While CES 2016 may seem a bit low-key, there’s still some new hardware being shown at the event, and today BLU Products added a couple more smartphones to the list.
BLU has unveiled the Vivo 5 and Vivo XL, two additions to its lineup of affordable Android phones. The Vivo XL will be the first to hit shelves, with BLU aiming to launch it at Amazon.com and BestBuy.com this month for $149. Meanwhile, the Vivo 5 will hit Amazon.com and BestBuy.com in February for $199.
If you decide to drop $149 on the BLU Vivo XL, you’ll get yourself a 5.5-inch 1280x720 Super AMOLED display, 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, microSD slot, a 3150mAh battery, FM radio, USB Type-C 2.0, and an octa-core MediaTek MT6753 processor. Also included is support for LTE bands 2/4/7/12/17. The Vivo XL comes with Android 5.1 out of the box, but BLU says that it’s upgradeable to Android 6.0.
The BLU Vivo 5 has many of the same specs as the Vivo XL. That includes a 5.5-inch 1280x720 Super AMOLED display, octa-core MediaTek MT6753 processor, 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras, microSD slot, FM radio, USB Type-C 2.0, Android 5.1 (upgradeable to Android 6.0), and a 3150mAh battery. So what are you getting for your extra $50? More RAM (3GB), more storage (32GB), and a slimmer body (6.9mm vs 7.5mm). However, the Vivo 5 doesn’t support as many LTE bands as the Vivo XL (2/4/7 vs 2/4/7/12/17).
BLU is also touting some of the other special features of these new Vivo phones, like Magic Focus, Ultra Pixel, Smart Scene, and Face Beauty. Fast charging tech will let you juice your phone up quickly, and BLU says that the Hi-Fi DTS Sound feature in both phones will give you an “enhanced audio experience.”
The BLU Vivo 5 and Vivo XL are nice-looking phones, with the former sporting a design that’s reminiscent of the iPhone 5 and the latter looking a bit like an HTC One M8/M9, at least from the front. And while they’re not super high-end, these new BLU phones do offer a combination of solid features, attractive designs, and affordable price points. It’s kind of a bummer that these phones are launching with Android 5.1, but at least they’re upgradeable to Android 6.0. Here’s to hoping that BLU gets those updates out soon.