There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
146 of 158 people found the following review helpful
VINE VOICEon January 7, 2015
In a world with i-phone 6's and other $1k phones, how can I give this little BLU phone 5 stars? It comes down to bang for the buck, overall value. This BLU 5.0 HD LTE phone is priced at $200 with no contract, brand new. For that you get an included transparent protective phone case and a pre-installed screen protector, plus an extra screen protector... just in case you ever need it (all are included, no need to purchase them separately).
The phone supports LTE on most carriers and even where it doesn't (AT&T) it still connects via 4G and is very fast. This is because data connection speed is really not the limiting factor for most browsing etc., it comes down to hardware. The Quad-core Snapdragon processor and memory are more than capable of providing a fantastic web experience. I tested it, on AT&T, against my Nokia and my daughters i-Phone 6 and I can honestly say that you are not missing anything with this BLU. It's Quad-core processor and 4G connection are faster than my Nokia with a dual-core processor and LTE connection. I would say it is fully comparable with my daughter's i-phone 6. What you won't miss, is the money still in your pocket thanks to the small price tag.
Audio is very clean and crisp. Music is extremely clear... you can hear every voice and instrument very clearly. Maximum volume is not very loud, but if you are trying to play for a crowd you will be using an external speaker anyway (try an REI speaker, also a great value for the money).
Video is phenomenal. This screen is magnificent. It is so clear and bright that I actually had to turn brightness way down so I could watch an HD episode of Two and a Half Men in a brightly lit room. The screen is full 720p HD (just like HDTV). No, it is not full Blu-ray (1080p) but it isn't really an issue. Almost no one can actually tell the difference between 1080p and 720p on screens smaller than televisions anyway. There is no feeling of loss with the 720p screen, it is amazing.
Call quality is great going both ways. In my tests it is every bit as clear and crisp any anything I compared it to.
Overall, this is a fantastic bang for your buck. I'm sure that BLU will be gaining in market share here in the US very soon, especially once they get their new production facility in Brazil up and running. They already dominate several markets elsewhere in the world. They make good phones and offer great value.
The phone supports LTE on most carriers and even where it doesn't (AT&T) it still connects via 4G and is very fast. This is because data connection speed is really not the limiting factor for most browsing etc., it comes down to hardware. The Quad-core Snapdragon processor and memory are more than capable of providing a fantastic web experience. I tested it, on AT&T, against my Nokia and my daughters i-Phone 6 and I can honestly say that you are not missing anything with this BLU. It's Quad-core processor and 4G connection are faster than my Nokia with a dual-core processor and LTE connection. I would say it is fully comparable with my daughter's i-phone 6. What you won't miss, is the money still in your pocket thanks to the small price tag.
Audio is very clean and crisp. Music is extremely clear... you can hear every voice and instrument very clearly. Maximum volume is not very loud, but if you are trying to play for a crowd you will be using an external speaker anyway (try an REI speaker, also a great value for the money).
Video is phenomenal. This screen is magnificent. It is so clear and bright that I actually had to turn brightness way down so I could watch an HD episode of Two and a Half Men in a brightly lit room. The screen is full 720p HD (just like HDTV). No, it is not full Blu-ray (1080p) but it isn't really an issue. Almost no one can actually tell the difference between 1080p and 720p on screens smaller than televisions anyway. There is no feeling of loss with the 720p screen, it is amazing.
Call quality is great going both ways. In my tests it is every bit as clear and crisp any anything I compared it to.
Overall, this is a fantastic bang for your buck. I'm sure that BLU will be gaining in market share here in the US very soon, especially once they get their new production facility in Brazil up and running. They already dominate several markets elsewhere in the world. They make good phones and offer great value.
137 of 159 people found the following review helpful
VINE VOICEon January 10, 2015
Rating down to 4- to 3-stars. See UPDATE #1 below
*** ORIGINAL REVIEW ***
*** 4-star rating ***
I have a love-hate relationship with this phone. Firstly, this review is based on my own experience with this phone, and hopefully it will cover the things that this phone CAN DO and what it IS or IS NOT. I will go over all aspects that may or may not interest you, in hopes that you will know what you're getting yourself into with this phone:
This unlocked Blue Studio 5.0 phone is, for the most part, a very good phone with some unique technology not found on other phones. Blu Products is a mobile phone manufacturer founded in 2009 by Sammy Ohev-Zion. The headquarters is based in Florida, but the phone itself is manufactured in China (at least it says so in the sticker behind the battery). Out of the box, there were mixed feelings of surprise for the good by the size and clean lines, and for the bad by the cheap-ish plastic back cover.
The phone itself is packaged well. The phone already has a screen protector (yes!!!), there is a spare screen protector in the box as well, and it also comes with a clear protective case. Then the standard earbuds with mic, microUSB charging cable and a BLU-stamped 5V 1amp portable rectangular USB charger reminiscent of the square iPhone chargers. Cool so far...
Charged this baby overnight and powered up.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
-Already running 4.4 KitKat (no word yet on when this will be ready for 5.0 Lollipop)
-Screen is bright and clear
-Unlocked and ready for GSM network. I have mine with T-Mobile (I had my share of headaches with this phone on T-Mobile during the first few days)
-8GB internal storage is larger than most unlocked smartphones (usually 4GB)
-13MP Main Camera, with 5MP self-facing camera
-MicroSD slot to store your playlists of songs and videos
-Thus far (from what I've seen) the only Blu phone with 8GB internal storage, HD screen (720p) and 4G LTE
-4G 20Mbps download and 12Mbps upload. Fast!!!
Cons:
-Already running 4.4 KitKat, so problems with KitKat cannot be avoided (such as running apps off of the SD card)
-8GB fills up fast; the OS +apps took up almost half of this space already, so it would be nice to see at least 16GB internal storage
-you need to remove back cover AND battery to add/remove MicroSD card and SIM card
-MicroSD slot WAS NOT able to format or mount any of my 64GB microSD cards (more on this later); seems to max out accepting 32GB MicroSD cards
-Because the phone is already running KitKat, apps AND pictures cannot be downloaded/stored on MicroSD card (though it is possible to tweak the OS to make this work)
-would be nice to have Dual-Sim, which are in a lot of the new phones now (the internals already looked like it is ready for Dual-Sim (has a micro SIM space between the micro SD slot and the micro SIM slot)
*** Brief Details ***
Based on a 5-star rating (1-Poor... 5-Excellent)
*Build Quality - (4) Feels light and cheap at first, but is quite sturdy and works well
*Display - (4.5) 5" Bright, clear, and vivid
*Camera - (4) Takes surprisingly sharp pictures in the daytime, but so-so pictures with not-so-optimal lighting
*Processor, RAM, and Internal Storage - (3.5) Average CPU; 1GB RAM works but could be higher; 8GB storage is better than most pre-paid phones (usually running 4GB) but could be higher
*Storage Expansion - (3) expansion slot accepts up to 32GB MicroSD cards, but would like to see compatibility with 64GB or higher cards; Issues with KitKat
*Graphics - (4) Decent. HD videos play well, with occasional stuttering but not all the time.
