Considering the price point of this "junior" BLU phone, I can easily give it a five-star rating. It is an entry-level phone, and there is a balance of features so that it can be offered at a hundred bucks. Is there anything awful about it? No! It works fine, is easy to set-up and learn to use, and is perfectly adequate--actually, way more than adequate--for someone on a budget, for a young and inexperienced phone user, for an "oldster" who has finally decided to give up their ancient, bulky fold-up phone. If you have gotten acquainted with Windows 8 or 8.1, you can master this phone in no time at all.

So, yeah, I think this phone has a few shortcomings, but its pluses are way more than its minuses, and at this price, I don't think it's of value to go picking on its few shortcomings. Actually, if this is your first phone like this, you won't even notice any shortcomings.

But what about its big brother, the BLU HD, that costs about double the price of this Junior? What are the differences?
For one hundred dollars savings, you get these differences:
--Less RAM in the Junior: 512MB compared to 1GB for the HD. For a basic or first-time user, maybe less RAM is just fine.
--Less storage in the Junior: 4GB compared to 8GB for the HD. Same as above: Maybe you don't need a lot of storage.
--A smaller display: 4.5" compared to 5" for the HD. I personally have no problem with a 4.5" display
--Less ppi (pixels per inch).
--The Junior is a touch lighter weight.
--The Junior's camera is 5 MP, the HD is 8 MP. How many mega pixels do you need? Do some comparisons, and maybe you will decide it doesn't matter.

One other thing I realized when I tried to use a Qi (wireless) charger: It does not appear that any of these BLU phones are Qi-enabled, not set up to accept wireless charging devices. Someone let me know if I'm wrong on that, please? I find it odd that these BLU phones are not..thought all the new phones were Qi. Guess not.

I'm thinking that you are looking at this phone, not to make a downgrade from what you already have, but to make an upgrade, or maybe to buy someone their first smart phone. I'm thinking that this is a very fine first step. This smartphone has all you need to get going: Windows, Internet service, a camera (front and back), video, music, GPS, even Office, plus more. And it is all easy to learn to use.

I've been debating back and forth on 3-Stars or 4-Stars and am confident that this is a genuine 4-Star device once I considered ALL factors on what it offers and considered the apples to Apple comparison (pun intended ;--P ).

I want to set the expectation that I have a Nokia Lumia 1020 and iPhone 6 for comparison, so using this phone is a step-back, BUT don't forget this is relatively inexpensive ($99 at the time of this writing) AND it is already unlocked AND it is LTE and it is DUAL SIM!

Our family already recently travelled overseas, but this would have been THE phone to have. I could switch my SIM to this for all of US-based airports and flight connections, sync up all of my Microsoft Account and Facebook contacts, emails, etc and then get an international SIM for whatever worked in our overseas destination. Honestly, Windows Phone tie-in with Facebook/MSFT Account (and of course iTune/iCloud) makes all of this really easy to go from my everyday phone to a travel-phone and be happy to use it for a few weeks.

Immediate Observations:
====================
1. Display is 480x854pixels and quite noticeable. The Nokia 1020 is like 1080p and I believe iPhone6 is really close to that. The BLU Win Jr is 217PPI and the 1020 is 334PPI and the iPhone6 is 326PPI. What this means is how grainy appearing the display is that you look at every single day. Viewing various photos on all 3 phones and video, the BLU Win Jr is a distant 3rd. BUT, consider the price and 4-stars means "I like it!"

2. The wife's iPhone6 was over $600!!! Incredible! Laptops are cheaper than that. Sure you can get it for "$300" with a 2 year contract commitment, but you're stuck with that carrier for 2 years and cannot get a new device unless you break the contract and pay extra anyways. The Nokia Lumia 1020 was ~$400. THIS BLU Win Jr with LTE is $99 (at the time of this writing) and it is already unlocked.

3. Expandable MicroSD storage for the win (the BLU Win)! As you may know, the iPhone and the Nokia Lumia 1020 do NOT have expandable storage! This simple $99 BLU Win Jr has expandable MicroSD storage! 1/4 to 1/6 the price of flagship phones.

