123 of 133 people found the following review helpful
###update 5/14/15 ... Phone just received lollipop update (5.0). Not the newest 5.1 update but lolipop indeed!!! Phone feels snappier now with this update... It's stock lollipop (flashlight in drop down panel, material design, lock screen, etc).... Battery life has been about average 12-14 hours with ~2.5 hrs on screen time) I'm hoping this improves with this update..... I'll be picking up the Studio X Plus for myself this week until the next Moto X releases. :)....I bought this phone to replace my wife's Galaxy S4 (cracked screen). I didnt want to spend $300+ for a used flagship so I decided to give Blu a try after seeing a few youtube videos on this phone from 2015 CES. I received it today and after spending about an hour setting it up for her (downloading apps, updating apps and system, applying screen protector,etc) I am really impressed. Having owned a Nexus 5, Galaxy S4 and currently using a 2013 Moto X I can say that this Blu phone is pretty good... Build quality is better than i had imagined. Feels great in hand as it has a slight curved back. The pink color is not as bright as in amazon pictures but it very pretty. Phone Connected to my home wifi quickly and tmobile hspa+ is really fast in my area. Phone is running Kit Kat 4.4.2 and NOT lollipop which i thought it was going to be running. I'm pretty sure update is near....This phone is perfect for my wifes use (facebook, calls, texts, light web browsing)... I experienced no lag or stutters during the initial setup.... camera is okay... definitely not at the galaxy s4 level but good enough. . Camera ui is pretty simple and straight forward.... So glad its running near stock android and not flooded with bloatware like touchwiz. Overall a great phone for everyday use. I will update this review in a week to include battery life.
28 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Update - June 6,15
Just did the android 5.0 lollipop update from phone via wi-fi. It takes a few minutes to complete so be aware of that. I can't contribute anything meaning as too how lollipop works just yet. But the update process is simply and it works. My only complaint about phone, and I admit I was fully aware of it prior to purchase, is that the battery is not removable/replaceable. My color choice gold is kinda boring to me, but that's subjective.I really like my other brighter color Blu phones because they really stand out, and look quite nice. As too the operation of the phone it's always good with Blu. Screen size is just right for me. I've handled the 6" and above and find that they are a little bit more troublesome to stow away on your person. I hope this helps in your search for a new phone!
Been using Blu products for some time now, and I prefer them over the name brands because they have the features I want at a price that's cost effective. Upgrading to a newer model in the future won't break the bank. If after reading my review you decide that the battery is an issue I have a suggestion for you. The Blu Studio "C" HD would be a good choice. Same price range and features and uses KitKat. Size is a hair bigger and the feel a tiny bit harsher. I enjoy both phones,but we have 2 Studio "C" HD's and are happy with them.
Check - #1. Battery Non-Replaceable. #2. Sim card holders is for the smaller cards. #3. Can't upgrade to Lollipop AS OF 2/24/15. #4 Not capable with TracFone network.
Amazon please fix your false statement that this phone works with TracFone.
Yes, they have a bring your own phone plan, but the network is NOT GSM. I verified this with them.
Update 2/25/15 - Points Of Interest: 1.Battery Life according to user manual on page 44 2nd sentence (BATTERIES TYPICALLY HAVE TO BE REPLACED AFTER A YEAR OF USE). Note that this is non-replaceable battery. You may make an assumption as to the life of an LiOn battery. But consider that the manufacturer is making a very clear statement about battery life. Points Of Interest:2. Lollipop Upgrade for Studio x is missing from Blu.com. Upgrading from phone considers KitKat to be current and up to date with no option for Lollipop upgrade.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
I had a BLU phone for about a month before someone stole it, so I'm happy to review the latest model, the Studio X, which took the previous model and made it even better.
Most people who give 4 stars or less fault the BLU because of some shortcoming.
They are missing the point.
The BLU is not trying to be the best phone out there. Leave that to HTC, Samsung, and Apple to fight that fight.
Instead, BLU is positioning itself as a good VALUE. And therefore reviewers (and potential buyers) should consider the price of this unlocked smartphone before passing judgement.
You get a ton of bang for your buck. No contract necessary and you have a smartphone that is better than Samsung Galaxy S4 (which I also owned). In fact, the option of having a MicroSIM makes this better than an S6, which doesn't offer such an expansion option.
In conclusion, if you're working on a budget and you'd rather not buy a used Samsung/Apple/HTC, then go for the BLU.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
We have always tried to keep an extra cell phone "floater" around the house for those emergency issues...like when my husband decided his brand new Iphone's screen was just a little too perfect and accidentally dropped a 90 pound weight on it. Needless to say, with it being a new phone, the turnaround time to get a new one through insurance was over three weeks. And that didn't include the days it took just to get the information to the insurance company.