*Audio - (3) Average sound
*Battery Life - (4) With proper settings and mild use, I have gone two days without recharging. On average use, I charge every night
*Speed - (5) 4G is impressive! 20 Mbps download and 12 Mbps upload.
*Apps - (4) Google Play.
*Conclusion - Average score (3.9) rounded to 4. Very good feature phone. Highly recommended.
IMO, for 200 dollars this phone is a very good feature phone running android, and has almost all of the things I want/need. There are limitations (listed below), but for its cost it is one of the best bang for your buck.
It works for T-Mobile and Simple Mobile. I haven't tried AT&T or other carriers. So it's cost is on the upper-end of "unlocked phones" since you can get cheaper ones for under $100. However, what you are getting extra are: an HD screen, 4G LTE data speed (at least with T-Mobile), micro SD expansion (up to 32 GB) that you can store music and videos to listen and watch, and an already upgraded OS to 4.4 KitKat. Disappointed with 1) not being able to store pictures and videos taken from the phone on the SD card, 2) not being able to use 64 or 128 GB microSD expansion, and 3) not having dual SIM capability. Maybe a future upgrade?
*** UPDATE: I tried an AT&T pre-paid phone SIM card and it works on this phone.***
I will give this phone a 4-star rating. Highly Recommended.
*** UPDATE #1 2015-01-21 ***
I am trying this phone on T-Mobile pre-paid pay by the day plans for unlimited talk and text, either on 2 dollars a day (unlimited 2G) or 3 dollars a day (First 200MB at up to 4G speeds with a 4G-compatible device, 2G speed after reaching cap). When using the 4G plan, I get 20/12 Mbps for down/up speeds. When using 2G plan, I get 13/11 Kbps down/up. I tried these on consecutive days, with consistent results. The cell calls were 75% good, with the other 25% sounding garbled and incomprehensible.
Briefly, I want to use this phone as a mini-tablet over wifi (not mobile data) to access various things (email, Goog Hangouts, websites, Netflix, Youtube, Facebook, etc.). I hardly use the phone, so I wanted to see how this phone will do with Mobile Data disabled. Recall that I am using the pay by the day plan with T-Mobile. The problems started when I left the phone at home over the weekend (untouched and unused, with Mobile Data turned off, but the phone left on). When I checked the balance, I found there were two days worth of charges on my account. This puzzled me, since I have not used the phone for anything. I did not send or receive calls or texts. I haven't even used the phone for watching Netflix or web surfing. When I called T-Mobile, I was informed that there were minuscule amounts of data usage (ie. 0.0002 Kb or something like that, according to support), but enough to trigger a day charge. I verified with tech support that 1) Mobile Data was turned off through the settings, and also 2) restricted background data. No charges, until I got to work connected to my work wifi to check the balance on my starbucks app. Somehow, this triggered another daily use charge by 0.2kb data use. So even though Mobile Data is turned off, background data is restricted, and connected by wifi, some data was sent/received through the cell data. This is unacceptable! If mobile data is off, then the phone should not transmit data. Period. Otherwise, if I planned on using this mostly as a mini-tablet (wifi connection to surf web, email, stream videos, etc.) with minimal/no phone use (once a month?), the balance would trickle away daily. So it is either the phone's hardware, or the OS (4.4.2) is faulty by letting data leak in/out through the cell data EVEN THOUGH mobile data is turned off. Something is faulty, I just don't know what it is.
I have been working with T-Mobile support to try to resolve the problem. In the meantime, I switched the Mobile Network Access Point to another server to prevent the phone from talking with the T-Mobile network.
Downgraded to 3-stars.
*** Details Below ***
*** Proceed if you are interested ***
Let's get into the features...
*Build Quality - Weighing in at about 5.6 ounces with a plastic back and aluminum-ish frame and buttons, the Blu Studio 5.0 feels a bit on the cheap side. I've taken the back cover off so many times to get to the micro SD card slot, and at first I was a bit hesitant doing this because I was afraid the plastic tabs might break, but they seem to be holding up fine. It does not have the solid feel like pickup up an iPhone 6 Plus or a Samsung S5, but you also buy 3-4 of these Blu phones for the price of one iPhone 6 Plus.
*Display - The display is bright, clear, and vivid. I was quite impressed. The display is 5" 1280x720p IPS LCD capacitative touchscreen, so although it can handle 720p HD videos, it is not full HD at 1080p (or greater). Almost thankful for this, since the GPU may not be able to play 1080p videos smoothly. There is also a lower-end version, the BLU Studio 5.0 LTE sporting a 540x960 resolution screen (ie. not HD) with an 8MP back camera (-vs-13MP) and 4GB internal storage (-vs-8GB). This phone does quite well playing HD movies from Netflix, but for some reason seemed to stutter with YouTube HD videos. Unfortunately, I cannot find anywhere if the screen is Gorilla Glass, or what other type.
*Camera - Remember when DSLRs were 13 MP and were considered professional grade cameras? In fact, the resolution of this phone's camera is higher than my Nikon D200 (10 MP). This Blue Studio 5.0 HD Phone has a 13 MP front-facing camera that takes advantage of HDR and autofocus. However, these are apples and watermelons, an unfair comparison (for taking pictures, I carry around and prefer the Nikon D200 over this phone), but this phone can take decent pictures in a pinch. Daylight and outdoor pictures come out really nice, but indoor and nighttime shots come out a bit "blue" (pun intended). The higher resolution on this camera helps with zooming in on shots: I took a picture of my coffee on a desk from 5 feet away and I can still read the fine print on the sleeve ("Same great sleeve, less waste..."), whereas the same shot with an iPhone 5 I could not read the print. Impressive! I set the pictures at a lower resolution (5MP or less) to save on precious storage space. The camera has digital zoom for both still photos and video. Spread your fingers across the screen to zoom, pinch down to zoom out. Oh, and there's also a flash, which helps with taking pictures in the dark (but you get some major red-eye pictures).
*Processor, RAM, and Internal Storage - The Blue Studio 5.0 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2 GHz Quad core with Andreno 305 GPU, and sports a 1GB of RAM and 8GB internal storage. 8GB is the minimum internal storage size of what you would like on a smartphone running Android (almost 4GB will be used by the OS and apps the phone came with), so if you want to download and run other apps AND take pictures and videos, you would really like 8GB or more. Unfortunately, KitKat is wreaking havoc with how users can download/store/run apps and pictures. Prior to KitKat (JellyBean and older), you can run apps from the expansion card (if the phone has a slot), and you can store pictures and videos you took with the phone on the card as well. With the KitKat upgrade, this is not possible from a stock build. Some tweaking is required to get around this (with apps like KitKat External SD Card Patch or others like it) and will require rooting into your phone, and which I have NOT tested on this BLU phone.
