I bought the 8GB version to use as a "burner" phone for travel in areas of Eastern Europe where I was concerned about electronic security, and I did not want to bring my expensive iphone with all of my personal information and credit cards on there. This phone worked great, far better than I expected. It is responsive, and the display is great. I spent some time setting it up before the trip, including creating a new temporary email account, and forwarding my real emails to that account, and adding the apps that I use the most. This was the only electronic device I used during my two-week trip, and it performed pretty much flawlessly.
Some notes and suggestions if you want to buy this phone:
1. 8 GB RAM is not enough, as the OS takes up a good chunk of that. I bought a 32GB micro SD Card on Amazon, so I would not have any memory issues and also because I wanted to put lots of music on it for listening while traveling.
2. I was concerned about battery usage based on reading some of the reviews. I never ran out of battery in one day. But after the first few days, when saw the battery levels dropping more than I had hoped, I turned off wifi and location services most of the time, and that improved battery life significantly. I put on a free battery app that gave me the battery percentage on the top of the home screen.
3. It takes good photos, especially considering the price. I am a photographer,and I took a good camera with me, but I used this at times when it was just more convenient. I was surprised how good the photos are.
4. There are ads, both on the lock screen and the home screen, but you can easily move the widget for the large ad on the home screen to another screen that you never use. So the only ads I saw were the small one on the lock screen, easily ignored.
5. I thought that I would have to sign into my Amazon account to use the phone. I did not want to do that because my credit card is attached to that account. I was delighted to find that I did not have to sign in. Sure, it gave me reminders periodically, but I just ignored them.
6. For travel I normally take my iphone and a 7-inch ipad. I am a bit of a news junkie and I read the news every day on my ipad. I was pleasanty surprised to find that the screen is plenty big enough to read news and other articles.
7. For the price, the phone was way more responsive and reliable than I expected.
8. I purchased SIM cards and had absolutely no problems using them.
If you are looking for a good but cheap travel phone, this is a steal -- it will give you incredible bang for your buck. I thought I would toss it after this trip, but because it is so good I will keep using it. HIghly recommended!
Product information
| Product Dimensions | 5.63 x 0.33 x 2.8 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 9.6 ounces |
| ASIN | B01F9N5QXI |
| Item model number | R0010UU BLACK |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included) |
| Customer Reviews |
4.2 out of 5 stars |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| OS | Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
| RAM | 8 GB |
| Wireless communication technologies | Cellular, Wi-Fi |
| Connectivity technologies | Wi-Fi |
| GPS | True |
| Display technology | LED |
| Other display features | Wireless |
| Human Interface Input | Touchscreen |
| Other camera features | 8 MP |
| Form Factor | Smartphone |
| Color | Black |
| Phone Talk Time | 16.67 Hours |
| Whats in the box | Phone, Charger, Quick Start Guide |
| Manufacturer | CT-Miami LLC |
| Date First Available | October 26, 2020 |
| Memory Storage Capacity | 8 GB |
| Standing screen display size | 5 Inches |
| Ram Memory Installed Size | 1 GB |
| Battery Capacity | 2500 Milliamp Hours |
Warranty & Support
For warranty information about this product, please click here [PDF ] For warranty information about this product, please click here [PDF ]
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From the manufacturer
Beautiful Display
5.0 inch HD Curved Display + On-Cell Touch Panel
The BLU R1 HD display will give you an immersive view from every angle. The curved display elevates the smartphone’s visual experience to a new level of stunning graphics and life-like colors that seem to jump of the screen. A vivid screen, 1280 x 720 pixels result in a 294 ppi combined with over 420 nit display will make this smartphone perfect for you.
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 will give your smartphone an extra layer of protection against scratches, cracks and breakage.
Smart Design
The BLU R1 HD blends technology and design into an incredible package. Incorporating the highest-grade material such as a curved glass touch panel ensures excellent sensory feedback and feel, as well as a gorgeous look. A metal trim runs the perimeter of the middle housing for a sophisticated finish. State of the art paint technology coats the battery cover in a super smooth finish that ensures the back cover is soft to the touch and provides a great hand held experience.
Capture Every Moment
Rest assured that with the main 8 Megapixel Autofocus camera, f2.0 aperture, and 4P Lens all your pictures will be as perfect as you expect them to be. Record up to 1080p HD videos for lasting memory.
For selfies, you can trust the 5 Megapixel wide-angle front camera for premium shots. The built in BLU Final Touch Software will enhance your eyes, slim your face and smooth your skin. Your selfies will be flawless.
With the built in LED flash on the front and back, you can take pictures in a dark environment with ease.
Need for Speed with 4G LTE
Stay connected with speeds of up to 10x faster than 3G. No matter where you are in the country you’ll always have the fastest internet access.
BLU R1 HD supports with 4G LTE bands 2(1900MHz), 4(1700 MHz), 7(2600 MHz), Band 12(700MHz), and 17(2100MHz) and 3G bands 850/1700/1900/2100.