4. Performance is a little laggy/sluggish/jerky (like when scrolling) on the BLU Win Jr, probably because it only has 512mb ram, even though it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core 64bit processor. Not terrible, but not as smooth as any iPhone or Nokia Lumia. BUT remember, this is not a flagship phone, this is a $99 dual-sim phone.

5. DUAL-SIMs - another BLU Win! Obviously iPhone and Nokia Lumia currently do not have dual-sim functionality. If you never travel overseas or you can use your personal phone at work, then you probably don't care. But if you have to carry a work phone AND you want your own phone, dual-sim is the way to go. And don't forget it supports 2G/3G/LTE, which is basically every carrier I know (in the US). Using it is very, very slick, from choosing a "1" or "2" when sending text messages or placing phone calls depending on which number or sim card you want to use!

6. Real Hands-free Text Messaging - this is really just a Windows Phone 8.1 WIN. Absolutely blows Siri away and the Wife was shocked that Siri didn't do this well. When I get a new text message on the BLU Win Jr, it will AUTO-NOTIFY me with "You received a new text message from John Doe, would you like me to read it or ignore it?" THEN, I can speak my reply and it will review it and ask if I want to add-more or start over or cancel it. Also, each section that I dictate, I can re-record, without having to redo the entire message.
Surprisingly - Siri doesn't do this, you have to hope your car's built-in bluetooth "hears" the text message notification chime. And IF you do hear it, you have to fumble around for your home button to launch Siri and once you launch Siri, you have to then tell her, "Siri, read me my text messages". That's not hands-free! (Note: I said car's built-in bluetooth, most 3rd party car bluetooth add-ons like from Jabra or Parrot, etc, you can press a single button to activate Siri, but for some reason, most cars that don't have Apple CarPlay or Apples EyesFree will not activate Siri, you have to physically find your phone or buy a bluetooth Siri button)
I know Android does this with apps; we haven't found an iOS app that allows this.
Furthermore, Windows Phone 8.1 will probably work with ANY car bluetooth system new or old, because we can dial "Cortana" as a phone contact and it will launch Cortana! My 2009 car's phone button doesn't activate Siri or Cortana, BUT I can simply just dial/call Cortana and Cortana is activated. Siri doesn't offer this yet and you have to jailbreak your phone to get a 3rd party app that does this. I presume Android just uses "Hey Google" but likely drains the battery.

7. The camera appears a bit grainy/washed, but again the screen resolution is far below that of the iPhone6 and Nokia Lumia 1020. But this is like comparing a Kia to a Mercedes and BMW. The BLU Win Jr is 5mp and the iPhone6 is 8mp and the 1020 is a whopping 40mp! But it is really not about megapixels, as the iPhone6 probably has the best phone camera in terms of quality and speed compared to any phone out there. (The 1020 is great, but it takes 2-3 seconds to process each picture, the iPhone6 can rapid-fire shot after shot with very high quality)

8. App Gap, there's no denying iOS and Android app availability and marketshare (99%). But for any business-user that drives a lot for work or has a long commute and doesn't need a big app selection, Windows Phone 8.1 is worth it for purely the fuller-featured Outlook integration, Reminders behaviors, Exchange Contact and Calendar integration, Skype business meeting integration (ie. watch Skype/Lync desktop sharing from your phone!) and above-all, amazing and true hands-free text messaging abilities (compared to Siri).

Overall, you get what you pay for and you get A LOT here. At $99 compared to $400-$600 phones of course this is not a flagship phone, but $99 gets you LTE, unlocked, dual-sim AND expandable micro-sd. Great phone for a frequent international traveler or a current 2-phones business person that wants to consolidate. If you try Cortana's *truly* hands-free text messaging functionality in your car, I don't see how a business-minded road traveler could want anything else.

(Video review coming soon)

This is an affordable phone. For under 100 bucks unlocked, dual SIM, brand new, it is a great deal. We can't compare this against Galaxy S, Nexus, Moto X, or Sony Xperia. Not only would that be unfair, but it really also does not compare.