*Storage Expansion - Here's where my headaches came back (after the initial headaches from talking with T-Mobile support to troubleshoot my poor call reception). The product info states (copied and pasted here) "8GB Internal Memory, 1GB RAM. Micro SD Slot up to 64GB." Unfortunately, this phone seems to support up to 32GB, since I've tried many 64GB MicroSD cards to no avail. I think there was one other reviewer who mentioned using a 64GB microSD card, and maybe they were lucky enough to receive a functional unit (or maybe I am unlucky... who knows). This may be a non issue for some, and a big deal for others.
Side Note: My music library is comprised of various formats, ranging from mp3 at 256-320kbps, some CD quality at 1411kbps, and some 24-bit/192kHz tracks at 9216kbps. The mp3 files are about 5MB each, so about 200 mp3 files will take up one GB. Right now I have about 20GB of music files on my current phone (iPhone) and listen to 60-75% of these songs every week and rotating albums and songs in and out of the playlist, so I need as much storage space as I can get.
With regards to pictures and videos taken from the phone, I have about 15GB of picture and video files on my phone, which is a lot and does not necessarily have to be this large. But my OCD about keeping several copies of personal pictures and videos has gotten the best of me, and although I delete a lot of random, junky, or accidental shots, I cannot delete from my phone those pictures that matter to me. This is why I started with a 32GB iPhone 4S (which was plenty) then to a 64GB iPhone 5S, and now considering the 128GB iPhone 6/6+. So for me, having an SD slot of any kind will help, especially if I can use the ones with larger capacity (64-256GB).
*Graphics - The Adreno 305 GPU performs well in playing HD videos in Netflix and HBO GO, but unfortunately YouTube videos occasionally stuttered. I don't quite know why this is the case. I wanted to test how my HD videos would play on this phone, but alas I cannot mount my micro SD card in this phone (it is not recognized by the phone, and it thinks there is no SD card). UPDATE 2014-01-14: YouTube videos have been playing better through WiFi, but still occasionally stutters running through 4G.
*Audio - The Blue Studio 5.0 HD LTE has decent audio, and average speakers. Other phones, such as the Amazon Fire Phone uses Dolby Digital Plus and sounds better than this Blu model. At best, this phone's sound is Average, which is still very good if you factor in the low cost. The phone (as a phone) is loud enough, but overall average to below-average max sound. When I use VoIP, the call is decent/above average. When I use the cell phone (T-Mobile coverage) the audio was very choppy the first two days (to the point of being unacceptable, and I had to ask T-Mobile to call me on my VZW phone... no problems there). It's gotten better over the last week, but coverage is still poor.
*Battery Life - The battery is a 3.8V 2200mAh Lithium-Ion Battery, but there is no mention of approximately how long the battery will last. Sure, it all depends on whether you are using this phone to watch videos, stream audio/video through 4G LTE, or just web browsing. But for 200 dollars, I would buy an extra set of chargers and maybe a portable battery. At least the battery can be replaced, unlike other phones (*Apple* ahem). For me, the results have been a mixed bag of lasting a day and a half (the first day) to lasting through mid-afternoon, but used extensively (3 hours on phone support), watching a movie on Netflix, web browsing, and benchmark stuff.
*Speed - 4G speed is impressive, but not the fastest I've seen. Using Ookla, I was able to get 20 Mbps download and 12 Mbps upload. This is in San Francisco, with full bars of 4G LTE signal. I just wished the call quality was just as impressive (it isn't). *** UPDATE *** I was lucky enough to be with a few friends with iPhone 5S from T-Mobile, ATT, and Verizon and tested the 4G "LTE" speeds for each (same Ookla app for testing). The results for Download/Upload (Mbps) were: T-Mobile 22/12, ATT 28/14, Verizon 4/2. So this BLU Studio is on par with another LTE phone on T-Mobile.
*Apps - Google Play. `Nuff said. Not as much as what is available for iOS, but it has enough. If you are invested in Android devices, you will know the strengths and limitations of what is available in Google Play. Our household is mostly Apple, but I have an older Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 so I am familiar with Google Play's offerings.
*Conclusion - For about 200 dollars, this phone has almost all of the things I want/need. There's still room for improvement. But for its cost, it is one of the best bang for your buck.
What I would like to see in other/future iterations:
-at least 16GB internal storage (32GB preferred); 8GB is too small
-at least 2GB RAM
-support for 64GB MicroSD (128GB would be nice, too)
-ability to run apps from MicroSD card; ability to store photos on MicroSD card (this is a limitation of KitKat, so I can't fault the phone too much, but nevertheless it is still a major limitation of this phone)
-Dual SIM (instead of single SIM); some of the newer unlocked phones are dual SIM. BLU already has a line of phones that sport dual SIM, like the BLU Advance 4.0 and the BLU Studio 5.0 II, and the BLU Dash 5.0 lines. In fact, the BLU product BLU Studio 6.0 LTE HD display seems to have most of what I asked for, but I can't verify yet because I do not have one.
(How about having a "Developer Edition" that has these features?!)
Based on these limitations, I will give this phone a strong 4-star rating (for now).
Currently, this phone is available unlocked for $199. It works for T-Mobile and Simple Mobile. I haven't tried ATT or other carriers. So it's cost is on the upper-end of "unlocked phones" since you can get cheaper ones for under $100. However, what you are getting extra are: an HD screen, 4G LTE data speed (at least with T-Mobile), micro SD expansion (up to 32 GB) that you can store music and videos to listen and watch, and an already upgraded OS to 4.4 KitKat. Disappointed with 1) not being able to store pictures and videos taken from the phone on the SD card, 2) not being able to use 64 or 128 GB microSD expansion, and 3) not having dual SIM capability. Maybe a future upgrade?
I am still testing the phone out, but I thought I should get this review out ASAP.
Troubleshooting - I went through 10 different 64GB micro SD cards (from various devices), only to find out by trial-and-error that this phone is maxed out at 32GB (for MicroSD cards). So, it seems that this phone is compatible with a max MicroSD of 32GB, something that either Amazon and/or BLU will need to correct on product information.
***** Warning GEEK Alert!!! *****
SPECIFICATIONS
Technology
Android v4.4 KitKat
3G 850/1700/1900/2100
4G LTE 1700/2600
Processor
1.2 GHz Quadcore with Adreno 305 GPU
Memory
Internal 8GB, 1GB RAM
*Micro SD up to 32 GB (based on my experience)
Display
BLU Infinite View Technology
5.0 HD 720 x 1280
Camera
13MP Forward-facing Camera - 5MP Self-facing camera - LED Flash
HD 1080p Video @30fps
Connectivity
Bluetooth 3.0
Wifi, Hotspot
MicroUSB v2.0
*** ORIGINAL REVIEW ***
*** 4-star rating ***
I have a love-hate relationship with this phone. Firstly, this review is based on my own experience with this phone, and hopefully it will cover the things that this phone CAN DO and what it IS or IS NOT. I will go over all aspects that may or may not interest you, in hopes that you will know what you're getting yourself into with this phone:
This unlocked Blue Studio 5.0 phone is, for the most part, a very good phone with some unique technology not found on other phones. Blu Products is a mobile phone manufacturer founded in 2009 by Sammy Ohev-Zion. The headquarters is based in Florida, but the phone itself is manufactured in China (at least it says so in the sticker behind the battery). Out of the box, there were mixed feelings of surprise for the good by the size and clean lines, and for the bad by the cheap-ish plastic back cover.