So for those purposes I definitely checked out the Blu Android phone, and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. The phone itself arrived in a nice little boxed package, and once opened the phone is nice and tidy in its little compartment. Pulling up the phone, you'll find beneath it earbuds with a small controller on the side of one of the wires, a USB cable, a screen protector, a thin rubberized black case, the wall plug, and a manual.
As soon as I unwrapped all the accessories, I immediately put the screen protector on, which has two sides. Pull off the 1st side just a little bit, and stick this side to the phone, sliding your fingers down the phone to smooth it on. Then after that's complete, smooth out any bubbles. This screen protector did not come with a cleaning cloth or a cardboard piece, so I just used the screen protector packaging to get rid of any bubbles. Once that's done, easily pull back the 2nd tab, and your done with that part.
The next part of this was inserting my SIM card, which was a breeze. The back of this phone is so seamless that it took me a second to find where I could pop the back off, which is located on the bottom right. There is the smallest of depressions in the corner of the case where I had to use my nail to pull up. The back of the case finally lifted enough where I could easily pull it fully off. And once off, there are two slots, two for SIM cards, and one for a Micro SD card. Again, it was easy to slide my SIM card in, and that was it! The cover snaps back into place with little clicks, and it's back to looking seamless in seconds. The back cover is also coated in a rubberized material to prevent sliding on smooth surfaces and makes my grip feel very secure.
This phone does have a built in battery, so beware of that factor if you're not keen on it. I don't mind it at all, and I do have to say that even with a built in battery this phone is so very light!!! It feels like it weighs nothing at all! The overall design is, again, seamless in appearance, with no apparent buttons anywhere on the front. The sides and bottom/top of the device has a beautiful silver trim that encompasses the power and volume buttons. It's so tied into the design that you register the barest "bump" of a button. These buttons are very easy to press and the cell phone responds perfectly with just the barest touch.
This phone is an Android, and many people are upset with the whole lollipop factor, but this phone runs smoothly, and I'm one of those people who like to wait anyway to update to new software so the kinks can get worked out. That being said, this phone runs so quietly without any hiccups at all! In normal Android fashion this phone has all the basic functions already on the home page for you such as the phone, gallery, the play store, google search, messages, contacts, etc. It also has tons of widgets for customizing screens, and pressing any apps instantly bring it to life within seconds. There is literally a very low lag time with this phone, which is great! Again, as we are using this phone as a floater, I didn't download much to it, except for basic stuff and a video streaming app. The screen is massively clear with great quality as I did watch a few videos on youtube as well as watched a series on my video streaming app. It worked great, and looked fantastic on the five inch screen! The camera works very well and it also has very cool built in photo shopping effects as well as various selections for exposure, quality, etc. The front facing camera is only a 2MP, so the quality isn't fantastic, but it still works fine.
The rubberized case that comes with the phone is very thin, and won't really offer drop protection. This is just for basic wear and tear that comes from sliding it on a desk, or dropping it into a purse. I would totally recommend getting a new case especially as I don't like the little rubberized raised areas over the power and volume buttons. It makes them a little hard to operate for me.
As for actually sending and receiving calls, our network provider already has good service, and the phone worked as normal with no dropped calls or static over the line. I could easily hear people on the other line, and they could hear me as well with no issues.
I truly like the Blu cellphone, and while this is supposed to be a floater, I've pretty much confiscated it, and am currently using it as my every day cell phone. The screen is bright, crystal clear, the calls are perfect, and I love the size, and the weight of this device. It is seriously easy to carry, and works perfectly. I definitely recommend this phone if you need a floater or want a new cell phone without forking over a kidney. It definitely carries itself well, and the quality is perfect for the price!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Was excited to try this new BLU phone, I've had several, a Studio 5.0S, a Life One, a Studio 6.0. This one is kinda disappointing. It's a nice shape and size, the picture is great though I'm not so fond of BLU's new GUI where the pages are like the iPhone you can only scroll to the right not left and right like most android phones.
I find the touch screen not very sensitive, I find I need to touch something more than once usually to get it to work. I like the capacitive buttons as part of the screen not touch areas below the screen, but the area is so small it's hard to hit it just right every time. Constantly have to hit back a couple of times to get it to go back. Yes the reaction to touch is very disappointing.
I also worry about the battery. I had it plugged in all night, started using it this morning and after nearly 4 hours it's down 11%. I haven't done much but configure some applications and read email. Worried the battery life is going to be disappointing and it's not a replaceable battery.
I got the gold one and it looks okay, a little cheap looking actually. I'll bet the black one is nicer nearly went with that but wanted to be different.
So all told my first reaction is not so positive, not like it was for the other ones I mentioned at the beginning of this review.