BLU R1 HD First Impressions
So there are a few catches when it comes to the BLU R1 HD and depending on the type of person you are, some of them might be deal breakers. In order to get this guy for $49 off contract, you first have to pre-order on Amazon as part of their Prime Day celebration. The main catch here is that you have to be a Prime member and you will have lockscreen notification ads. Basically, every time you go to unlock your phone, you will see a full screen ad of some sort. Now, this model that BLU sent me here does not have ads, which we will get into in just a minute, but from what I have gathered, the ads seem to just be Amazon related and honestly nothing too crazy.
Let's look over some of the specs and see what you're getting for $49. This phone has:
- 5” 720p Display
- A quad core 1.3ghz processor
- 8gb of internal storage (which is capable of micro-sd expansion of up to a additonal 64gb)
- 1GB of RAM
- 2500mAh battery
- 8MP rear facing and 5MP front facing camera
- 4G LTE
- Stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Now, the model that I have here has 16gb of storage and 2gb of RAM, which is also available as a pre-order and ad lockscreened price of $59. So to me, the extra storage and memory is definitely worth the extra $10.
So what makes this guy worth the price? Well honestly, a phone with these specs is definitely worth taking a look at for only $59. The R1 has a bit of a premium look and feel with the curved glass display and metal sidings. BLU cut corners with the plastic removable back but it’s not really a big deal. Button placement and ports are placed in somewhat standard locations and the overall look and feel of this device is certainly not cheap.
My favorite thing about this phone is the fact that it runs stock Android. BLU phones are generally lightly skinned but for some reason, they didnt bother skinning it at all. Which is totally fine by me. So my first impressions of the software with the hardware is of course going to be great because the phone is really snappy and responsive. There are really no additional software features which might bum some people out, but it's good to see that it won't really lag on you much if at all.
Now the phone does come with a few pre-installed apps and if you buy the 8gb version just remember that Android 6.0 gives you the ability to store apps on your SD card, so you really shouldn't have much issues with storage if you get yourself an SD card.
The only negatives that I have noticed so far would be the camera and the display. The display isn't bad by any means but it is 720p and after using phones with 2k displays, you will definitely notice a difference. After a bit of time, I am sure your eyes will adjust.
The camera takes pictures and if you're in good lighting, they should be decent. Other than that, it's really not worth talking about. If you're into taking lots of pictures and quality is a must, I wouldn't recommend this phone for that.
If you need a phone that can handle your run of the mill use and some light gaming, the BLU R1 might be the BEST phone you can buy for this price point. Honestly, If you have an extra $50 or $60, you should buy this phone just to have as a backup to your main phone.
Now one last thing, if you wish to purchase this phone like the model I have here, with no ads on your lock screen, then it will cost you $99 and $109 dollars respectively, which is still worth the price for what you're getting. Hands down one of the better quality phones in this price range.
If you wish to pick one of these guys up, check out the links below:
BLU R1 HD w/ads - http://amzn.to/2a6TL86
BLU R1 HD w/o ads - http://amzn.to/29udO3A