The phone itself is packaged well. The phone already has a screen protector (yes!!!), there is a spare screen protector in the box as well, and it also comes with a clear protective case. Then the standard earbuds with mic, microUSB charging cable and a BLU-stamped 5V 1amp portable rectangular USB charger reminiscent of the square iPhone chargers. Cool so far...
Charged this baby overnight and powered up.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
-Already running 4.4 KitKat (no word yet on when this will be ready for 5.0 Lollipop)
-Screen is bright and clear
-Unlocked and ready for GSM network. I have mine with T-Mobile (I had my share of headaches with this phone on T-Mobile during the first few days)
-8GB internal storage is larger than most unlocked smartphones (usually 4GB)
-13MP Main Camera, with 5MP self-facing camera
-MicroSD slot to store your playlists of songs and videos
-Thus far (from what I've seen) the only Blu phone with 8GB internal storage, HD screen (720p) and 4G LTE
-4G 20Mbps download and 12Mbps upload. Fast!!!
Cons:
-Already running 4.4 KitKat, so problems with KitKat cannot be avoided (such as running apps off of the SD card)
-8GB fills up fast; the OS +apps took up almost half of this space already, so it would be nice to see at least 16GB internal storage
-you need to remove back cover AND battery to add/remove MicroSD card and SIM card
-MicroSD slot WAS NOT able to format or mount any of my 64GB microSD cards (more on this later); seems to max out accepting 32GB MicroSD cards
-Because the phone is already running KitKat, apps AND pictures cannot be downloaded/stored on MicroSD card (though it is possible to tweak the OS to make this work)
-would be nice to have Dual-Sim, which are in a lot of the new phones now (the internals already looked like it is ready for Dual-Sim (has a micro SIM space between the micro SD slot and the micro SIM slot)
*** Brief Details ***
Based on a 5-star rating (1-Poor... 5-Excellent)
*Build Quality - (4) Feels light and cheap at first, but is quite sturdy and works well
*Display - (4.5) 5" Bright, clear, and vivid
*Camera - (4) Takes surprisingly sharp pictures in the daytime, but so-so pictures with not-so-optimal lighting
*Processor, RAM, and Internal Storage - (3.5) Average CPU; 1GB RAM works but could be higher; 8GB storage is better than most pre-paid phones (usually running 4GB) but could be higher
*Storage Expansion - (3) expansion slot accepts up to 32GB MicroSD cards, but would like to see compatibility with 64GB or higher cards; Issues with KitKat
*Graphics - (4) Decent. HD videos play well, with occasional stuttering but not all the time.
*Audio - (3) Average sound
*Battery Life - (4) With proper settings and mild use, I have gone two days without recharging. On average use, I charge every night
*Speed - (5) 4G is impressive! 20 Mbps download and 12 Mbps upload.
*Apps - (4) Google Play.
*Conclusion - Average score (3.9) rounded to 4. Very good feature phone. Highly recommended.
IMO, for 200 dollars this phone is a very good feature phone running android, and has almost all of the things I want/need. There are limitations (listed below), but for its cost it is one of the best bang for your buck.
It works for T-Mobile and Simple Mobile. I haven't tried AT&T or other carriers. So it's cost is on the upper-end of "unlocked phones" since you can get cheaper ones for under $100. However, what you are getting extra are: an HD screen, 4G LTE data speed (at least with T-Mobile), micro SD expansion (up to 32 GB) that you can store music and videos to listen and watch, and an already upgraded OS to 4.4 KitKat. Disappointed with 1) not being able to store pictures and videos taken from the phone on the SD card, 2) not being able to use 64 or 128 GB microSD expansion, and 3) not having dual SIM capability. Maybe a future upgrade?
*** UPDATE: I tried an AT&T pre-paid phone SIM card and it works on this phone.***
I will give this phone a 4-star rating. Highly Recommended.
*** UPDATE #1 2015-01-21 ***
I am trying this phone on T-Mobile pre-paid pay by the day plans for unlimited talk and text, either on 2 dollars a day (unlimited 2G) or 3 dollars a day (First 200MB at up to 4G speeds with a 4G-compatible device, 2G speed after reaching cap). When using the 4G plan, I get 20/12 Mbps for down/up speeds. When using 2G plan, I get 13/11 Kbps down/up. I tried these on consecutive days, with consistent results. The cell calls were 75% good, with the other 25% sounding garbled and incomprehensible.
Briefly, I want to use this phone as a mini-tablet over wifi (not mobile data) to access various things (email, Goog Hangouts, websites, Netflix, Youtube, Facebook, etc.). I hardly use the phone, so I wanted to see how this phone will do with Mobile Data disabled. Recall that I am using the pay by the day plan with T-Mobile. The problems started when I left the phone at home over the weekend (untouched and unused, with Mobile Data turned off, but the phone left on). When I checked the balance, I found there were two days worth of charges on my account. This puzzled me, since I have not used the phone for anything. I did not send or receive calls or texts. I haven't even used the phone for watching Netflix or web surfing. When I called T-Mobile, I was informed that there were minuscule amounts of data usage (ie. 0.0002 Kb or something like that, according to support), but enough to trigger a day charge. I verified with tech support that 1) Mobile Data was turned off through the settings, and also 2) restricted background data. No charges, until I got to work connected to my work wifi to check the balance on my starbucks app. Somehow, this triggered another daily use charge by 0.2kb data use. So even though Mobile Data is turned off, background data is restricted, and connected by wifi, some data was sent/received through the cell data. This is unacceptable! If mobile data is off, then the phone should not transmit data. Period. Otherwise, if I planned on using this mostly as a mini-tablet (wifi connection to surf web, email, stream videos, etc.) with minimal/no phone use (once a month?), the balance would trickle away daily. So it is either the phone's hardware, or the OS (4.4.2) is faulty by letting data leak in/out through the cell data EVEN THOUGH mobile data is turned off. Something is faulty, I just don't know what it is.
I have been working with T-Mobile support to try to resolve the problem. In the meantime, I switched the Mobile Network Access Point to another server to prevent the phone from talking with the T-Mobile network.
Downgraded to 3-stars.
*** Details Below ***
*** Proceed if you are interested ***
Let's get into the features...
*Build Quality - Weighing in at about 5.6 ounces with a plastic back and aluminum-ish frame and buttons, the Blu Studio 5.0 feels a bit on the cheap side. I've taken the back cover off so many times to get to the micro SD card slot, and at first I was a bit hesitant doing this because I was afraid the plastic tabs might break, but they seem to be holding up fine. It does not have the solid feel like pickup up an iPhone 6 Plus or a Samsung S5, but you also buy 3-4 of these Blu phones for the price of one iPhone 6 Plus.