The phone has a good shape, I like the build quality. It feels solid, perhaps even on the heavy side, and the carbon-like finish is a very nice touch. It feels good in the hand. It came with a free back cover, no doubt included because it's unlikely accessories will be easily found. I don't usually use cases, but this one actually feels very nice. In fact, it feels better in the case, has a better texture to it.

I'm not a big fan of the Windows OS, but I can live with it. The audio quality is good. It readily picked up some environment sounds, but the voice remains clear.

The touchscreen is not very good. Neither the touch nor the screen is very good. First, the screen: the screen's resolution is very low. It really takes me back a decade, when fuzzy LCD text was considered a step up from straight edge pixelated text. The colors are not bad, and the brightness is good. But if you're reading text on this, it will likely bother you.

Second: the touch of the touchscreen. It's got quite a lag. I'm pretty sure it's not the processor, but the screen. Short touches don't get registered. Swipe requires an exaggerated motion to go quickly. Swipe to scroll is much too slow, scrolls a very short distance before stopping. Also, swiping a second time to scroll can in fact slow down the scroll: I think it doesn't know I want speeding up, but instead stops, and restarts.

The rear camera is fairly low res at 5 MP. That's really not acceptable today. You can take videos, but playing back the video often stutters or distorts. That likely is a processor limitation.

Out of the box, you have about 1.5 GB of free space left. You're gonna have to get an extra SD card, so add that to your initial investment.

This phone can serve well for situations where it's a phone first, smartphone second. Good as a land line at home, or is pretty good as a gift to grandma, who needs a phone with a good sized screen and just use it for calls and the occasional pictures from grandkids. It's probably not up the typical daily grind: I got fed up with the scrolling after just a few minutes of use. Granted I'm not a patient man. :) The keyboard is responsive, but slow scroll can be stuttery.

So its real competition is the used iPhone 4S, at around the same price point, but only 3G not LTE. Sure, that's almost 4 years old, and the screen is on the smaller side, but spec for spec, and the user experience are both absolutely still fantastic, at least a 4 star. In fact, I have a 4 that I still use. The battery doesn't last me through the day anymore, but it feels solid and the touchscreen and retina display, with 8 MP rear camera, are way better.

This isn't a love letter to iPhone. In fact, I've been using Android for 3 years and still do. But the affordable market is in fact very competitive, and I'm not sure if the new phone smell is worth the premium. It's expensive to make a new phone.

4 stars for giving people a choice. Now people just need to make the choice that's right for them. Dual SIM is definitely interesting, but the US market isn't as keen on them as developing markets.

This is my first Windows Phone, and I wasn't prepared for what I discovered - this device, despite relatively small storage memory and RAM, runs really smoothly, and provides a nice phone and computing experience.

The phone is plastic, but well built. The package comes with the phone, a TPU case, a screen protector (and another already installed), earphones, a USB cable, a 1000 mA charger, a removable battery, and some very brief instructions. The first thing I need to tell you is that to remove the back cover, look at the bottom of the phone; there is a small slit that you can use to pry the cover off. The rest of the instructions are similar - none of it is hard, but they are very basic.

I provide full specs below. I was surprised that a device this inexpensive had a 64 bit processor, although it only runs at 1200 Mhz, with a good GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) as well. It only has 512 Mb of memory, and only 4 Gb of storage, but it does support MicroSD cards up to 32 Gb, and is able to install applications on the SD card.

I am on T-Mobile, and I had both 4G and LTE at various times; I found that the download speed was very good in either case, and the interface is snappy. If you turn on the power saver, the interface slows down a bit, but the processor appears to still work just as well (see the benchmark scores). The phone comes with MS Office installed; it works very well, much better than Android. The screen is bright when set to automatic, but I think it will last most of the day on a single charge with normal use. I am impressed by the quality of the screen, considering the specifications; it doesn't seem lacking or low quality.

The sound was clear for both speaking and hearing the distant ends, so it works really well as a phone as well. The neat thing about this device is that it accepts two Micro SIM cards, so you can actually work on either of two networks at once, or just use the single SIM card as I did. The phone offers a choice of which SIM to use when dialing. It is all very seamless. The music output is not as good; the included earbuds put out a sound that is OK for classical, but there is little bass and no equalizer feature. I would not use this as my preferred media device. However, it does video smoothly, and the speakers sound better than the earbuds! It took a few seconds for Youtube streaming to begin, but once started, it looked and sounded fine.

