3,700mAh Battery Smartphone for $79?? (First Look: BLU LIFE MAX)
Video transcript provided below...
Hey Guys, Dan here from CLE Tech and today were going to get a first look at the new BLU Life Max.
The Life Max is the latest offering from BLU, which just went on sale today, is an intriguing phone for the price. The price will retail at $129 but starting today and for the next 3 days, Best Buy will have the Life Max at $79!
So what do you get for only $79? Well, first off, the unboxing experience is typical BLU, aside from the phone you get your assortment of accessories, like a Micro USB charging cable, headphones, a wall adapter, some information guides, a frosted clear case and a screen protector.
As far as the phone itself goes, the Life MAX has a:
- 5.5” 720p IPS curved glass display
- A Quad Core 1.3 ghz processor
- 2GB of RAM with 16GB of Internal Storage which is micro SD expandable up to 64gb
- a 3700mah battery
- an 8MP main camera with a 5mp front facing camera.
The build quality is an interesting one. It fits really well in the hand, even with the larger 5.5 inch display. BLU boasts about the front panel having a curved display and it does look pretty nice but it could seem a bit misleading. The curves are very subtle along the edge but it's not a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or anything. I would hardly call the curved glass a feature but rather a nice, subtle design choice.
The sides of the device have a metal finish to them but since the phone is so light, it doesn't really feel like there is any metal on this phone. All the buttons are placed in acceptable locations but what is interesting is that the Micro USB charging port is on top...which is not my favorite.
I suppose it doesn't matter since the phone has such a large battery with a very plain version of Android and a 720p display. So obviously I expected the battery life to be pretty good.
The back panel, which is removable, definitely reminds me of a combination of the Note 3 with the fake stitching along the sides and the S5 with the perforated feeling throughout the rest of the back plate.
Removing said back plate will bring you to your 3700mah removable battery and your Micro SD and dual SIM card trays.
There is also a relatively quick and surprisingly accurate fingerprint sensor right underneath the 8MP main camera. Now I am not the biggest fan of fingerprint sensors on the back of phones unless there is a double tap to wake option when a phone is lying on a desk but I do find them to be a lot more accurate and the BLU Life Max does a great job with the accuracy. It's not the fastest sensor but it gets the job done.
The software experience is a rather plain one and that's okay. I have reviewed LOTS of BLU devices and the ones I tend to like the most are the ones with their almost stock Android like software experience. There are a few pre-installed apps and a couple of minor differences in the settings menu but other than that, not a whole lot added by BLU. The phone runs smoothly and is pretty snappy out of the box. Websites are loading quickly and switching between apps and multitasking works perfectly.
Since the battery is so great, this phone can last a long time while consuming media. The 720p display also helps the battery but kind of hurts the media you might be watching. Videos from YouTube didn't look all too bad but you can tell the display is not the sharpest out on the market.
For those wondering the two speaker grills on the bottom unfortunately do not mean you have stereo speakers. Only the left one is an actual speaker and the right grill is more for design than functionality.
Finally, the camera is pretty decent. Especially when lighting is optimal. The shutter is also surprisingly quick making it a dependable option when trying to snap up some quick pictures. There's some pretty good detail in this 8MP shooter as well. As you can see by some of these quick pictures taken in the studio, the camera did a pretty good job, again, under optimal lighting conditions.
The BLU Life Max is available right now on Amazon for $129 and on Best Buy depending on when you are watching this, for the next 3 days for $79. If you're looking for a solid, stock Android experience with a pretty slick design and a fingerprint sensor for almost 1/8th the cost of a premium flagship, then go check out the BLU Life Max. Links will be in the description below. Let me know what you think of the Life Max and be sure to hit that like button and subscribe to channel if you like these videos!
Thanks for watching and I will see you in the next one!
BLU LIFE MAX - http://amzn.to/2jUvRVq