*Display - The display is bright, clear, and vivid. I was quite impressed. The display is 5" 1280x720p IPS LCD capacitative touchscreen, so although it can handle 720p HD videos, it is not full HD at 1080p (or greater). Almost thankful for this, since the GPU may not be able to play 1080p videos smoothly. There is also a lower-end version, the BLU Studio 5.0 LTE sporting a 540x960 resolution screen (ie. not HD) with an 8MP back camera (-vs-13MP) and 4GB internal storage (-vs-8GB). This phone does quite well playing HD movies from Netflix, but for some reason seemed to stutter with YouTube HD videos. Unfortunately, I cannot find anywhere if the screen is Gorilla Glass, or what other type.
*Camera - Remember when DSLRs were 13 MP and were considered professional grade cameras? In fact, the resolution of this phone's camera is higher than my Nikon D200 (10 MP). This Blue Studio 5.0 HD Phone has a 13 MP front-facing camera that takes advantage of HDR and autofocus. However, these are apples and watermelons, an unfair comparison (for taking pictures, I carry around and prefer the Nikon D200 over this phone), but this phone can take decent pictures in a pinch. Daylight and outdoor pictures come out really nice, but indoor and nighttime shots come out a bit "blue" (pun intended). The higher resolution on this camera helps with zooming in on shots: I took a picture of my coffee on a desk from 5 feet away and I can still read the fine print on the sleeve ("Same great sleeve, less waste..."), whereas the same shot with an iPhone 5 I could not read the print. Impressive! I set the pictures at a lower resolution (5MP or less) to save on precious storage space. The camera has digital zoom for both still photos and video. Spread your fingers across the screen to zoom, pinch down to zoom out. Oh, and there's also a flash, which helps with taking pictures in the dark (but you get some major red-eye pictures).
*Processor, RAM, and Internal Storage - The Blue Studio 5.0 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2 GHz Quad core with Andreno 305 GPU, and sports a 1GB of RAM and 8GB internal storage. 8GB is the minimum internal storage size of what you would like on a smartphone running Android (almost 4GB will be used by the OS and apps the phone came with), so if you want to download and run other apps AND take pictures and videos, you would really like 8GB or more. Unfortunately, KitKat is wreaking havoc with how users can download/store/run apps and pictures. Prior to KitKat (JellyBean and older), you can run apps from the expansion card (if the phone has a slot), and you can store pictures and videos you took with the phone on the card as well. With the KitKat upgrade, this is not possible from a stock build. Some tweaking is required to get around this (with apps like KitKat External SD Card Patch or others like it) and will require rooting into your phone, and which I have NOT tested on this BLU phone.
*Storage Expansion - Here's where my headaches came back (after the initial headaches from talking with T-Mobile support to troubleshoot my poor call reception). The product info states (copied and pasted here) "8GB Internal Memory, 1GB RAM. Micro SD Slot up to 64GB." Unfortunately, this phone seems to support up to 32GB, since I've tried many 64GB MicroSD cards to no avail. I think there was one other reviewer who mentioned using a 64GB microSD card, and maybe they were lucky enough to receive a functional unit (or maybe I am unlucky... who knows). This may be a non issue for some, and a big deal for others.
Side Note: My music library is comprised of various formats, ranging from mp3 at 256-320kbps, some CD quality at 1411kbps, and some 24-bit/192kHz tracks at 9216kbps. The mp3 files are about 5MB each, so about 200 mp3 files will take up one GB. Right now I have about 20GB of music files on my current phone (iPhone) and listen to 60-75% of these songs every week and rotating albums and songs in and out of the playlist, so I need as much storage space as I can get.
With regards to pictures and videos taken from the phone, I have about 15GB of picture and video files on my phone, which is a lot and does not necessarily have to be this large. But my OCD about keeping several copies of personal pictures and videos has gotten the best of me, and although I delete a lot of random, junky, or accidental shots, I cannot delete from my phone those pictures that matter to me. This is why I started with a 32GB iPhone 4S (which was plenty) then to a 64GB iPhone 5S, and now considering the 128GB iPhone 6/6+. So for me, having an SD slot of any kind will help, especially if I can use the ones with larger capacity (64-256GB).
*Graphics - The Adreno 305 GPU performs well in playing HD videos in Netflix and HBO GO, but unfortunately YouTube videos occasionally stuttered. I don't quite know why this is the case. I wanted to test how my HD videos would play on this phone, but alas I cannot mount my micro SD card in this phone (it is not recognized by the phone, and it thinks there is no SD card). UPDATE 2014-01-14: YouTube videos have been playing better through WiFi, but still occasionally stutters running through 4G.
*Audio - The Blue Studio 5.0 HD LTE has decent audio, and average speakers. Other phones, such as the Amazon Fire Phone uses Dolby Digital Plus and sounds better than this Blu model. At best, this phone's sound is Average, which is still very good if you factor in the low cost. The phone (as a phone) is loud enough, but overall average to below-average max sound. When I use VoIP, the call is decent/above average. When I use the cell phone (T-Mobile coverage) the audio was very choppy the first two days (to the point of being unacceptable, and I had to ask T-Mobile to call me on my VZW phone... no problems there). It's gotten better over the last week, but coverage is still poor.
*Battery Life - The battery is a 3.8V 2200mAh Lithium-Ion Battery, but there is no mention of approximately how long the battery will last. Sure, it all depends on whether you are using this phone to watch videos, stream audio/video through 4G LTE, or just web browsing. But for 200 dollars, I would buy an extra set of chargers and maybe a portable battery. At least the battery can be replaced, unlike other phones (*Apple* ahem). For me, the results have been a mixed bag of lasting a day and a half (the first day) to lasting through mid-afternoon, but used extensively (3 hours on phone support), watching a movie on Netflix, web browsing, and benchmark stuff.
*Speed - 4G speed is impressive, but not the fastest I've seen. Using Ookla, I was able to get 20 Mbps download and 12 Mbps upload. This is in San Francisco, with full bars of 4G LTE signal. I just wished the call quality was just as impressive (it isn't). *** UPDATE *** I was lucky enough to be with a few friends with iPhone 5S from T-Mobile, ATT, and Verizon and tested the 4G "LTE" speeds for each (same Ookla app for testing). The results for Download/Upload (Mbps) were: T-Mobile 22/12, ATT 28/14, Verizon 4/2. So this BLU Studio is on par with another LTE phone on T-Mobile.
*Apps - Google Play. `Nuff said. Not as much as what is available for iOS, but it has enough. If you are invested in Android devices, you will know the strengths and limitations of what is available in Google Play. Our household is mostly Apple, but I have an older Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 so I am familiar with Google Play's offerings.
*Conclusion - For about 200 dollars, this phone has almost all of the things I want/need. There's still room for improvement. But for its cost, it is one of the best bang for your buck.