The one place where this phone is lacking is the camera. The main camera is only 5 megapixels, which is actually fine for casual use. The selfie camera is only .5 megapixel (VGA), and is not very good at all. I suppose it works for the purpose, but this in particular is very sub-standard. I found that the main camera is adequate, with auto focus, but (particularly indoors) I thought it had a sort of greenish tint. Nothing too bad, but not what I would like. Outdoors, it takes better pictures, acceptable in level of camera - but still not quite the colorization I prefer. The camera does have various settings to adjust exposure - I only tested the automatic setting. Don't buy this one for the camera! This part of the phone caused me to deduct one star from the rating.

Summary: An excellent first phone, or for the kids - or just a spare, at this price! Highly recommended.

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Additional Details:

Dimensions: 2.65 X 5.24 X 0.37 Inches
Weight: 4.87 Ounces
Display: 4.5 Inch, IPS, 480 X 854 Pixel, 218 pixels per inch
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 410, 1.2GHz Quad Core, 64 bit
GPU: Adreno 306 GPU 400 MHz
RAM: 512 Mb
Storage: 4 Gb
Camera: 5Mp Autofocus, 5MP
Front camera: VGA (0.3 MP) with Flash
Video 720p @ 30 FPS
Memory Card: MicroSd 32 Gb max
SIM Card: Micro with dual SIM
Battery: 200 mA Litihum Polymer
OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1
Networks: 4G LTE 700/1700/2600 3G 850/1900/2100 (T-Mobile HSPA+)
Wi-Fi, b,g,n,Hotspot
USB 2.0
Bluetooth: 4.0
GPS positioning

Antutu Benchmark for Windows Phone:
Without Power Saving: 13988
With Power Saving: 12699

While this Win Jr unlocked phone didn't convince me to retire my Samsung Galaxy S5, I can say that I could happily use this phone if were going to be travelling outside of the U.S. and was looking for a phone that I knew I could use on the networks in most countries.

I've used Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 for a while now, and have previously used various Windows phone Operating System devices (and Windows CE devices before that). I've never been that disenchanted with those devices or the Windows Mobile type operating system. For my needs, it worked OK. What killed any thought of being a long term user of those Operating Systems and devices was a general lack of software. Without a killer app and/or without ever having reached critical mass within the market place Microsoft continues to lag behind both Apple and Android (from Google). That really hasn't changed with Windows 8.x as the app situation still hasn't improved. I can *probably* find *most* of the applications that I would *need*, but there's just no guarantee of that, and quite often I find myself wishing that Microsoft would just pay the developers to put their applications on the OS/devices or dig a little deeper to put more SDK (software development kits) into the hands of developers. Either that or develop some can't miss/can't live without mobile OS game that becomes the killer app that everyone just has to have.

Apologies, didn't mean to run on so much back there. So, getting back on track, what are my other thoughts with this device? Uh, it's a Windows 8.x phone. It runs the Windows 8 phone applications -- not the full-on PC version of Windows 8.1 or prior versions of Windows applications. Hopefully by now everyone knows that about the Windows phone OS, but just in case, please keep it in mind. For this particular phone the on-board RAM is a little underwhelming, but it really doesn't impact the use of Windows phone apps that you might typically need. Nor does the relatively small amount of on-board storage (again, underwhelming in this area, but consider again that in many ways this would be what many might think of as a throw-away or disposable phone). You can expand the storage by using a MicroSD card and can install applications into that expanded storage, but you'd still be somewhat stuck with a less than totally impressive suite of applications to choose from.

The camera that is built-in to this phone is nice. Not really that impressive, but certainly functional. With additional storage you could find you have room enough to put some music on the device (on the added in storage) so you could listen to tunes from the device.