Multitasking Made Easy
The MediaTek 6735 1.3GHz Quad-Core processor works simultaneously with 2GB of RAM, so that you get an impeccable experience each and every time you use your BLU R1 HD. To store your movies, music, and pictures you have 16GB of internal storage expandable up to 64GB via Micro SD card.
Dual Sim and Unlocked
Whether it is a personal number and a business number or a personal number and an international sim, The BLU R1 HD has dual sim capabilities that allow you to have two phone numbers in one device. Use your smartphone with any GSM network provider worldwide, an unlocked phone gives you freedom to easily switch to any cellular carrier with better rates or service.
The best of Amazon on Android
Effortless Access to Amazon
Popular pre-installed Amazon apps allow quick access to your content, order history, wish list, shipment updates, and more. Plus, shop a personalized selection of daily deals right from the home screen.
Prime Benefits Everywhere You Go
A single sign-on experience provides Prime members with instant access to tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes with Prime Video, over one million songs with Prime Music, unlimited photo storage and backup, free 2-day shipping, and more.
Discover More with Lockscreen Offers and Ads
Personalized deals and product recommendations appear on the phone’s lockscreen while providing full access to personal notifications.
What is an unlocked phone?
An unlocked phone is a device that is not bound to any carrier or plan. It allows you to choose your phone first and your carrier second. Upon selecting a plan, simply insert the carrier's SIM card into the phone and you're ready to go. If you decide you want to change carriers down the road or want to take an international trip, it's as simple as replacing your existing SIM card with a new SIM and activating your new plan.
What are the benefits of an unlocked phone?
Freedom: Choose the carrier with the best service or price. If you find a better deal later, you have the ability to change to a different carrier.
Travel: Take your phone internationally and use the carrier of your choice. It's as easy as inserting an active SIM card.
Selection: Choose the phone with the features you want, whether or not your carrier sells it, and get more service options without a contract.
How do I set up my unlocked phone?
The first thing you’ll need is a SIM card for your desired carrier. When activated, the SIM card will let your phone connect to your carrier’s network. If you decide to upgrade to a newer unlocked phone in the future, you can easily remove the SIM card from your old phone and put it in your new phone—just make sure you get the right size of SIM card (nano, micro, or standard) for your phone. If you want to use your phone while traveling internationally, you can easily buy a SIM card for a carrier that operates where you’re traveling. As long as it’s activated, you can just swap SIM cards when you arrive at your destination.
The only thing "cheap" about this budget smartphone is the price!
The reasonably low price is the only thing that is cheap about this smartphone! I purchased this phone with the intent of using it for when I go on vacation (especially abroad) and don’t want to risk anything happening to my expensive iPhone. The fact that it is unlocked makes it easy to just pop in my sim card and go as I see fit. FIRST IMPRESSION: My first impressions of the phone are that although light, it does not feel “cheap” like you would expect a phone in this price range to be. It is about the same size as an iPhone 6, or Samsung Galaxy S5 in case anybody was wondering. Typing on the phone is easy and feels good, due to the responsive feedback. The auto-correct is accurate and makes sending texts messages a breeze. SPEED: The phone features a 1.3 GHz Quad core processor, and 1 GB of ram. Although there ARE phones with better specs out there, I have found that this phone was able to keep up with just about everything I wanted to do, whether it is browse Reddit, order on Amazon, etc. The phone comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow which is very easy to navigate and user friendly. CAMERA: The camera quality on the smart phone is OK. Not horrible by any means, but not the best either. The camera does not perform very well in low light, and will take grainy pictures if a good amount of light is not present. Comparing to my iPhone 6s Plus, I have found that although the R1HD does not capture as wide of an area as the iPhone, pictures come out a bit warmer, which was a pleasant surprise. The camera is 8 mega pixels, and the front facing camera is 5 mega pixels. Not bad for $50. I was not impressed with the video option. Videos come out a bit shaky and grainy. Please see my picture and videos for reference. SOUND & CALL QUALITY: The sound quality of the R1HD is good. Calls come in clear and do not sound muffled. I really like that the manufacturers of this phone decided to put the speaker on the back. This means that when lying down and watching videos, the speaker is not covered like on the iPhone. While I do like the placement of the speaker, it is a bit small. I would have liked a dual speaker design like the iPhone. If you plan on showing a group of friends a video, it may be a bit difficult to hear. In short, the speakers are not the strongest. I would definitely recommend using head phones if you plan on listening to videos of movies. The speaker is OK at best. OTHER: The lock screen offers do not get in the way as much as one might think. In fact, I have found that I’ve already been introduced to some products I wouldn’t have normally known about. I have included a picture to show what the ads look like. IF the ads bother you, you can spend a bit more money and purchase the version without ads. OVERALL: Overall, for a smart phone in this price range, you can’t go wrong. Although the video quality and speaker could be a bit better, you can’t expect much more from a smartphone in this price range. Please let me know if I can answer any questions about this Smart Phone!
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