What I would like to see in other/future iterations:
-at least 16GB internal storage (32GB preferred); 8GB is too small
-at least 2GB RAM
-support for 64GB MicroSD (128GB would be nice, too)
-ability to run apps from MicroSD card; ability to store photos on MicroSD card (this is a limitation of KitKat, so I can't fault the phone too much, but nevertheless it is still a major limitation of this phone)
-Dual SIM (instead of single SIM); some of the newer unlocked phones are dual SIM. BLU already has a line of phones that sport dual SIM, like the BLU Advance 4.0 and the BLU Studio 5.0 II, and the BLU Dash 5.0 lines. In fact, the BLU product BLU Studio 6.0 LTE HD display seems to have most of what I asked for, but I can't verify yet because I do not have one.
(How about having a "Developer Edition" that has these features?!)
Based on these limitations, I will give this phone a strong 4-star rating (for now).
Currently, this phone is available unlocked for $199. It works for T-Mobile and Simple Mobile. I haven't tried ATT or other carriers. So it's cost is on the upper-end of "unlocked phones" since you can get cheaper ones for under $100. However, what you are getting extra are: an HD screen, 4G LTE data speed (at least with T-Mobile), micro SD expansion (up to 32 GB) that you can store music and videos to listen and watch, and an already upgraded OS to 4.4 KitKat. Disappointed with 1) not being able to store pictures and videos taken from the phone on the SD card, 2) not being able to use 64 or 128 GB microSD expansion, and 3) not having dual SIM capability. Maybe a future upgrade?
I am still testing the phone out, but I thought I should get this review out ASAP.
Troubleshooting - I went through 10 different 64GB micro SD cards (from various devices), only to find out by trial-and-error that this phone is maxed out at 32GB (for MicroSD cards). So, it seems that this phone is compatible with a max MicroSD of 32GB, something that either Amazon and/or BLU will need to correct on product information.
***** Warning GEEK Alert!!! *****
SPECIFICATIONS
Technology
Android v4.4 KitKat
3G 850/1700/1900/2100
4G LTE 1700/2600
Processor
1.2 GHz Quadcore with Adreno 305 GPU
Memory
Internal 8GB, 1GB RAM
*Micro SD up to 32 GB (based on my experience)
Display
BLU Infinite View Technology
5.0 HD 720 x 1280
Camera
13MP Forward-facing Camera - 5MP Self-facing camera - LED Flash
HD 1080p Video @30fps
Connectivity
Bluetooth 3.0
Wifi, Hotspot
MicroUSB v2.0
41 of 45 people found the following review helpful
on February 13, 2015
Clearly a mid-ranged Android device, I picked up a Blu Studio 5.0 HD LTE becasue I wanted to see if I could get the hang of things on the android side. Switching or at least crossing over from the Apple side of things is a challenge. One week in, I m enjoying the experience and will continue to use this phone unless I find any reason not to.
First off, for a phone that costs less than $200, the usability if reasonable. Be warned that some updates are needed out of the box and some settings probably need to be tweeked to each user's liking, but hey, thats why one gets an Android phone right? the Freedom to customise!
That said, Ignore the trolls who bash with one liner's... its actually a pretty decent phone with a lot going for it.
PLUSES:
Durable glass screen is durable and responsive (corrected from original review which indicated Gorilla Glass... sorry not on this model). It comes with a screen protector already installed AND a spare in the box.
Speed is adequate for standard use but if you game or use lots of apps simultaneously, you may want a more premium phone.
Attractive basic candybar smart phone that's easy to hold, easy to use, not slippery or prone to dropping. Comes with a silicon rubber case that is good enough.
LTE and 4G is fast!
HD screen is noticeable differnce to the non-HD model. DO NOT CHEAP OUT.
Average:
Good build quality despite that plastic back. Feels solid once you get it all set up.
UI with KitKat comes with all the pluses and minuses of such
Screen color is good as is brightness.
Call quality is good and holds signals well in urban areas.
NEEDS WORK:
the GPS system is a bit sketchy as on Google Maps or WAZE, the fix wouldn't hold until i did a full reset, used GPS Fix apps AND reloaded A-GPS info. This was with all accuracy setting set to high. This is the ONLY question still in my mind as to whether this particular phone is an acceptable replacement as my primary phone. The GPS readings on Googloe Maps and Waze are SLOWER than that on my IPhone 53 despite a day or tweeks and fixes. Will see about this...
Battery life is also mediocre with standard data use, it requires daily charging for me to be safe.
Overall, a great deal for less that $200 out the door, lights attractive and with a little time invested up front when setting it up, this Blu Studio 5.0 HD LTE is a solid unit and so far is working as advertised for me.
Hope this helps!
UPDATE: June 13, 2015
After months of usage and throwing it around, the phone is holding up quite well. The screen remains intact and nice and clear with the original screen protector in place. I have NOT found a suitable phone case other than just the silicon rubber one that came with it (was hoping for a billfold type that would allow it to stand) but that said its been holding up quite well!
The GPS sucks. Plain and simple it may be an Android thing but it loses lock regularly and is virtually unusable as a GPS nav unit except under the best weather scenarios. The fact that I am complaining about it living in California while undergoing a drought should tell you how poorly I think that part functions. That all said though, for most folks it wont matter and the phone functions well and has not crashed out on my yet.
Highly recommend uploading GoogleNow to replace the launcher that came on the phone.
First off, for a phone that costs less than $200, the usability if reasonable. Be warned that some updates are needed out of the box and some settings probably need to be tweeked to each user's liking, but hey, thats why one gets an Android phone right? the Freedom to customise!
That said, Ignore the trolls who bash with one liner's... its actually a pretty decent phone with a lot going for it.
PLUSES:
Durable glass screen is durable and responsive (corrected from original review which indicated Gorilla Glass... sorry not on this model). It comes with a screen protector already installed AND a spare in the box.
Speed is adequate for standard use but if you game or use lots of apps simultaneously, you may want a more premium phone.
Attractive basic candybar smart phone that's easy to hold, easy to use, not slippery or prone to dropping. Comes with a silicon rubber case that is good enough.
LTE and 4G is fast!
HD screen is noticeable differnce to the non-HD model. DO NOT CHEAP OUT.
Average:
Good build quality despite that plastic back. Feels solid once you get it all set up.
UI with KitKat comes with all the pluses and minuses of such
Screen color is good as is brightness.
Call quality is good and holds signals well in urban areas.
NEEDS WORK:
the GPS system is a bit sketchy as on Google Maps or WAZE, the fix wouldn't hold until i did a full reset, used GPS Fix apps AND reloaded A-GPS info. This was with all accuracy setting set to high. This is the ONLY question still in my mind as to whether this particular phone is an acceptable replacement as my primary phone. The GPS readings on Googloe Maps and Waze are SLOWER than that on my IPhone 53 despite a day or tweeks and fixes. Will see about this...