There are alternatives to this device out there, including a couple of other Windows phone devices that seem to show up relatively regularly as part of Amazon's "Today's Deals" area. (Gold box type specials). The disadvantage for some of those other devices would be that they aren't UNLOCKED phones like this one is. Given that, this device probably earned an extra star from me in my 4 star ratings (leaning a bit higher, but not much more so).

Graphics are excellent but the memory is horrible. I needed a new phone and was excited to try this one out. Strictly a microsoft product. Couldn't download any Sony apps. And the one game I play regularly which is clash of clans, will not work on this phone. I downloaded three small games and it filled my memory up completely. I found one other game by microsoft I wanted to play and deleted all three of the games and still didn't have enough memory for the one game. It comes with another SD spot for memory so if you get this phone and plan on playing or downloading apps you will want to go ahead and buy another SD for the memory. As far as the phone aspects it worked good I was able to customize screen graphics, lock screen, and ringtones. The sound on calls was normal. I live in a swampy type of area and service is always spotty. The real test is if I can get service down in the swamp which very few phones get service. I will not be able to go down to this area for another few weeks so I will update when I get to try this phone down at my camp. So update coming soon.
Update: Finally made it down into the swamp. No service with this phone so far only an Iphone gets one bar connection in certain areas of the swamp so sadly still no phone that I own will get service.

I got my new phone a few days ago. I currently have the BLU Win HD 5.5 in neon yellow. I much prefer the grey color which, to me, is so much more mature and elegant. This phone is slightly smaller than the HD. Setup was pretty much easy for this as it was for the other phone. I have Consumer Cellular, so this phone accepted the SIM card right away. This also recognized all my contacts and imported everything. The Win OS is different from android phones which I also own. This was simple to configure my home Internet and Facebook accounts. I played with the still and video cameras. Transferring my music to my microSD card was easy, just save the tracks to the card and pop in the device. Overall, I like this phone because it proves one does not have to spend so much to get functionality and looks.

Summary: If you are looking for a really cheap, affordable and very easy to use GSM smartphone, this is for you. If you travel a lot internationally, or want to gift a phone to international relatives, this one may be good for that too - with the 2 Sim support. In a crowded low end market with several androids, I would still prefer a Windows phone - just for one thing - ease of use! Even people who never used a smart phone can easily get used to a windows phone (or iphone for that matter, if you can spend more) - definitely not an android phone - the way current android phones arrive at customers with a ton of bloatware and confusing interface for a non-techie.
Details: In most specs, this almost looks like a twin of Nokia Lumia 635 (unfortunately, 635 is available in US for as little as $69), with just one exception - 2 SIM support. It is also a little more bulkier than the current sleek crop of phones, but then at this price range, it is quite good as is.
Only a few cons:
1. lack of applications (applies to Windows) - but if you are only looking for simple things such as email, FB, Twitter, Flipboard and some web browsing, this is more than enough
2. 5 MP camera - not so good - pictures are just ok - not great.
Several pros:
1. display is fine for this price range (definitely not going to watch netflix in a 4.5 screen of this sort).
2. Battery life is good
3. Comes with a screen guard and a nice cover - that otherwise will cost you another $15 or so.
4. Front camera too - for skype/video chatting/selfie (but looks like low quality VGA or less).
5. No bloatware at all :) Most windows phones are phones first and smartphones second..unlike 'some' smartphones!
6. Configuration, joining WIFI/Bluetooth etc are all so easy, and the experience is the same across all Windows phones.

Misc. Notes:
Micro Sims. And have to open the back cover to install the 2 Microsims, unlike Nokia models, but removing the back cover is quite an easy task. With 2 Sims you get 2 phone numbers on the same phone, giving you a choice to use which sim for calling out. Useful in other countries, but not of any use in US.
(PS: My current primary phone is a Galaxy S6, upgraded from Nokia 1020, which was an upgrade from iPhone 4S. I have a good use for dual sim phones when I travel abroad, and this one fits the bill nicely for me).

The previous two phones that I have owned were the iPhone 4 (iOS) and Moto G (Android), so this review compares this phone against those two models. As far as specs and cost this phone is a strong contender in the range of budget smartphones.

