling up the phone, you'll find beneath it earbuds with a small controller on the side of one of the wires, a USB cable, a screen protector, a thin rubberized black case, the wall plug, and a manual.

As soon as I unwrapped all the accessories, I immediately put the screen protector on, which has two sides. Pull off the 1st side just a little bit, and stick this side to the phone, sliding your fingers down the phone to smooth it on. Then after that's complete, smooth out any bubbles. This screen protector did not come with a cleaning cloth or a cardboard piece, so I just used the screen protector packaging to get rid of any bubbles. Once that's done, easily pull back the 2nd tab, and your done with that part.

The next part of this was inserting my SIM card, which was a breeze. The back of this phone is so seamless that it took me a second to find where I could pop the back off, which is located on the bottom right. There is the smallest of depressions in the corner of the case where I had to use my nail to pull up. The back of the case finally lifted enough where I could easily pull it fully off. And once off, there are two slots, two for SIM cards, and one for a Micro SD card. Again, it was easy to slide my SIM card in, and that was it! The cover snaps back into place with little clicks, and it's back to looking seamless in seconds. The back cover is also coated in a rubberized material to prevent sliding on smooth surfaces and makes my grip feel very secure.

This phone does have a built in battery, so beware of that factor if you're not keen on it. I don't mind it at all, and I do have to say that even with a built in battery this phone is so very light!!! It feels like it weighs nothing at all! The overall design is, again, seamless in appearance, with no apparent buttons anywhere on the front. The sides and bottom/top of the device has a beautiful silver trim that encompasses the power and volume buttons. It's so tied into the design that you register the barest "bump" of a button. These buttons are very easy to press and the cell phone responds perfectly with just the barest touch.

This phone is an Android, and many people are upset with the whole lollipop factor, but this phone runs smoothly, and I'm one of those people who like to wait anyway to update to new software so the kinks can get worked out. That being said, this phone runs so quietly without any hiccups at all! In normal Android fashion this phone has all the basic functions already on the home page for you such as the phone, gallery, the play store, google search, messages, contacts, etc. It also has tons of widgets for customizing screens, and pressing any apps instantly bring it to life within seconds. There is literally a very low lag time with this phone, which is great! Again, as we are using this phone as a floater, I didn't download much to it, except for basic stuff and a video streaming app. The screen is massively clear with great quality as I did watch a few videos on youtube as well as watched a series on my video streaming app. It worked great, and looked fantastic on the five inch screen! The camera works very well and it also has very cool built in photo shopping effects as well as various selections for exposure, quality, etc. The front facing camera is only a 2MP, so the quality isn't fantastic, but it still works fine.

The rubberized case that comes with the phone is very thin, and won't really offer drop protection. This is just for basic wear and tear that comes from sliding it on a desk, or dropping it into a purse. I would totally recommend getting a new case especially as I don't like the little rubberized raised areas over the power and volume buttons. It makes them a little hard to operate for me.

As for actually sending and receiving calls, our network provider already has good service, and the phone worked as normal with no dropped calls or static over the line. I could easily hear people on the other line, and they could hear me as well with no issues.
I truly like the Blu cellphone, and while this is supposed to be a floater, I've pretty much confiscated it, and am currently using it as my every day cell phone. The screen is bright, crystal clear, the calls are perfect, and I love the size, and the weight of this device. It is seriously easy to carry, and works perfectly. I definitely recommend this phone if you need a floater or want a new cell phone without forking over a kidney. It definitely carries itself well, and the quality is perfect for the price!

Was excited to try this new BLU phone, I've had several, a Studio 5.0S, a Life One, a Studio 6.0. This one is kinda disappointing. It's a nice shape and size, the picture is great though I'm not so fond of BLU's new GUI where the pages are like the iPhone you can only scroll to the right not left and right like most android phones.
I find the touch screen not very sensitive, I find I need to touch something more than once usually to get it to work. I like the capacitive buttons as part of the screen not touch areas below the screen, but the area is so small it's hard to hit it just right every time. Constantly have to hit back a couple of times to get it to go back. Yes the reaction to touch is very disappointing.
I also worry about the battery. I had it plugged in all night, started using it this morning and after nearly 4 hours it's down 11%. I haven't done much but configure some applications and read email. Worried the battery life is going to be disappointing and it's not a replaceable battery.
I got the gold one and it looks okay, a little cheap looking actually. I'll bet the black one is nicer nearly went with that but wanted to be different.

So all told my first reaction is not so positive, not like it was for the other ones I mentioned at the beginning of this review.

I bought this phone because of the great reviews and shied away from the bigger Studio X Plus because it lacked any reviews. That was a big mistake. The big 5.5-inch Studio X Plus turned out to be a real gem (my review http://www.amazon.com/review/RA8SICOSGBMJ0) and this smaller 5-inch Studio X turned out to be a bust.

Luckily I was able to return this phone and got a second 5.5-inch Blu Studio X Plus for my wife.

Pros
* Price

Cons
* Front or rear cameras are unusable indoors. The frame rate is horrifically low and it drops a lot of frames. Image quality is terrible!
* Notification sounds would go full blast in the middle of the night even when notification volume was set to low. Maybe a future software update can fix this.
* Battery drains fast while the phone isn't being used.
* Non-replaceable battery! It's permanently mounted inside the phone and there's a sticker warning you that you'll void the warranty if you remove the battery. Given the fast drain behavior, you'll need a battery replacement sooner than later.