Battery life is also mediocre with standard data use, it requires daily charging for me to be safe.
Overall, a great deal for less that $200 out the door, lights attractive and with a little time invested up front when setting it up, this Blu Studio 5.0 HD LTE is a solid unit and so far is working as advertised for me.
Hope this helps!
UPDATE: June 13, 2015
After months of usage and throwing it around, the phone is holding up quite well. The screen remains intact and nice and clear with the original screen protector in place. I have NOT found a suitable phone case other than just the silicon rubber one that came with it (was hoping for a billfold type that would allow it to stand) but that said its been holding up quite well!
The GPS sucks. Plain and simple it may be an Android thing but it loses lock regularly and is virtually unusable as a GPS nav unit except under the best weather scenarios. The fact that I am complaining about it living in California while undergoing a drought should tell you how poorly I think that part functions. That all said though, for most folks it wont matter and the phone functions well and has not crashed out on my yet.
Highly recommend uploading GoogleNow to replace the launcher that came on the phone.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
on January 26, 2015
great phone overall. I received this phone in black little over 3 days ago. amazing screen and very easy to set up. when you make calls the sound is crystal clear. So far so good, no lags, no freezing. I do have cons though. the battery seems to be running out more faster than any other phone i had. I have metro pcs and i havent been able to get signal like i would get signal , then 4g, then no serivce. I have called both blu and Metro pcs and metro pcs on this issue and i was able to get it solved with both. Blu has an excellent customer service patient and understanding. I was able to fix the problem and my phone is now working perfectly .
out of 10:
front camera 8
back camera 10
screen 10
audio 9
calling 10
speed 10
battery 7
download speed 9
quality over all 9.5
out of 10:
front camera 8
back camera 10
screen 10
audio 9
calling 10
speed 10
battery 7
download speed 9
quality over all 9.5
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
on March 1, 2015
Ordered this via another amazon account,but wanted to review with mine because it is night and day from the dead on arrival Studio C HD .Where the following were issues: wifi didn't work,screen lagged&froze,camera failed,dual SIM failed despite carrier compatibility.To prove this point I got a malfunctioning unit,I bought the 5 HD LTE. Also, there's no other mobile of interest with a dual SIM that's available at this time.
In the three days I've put it through its paces to make sure it wasn't another D.O.A.,the only hang ups are:
1.no 5GHz wifi connection,not sure why it only connects with 2GHz even when I'm literally next to the router it's "not in range" [firmware update?].Want to use 5HGHz for less interference [urban environment],bandwith intensive data.In contrast,the Galaxy,and my tablet can connect to the 5GHz without a problem from anywhere in my home.
2.camera in low lighting,need to play around with settings a bit,find one that can be a default to capture those pictures.Take some getting used to given you shouldn't have to pick between 3 settings to take a shot.Enclosed a picture taken with the 5 HD LTE,it's warm and true to color using the setting 1,which I've set to normal,super fine,13mp,nothing special.
Product's not very well known,even Floridians within 26 miles of Doral didn't know about the brand when they saw the Studio HD LTE. If Blu wants to become the Hyundai of mobiles,it needs to have customer support,and push out timely firmware updates.For my Blu problems,it is amazon who helped me with the D.O.A.Studio C HD.
In the three days I've put it through its paces to make sure it wasn't another D.O.A.,the only hang ups are:
1.no 5GHz wifi connection,not sure why it only connects with 2GHz even when I'm literally next to the router it's "not in range" [firmware update?].Want to use 5HGHz for less interference [urban environment],bandwith intensive data.In contrast,the Galaxy,and my tablet can connect to the 5GHz without a problem from anywhere in my home.
2.camera in low lighting,need to play around with settings a bit,find one that can be a default to capture those pictures.Take some getting used to given you shouldn't have to pick between 3 settings to take a shot.Enclosed a picture taken with the 5 HD LTE,it's warm and true to color using the setting 1,which I've set to normal,super fine,13mp,nothing special.
Product's not very well known,even Floridians within 26 miles of Doral didn't know about the brand when they saw the Studio HD LTE. If Blu wants to become the Hyundai of mobiles,it needs to have customer support,and push out timely firmware updates.For my Blu problems,it is amazon who helped me with the D.O.A.Studio C HD.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
on April 10, 2015
This was a great phone at first it took excellent pictures, worked really fast, and came with accessories such as the screen protector, and cover. After about 2 weeks I kept getting those dreaded errors "Facebook has stopped unexpectedly" I contacted costumer service which they advised me to do a factory reset so ok I did it and it just worked temporarily. After about a month my GPS stopped working again I did another factory reset that did not solve the problem not only that but now the earpiece volume is low and full of static. Now 2 months later my touchscreen stopped working and again I did another factory reset which did nothing. I emailed customer service and as of this moment have not gotten a response. Don't waste your time or money on a paper weight. Also phone would get extremely hot while charging. I made sure not to use it while plugged it but it would still get hot. Also I never once dropped this phone or spilled water on it so I know that's not the reason it stopped working.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
on April 13, 2015
I was a little hesitant about this phone. Some of the reviews were negative and it seemed to be priced so low I envisioned having issues with it from the beginning. But this was the phone my son wanted for his birthday, insistently, so I figured if it were junky it was on him. He has had it for 10 days now and he loves it. It's systems run fast, the camera is awesome and seems to be pretty well constructed. Gorilla glass is always a plus for me on any device, especially with a teen involved. The call quality is great and it is all he wanted and more for less than $150. The case that comes with it is kind of flimsy, but it's nice that it comes with a starting case at all so he is using that for now and we will update later when he is not so "new phone smitten" and it starts getting tossed about more. Overall, I would recommend the phone. If you are super techy, probably not, but if you want a nice android at an affordable price then this is a good option.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICEon February 9, 2015
I imagine there aren't that many people these days that don't have some sort of smartphone. But up until I got to try out this one this past month I was using an old Tracfone Nokia 1100 cellphone. I have to say this new Blu Studio 5.0 HD LTE phone has been fun to use. The phone came with everything - headphones, charger, a silicon cover, and a screen protector. Being an unlocked phone I had to get service for it. I researched what was available here locally and decided to go with Smart Talk wireless. I was able to pick up an activation package at the local big-box store. The package gave me the option of choosing which carrier I wanted to use, I picked AT&T. I went with them mainly because my Tracfone was on that and I've never had any problems with it. Setting up the phone was a snap - well I cheated a bit and had the clerk at the store install the SIM card and activate it. I also installed a Lexar 32GB microSDHC UHS-I memory card that I had previously purchased. I like that you can install most apps on the card and not have to use up the phone's 8GB internal storage. Plus, with 32GBs I am able to put a bunch of music on the phone (and a few movies). The phone's display is great for watching videos. The back of the phone is plastic and is very easy to take off and put back on.
The Blu Studio 5.0 HD LTE has bluetooth 4.0, which is something I really needed. I've got a few items that need a device with the newer bluetooth to be able to interface with their android apps. I had no problems pairing the devices to the phone. I've also been able to pair the phone with older bluetooth devices.