Pros:
Dual-Sim: This is a really nifty feature as it allows the phone to be used on two different networks with two distinct phone numbers, and includes separate calling and texting apps for each SIM. This has two true practical applications: personal and work SIMs or international and domestic SIMs. I like to travel and typically find myself without cell service outside of the country; for that reason I purchased an international SIM to put in this phone. A Google search for "international sim" returns a number of companies offering such SIMs. While I haven't taken this phone outside of the country yet, my phone should now be international-ready. For those who like to travel abroad, this is a feature worth seeking out.
Windows 8 Familiarity: If you are familiar with Windows 8 this phone should be ease to pick up and use without much of a learning curve. Windows 8 on the phone looks and feels much like the Windows 8 I am used to using on my laptop.

Cons:
Scrolling: My biggest complaint has to do with scrolling on the touch screen. Unlike the seamless experience I have come to expect from my time with a phone from Apple, this phone does not scroll smoothly. Scrolling feels laggy and jittery, as though the screen were catching on something as I scroll. While bearable, it makes the experience less enjoyable and fluid.
Memory: With the amount of digital content available in the form of apps, music, pictures, and more I believe just about anyone who chooses this phone will realize that they need more space that the 4 GB provided (less after the space taken up by the OS). Fortunately, BLU has incorporated a slot for a micro SD card that is ease to access behind the back shell. While this is to be expected on a budget phone, the cost of memory is so low that I question if upgrading the internal memory to 8 GB would have cost BLU much more.

All in all, I would definitely recommend considering this phone to anyone looking for a budget phone to take on international trips, or a budget Windows 8 phone.

While I am no self professed smart phone "expert" I have enough experience with them to provide a decent evaluation of this product
Fist I like it allot, not enough to replace my primary phone.but enough to populate it with some useful apps & attach it to a stand affixed to my easy chair so I can interact with & use it as a back up phone when need be.
What do I like about it?
The big screen. while the picture color & resolution is not up to iphone standards, the bigger screen size helps to make up for that.
Interface layout I like this Windows set up, especially how the apps are all listed in alphabetical order  makes it easy to keep track of & access things.
The "Cortana" virtual assistant Cortana is just about equal to Siri in overall likeability in my eyes
as after extensive testing I found that Siri is useful in areas that Cortana is not and visa versa so it is hard to say which is really "better".
Although I will admit that Siri IS more user friendly in that you can interact hands free with Siri, whereas Cortana requires a manual prompt.
The appsthis is my 1st experience with Windows apps, & I must say that I am not disappointedLot's of good/useful & entertaining apps to choose from.
The FM radio I find this to be a really nice feature, as it works very well, is very easy to interact with, you must have the ear buds plugged in as they act as the antenna, but you can listen through the phone speaker if you like as welland the digital tuner works great it was just "put together" right.
The speaker/audio. I find the speaker on this phone to be pretty good, as it almost seems loud sometimes, although the louder it is the more apparent it's inherent shortcomings become..such as lack of bass.
Overall design the phone is handy & lightfeels good in the hand.
The protective case. is actually very well made & just feels right, as it fits the phone like a glove.
The phone comes with the protective case charging cord ear buds screen protectorand an instruction manual.
And of course the phone is unlocked PLUS it is a dual sim card phone.
What don't I like?
Well the scrolling is not as fast & smooth as higher end phones and the build quality is not quite as tight as more expensive phonesthe phone I received has a manufacturers flaw, as the screen was not sealed properly in one corner.. while it in no way affects functionality, it detracts from the phones appearance as the defect is obvious & apparent.
Memory is on the short side of things, I was fortunate enough to have a micro SD card handy so that took care of thatthe back cover is pretty easy to pop off & the card slot accepted the micro SD without a fuss.
For the price  this is a great deal, as you get ALLOT of functionality in this Windows phone at a fraction of the cost of most other smart phones.
The Win Jr LTE & it's Windows operating system is like a breath of fresh air to me as it is helping to keep the smart phone experience fresh & fun, simply because it is a phone that is smart in a different way
So the BLU Solo is definitely a viable option for those on a tight budget looking for a smart phone "fully loaded" with functionality although not for everybody, I think many will find this phone & it's low price to their liking.