I've only taken a few pictures with the 13MP camera and haven't tried making any videos. Most of the photos are pretty good, but I really need to learn to hold the phone a bit more steady.
Something that surprised me is that the phone has FM radio. You have to connect the headphones for it to work. The sound is really good though, I was able to pick up pretty much all the local stations even inside the building where I work.
I'm very happy with the quality of this phone. The calls are clear (course it helps too that the cell service here is pretty good). The CPU seems more than able to run the apps I'm using. I like the size of the phone. Some of my co-workers have the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus - comparing the screen size, this Blu Studio 5.0 HD LTE falls somewhere in-between those. Sort of not too big nor too small, IMO it's just the right size for me.
The Blu Studio 5.0 HD LTE has bluetooth 4.0, which is something I really needed. I've got a few items that need a device with the newer bluetooth to be able to interface with their android apps. I had no problems pairing the devices to the phone. I've also been able to pair the phone with older bluetooth devices.
I've only taken a few pictures with the 13MP camera and haven't tried making any videos. Most of the photos are pretty good, but I really need to learn to hold the phone a bit more steady.
Something that surprised me is that the phone has FM radio. You have to connect the headphones for it to work. The sound is really good though, I was able to pick up pretty much all the local stations even inside the building where I work.
I'm very happy with the quality of this phone. The calls are clear (course it helps too that the cell service here is pretty good). The CPU seems more than able to run the apps I'm using. I like the size of the phone. Some of my co-workers have the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus - comparing the screen size, this Blu Studio 5.0 HD LTE falls somewhere in-between those. Sort of not too big nor too small, IMO it's just the right size for me.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
on April 2, 2015
The Studio 5 HD LTE black or white is the best model that you can pick out of the whole Blu line up.
I still have my iPhone 5 but I was bored and I wanted something different, for $120 I have gained a bigger screen and so much more customization, this phone is keeping me very busy just trying new things, very satisfied.
The Positives:
HD 720p display - Beautiful 5inch display, Good colors and saturation, good contrast, plenty bright, plenty sharp.
Removable battery, you can purchase spares at Amazon.
Expandable external memory up to 32gig, with 8gig of internal memory. The phone auto install most app to the external memory.
4G with LTE antena.
13mpx Camera with flash.
Excellent external speaker that is plenty loud and it sounds so good, I now hardly use my Bluetooth speaker.
As you can see this model offers more perks and it is one of the most inexpensive models in the Blu line up.
The cons ( negatives )
The screen is beautiful indoors, but it is very hard to see outdoors on sunny days, just be ware...
The phone is average about battery power, 8 hours at most. This means if you go to work at 6am, by 3pm you will be looking for a charger.
LTE antenna is a joke, this phones is mostly a 4G phone with data rates of 2mbps, it can hardly find an LTE connection. Using the same sim card, same carrier, same location area, my iPhone always had LTE signal with fast data transfer.
The camera is very mediocre at best. It can capture decent image outdoors under sunny days, but for the most part it fails in every aspect. My iPhone 4 with only 5mpx camera used to take much better images. This phone must have plastic lens for the camera. The camera has a shutter sound that can not be shut off, very annoying.
Sound... this is a love and hate situation. For the most part the music sound out of this device is good, but not enough volume and the sound is a little harsh, although much better then the Galaxys. The phone call speaker is not very loud either. Mostly this phone suffers from low volume issues, so people with hearing issues be ware. I do enjoy the default sound effect that comes with the phone, decent equalizer. I have manage to enjoy music with decent sound when listening through my car stereo. Now when connected to headphones, I have not gotten good results, a lot to be desired. As you can see the sound is a hit or miss.
Performance... This phone doesn't have biggest engine under the hood, but it runs native android with no bloat, that helps this phone run very fast, so no real complains when it comes to speed and performance.
The phone is not ugly, but it is a tank. Very thick and very heavy. Blu has other models that are much slimmer and better looking, but they don't over removable battery, expandable memory and no LTE. This model offer all the perks Blu has to offer but it is big thick and heavy.
Overall I am very happy with what I got for $120 unlocked, this phone provides a good user experience.
I still have my iPhone 5 but I was bored and I wanted something different, for $120 I have gained a bigger screen and so much more customization, this phone is keeping me very busy just trying new things, very satisfied.
The Positives:
HD 720p display - Beautiful 5inch display, Good colors and saturation, good contrast, plenty bright, plenty sharp.
Removable battery, you can purchase spares at Amazon.
Expandable external memory up to 32gig, with 8gig of internal memory. The phone auto install most app to the external memory.
4G with LTE antena.
13mpx Camera with flash.
Excellent external speaker that is plenty loud and it sounds so good, I now hardly use my Bluetooth speaker.
As you can see this model offers more perks and it is one of the most inexpensive models in the Blu line up.
The cons ( negatives )
The screen is beautiful indoors, but it is very hard to see outdoors on sunny days, just be ware...
The phone is average about battery power, 8 hours at most. This means if you go to work at 6am, by 3pm you will be looking for a charger.
LTE antenna is a joke, this phones is mostly a 4G phone with data rates of 2mbps, it can hardly find an LTE connection. Using the same sim card, same carrier, same location area, my iPhone always had LTE signal with fast data transfer.
The camera is very mediocre at best. It can capture decent image outdoors under sunny days, but for the most part it fails in every aspect. My iPhone 4 with only 5mpx camera used to take much better images. This phone must have plastic lens for the camera. The camera has a shutter sound that can not be shut off, very annoying.
Sound... this is a love and hate situation. For the most part the music sound out of this device is good, but not enough volume and the sound is a little harsh, although much better then the Galaxys. The phone call speaker is not very loud either. Mostly this phone suffers from low volume issues, so people with hearing issues be ware. I do enjoy the default sound effect that comes with the phone, decent equalizer. I have manage to enjoy music with decent sound when listening through my car stereo. Now when connected to headphones, I have not gotten good results, a lot to be desired. As you can see the sound is a hit or miss.
Performance... This phone doesn't have biggest engine under the hood, but it runs native android with no bloat, that helps this phone run very fast, so no real complains when it comes to speed and performance.
The phone is not ugly, but it is a tank. Very thick and very heavy. Blu has other models that are much slimmer and better looking, but they don't over removable battery, expandable memory and no LTE. This model offer all the perks Blu has to offer but it is big thick and heavy.
Overall I am very happy with what I got for $120 unlocked, this phone provides a good user experience.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
The same problem with both phones is that it loses satellite very easily and randomly reboots the phone in GPS mode
on February 22, 2015
This product works well for most android application. The main problem is that the GPS does not work in the US with T-mobile. I tried 2 phones thinking one was defective. The same problem with both phones is that it loses satellite very easily and randomly reboots the phone in GPS mode. I have ordered for the 6.0 because some reviewers said the problem has been fixed on the 6.0. Will get back to you once I test the product
