Blu sub-brand BOLD just released its first smartphone, the N1. It’s a $250 phone with high-end features, like wireless charging, an in-display fingerprint reader, and an edge-to-edge display with a pop-up front camera. Let’s talk about it.
Who is BOLD?
BOLD is the new sub-brand from budget phone maker Blu. The company will heavily limit the number of devices it releases every year and will guarantee two years of security patches and at least one Android version upgrade. The ultimate promise is “flagship-like performance and design at a fraction of the cost” and releasing phones with “specs that have never existed at similar pricing.” It’s a compelling prospect, no doubt.
Ultimately, you can expect high-end budget hardware packed into these phones along with reasonable prices given all the features in the package. If the N1 is any indication of what to expect from the company’s future devices, a sleek, understated look may also be part of the design language.
You can liken BOLD to a budget version of OnePlus. Both companies have essentially the same philosophy: to offer devices with features and hardware at unprecedented prices. OnePlus goes for all-out flagship products, while BOLD is focused on bringing the same features to the budget market. It’s a high-end budget company if you will. That’s almost a new category on its own.
Now, let’s talk about the first phone under the BOLD name.
Hardware and Build Quality: $500+ Worth of Phone for $250
When I first read the spec sheet for the N1, it was hot off the heels of the Blu G9 Pro review. So what I saw was a phone with a slightly boosted processor and otherwise similar hardware. But it’s everything in between the main specs that makes the difference here—things like the in-display fingerprint reader, pop-up camera, and curved edge-to-edge screen all provide a more premium feel than you’d expect at the $250 price point.
Alas, I’m approaching this as a new phone from a new company and drawing as few comparisons to BOLD’s parent company as I can. It’s going to be hard with the G9 Pro so fresh on my mind—it’s still just a few inches to my left as I type this so you may have to bear with a few comparisons here and there.
But I digress. Let’s take a look at the N1’s specs:
- Display: 6.4-inch 19.5:9 FHD+ (2340×1080) AMOLED all-screen display w/ pop-up camera
- Processor: 2.1 GHz Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P70
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 128 GB, microSD card slot
- Cameras: 16 MP main shooter + 5 MP depth sensor;13 MP pop-up front camera
- Ports: USB-C, 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Headphone Jack: You betcha
- Battery: 3,500 mAh w/ Quick Charge and Wireless Charging
- Fingerprint Sensor: In-display, ugh
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 2.4/5 GHz (a/b/g/n), 3G 850/900/1700/1900/2100, 4G LTE 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/28, dual-SIM
- US Carrier compatibility: T-Mobile, AT&T, Metro, Cricket, Straight Talk
- Android version: Android 9; July 2019 Security Patch (Promised updates to Android 10 and two years of security patches)
- Price: $249
The front of the phone is the star of the show here, as the edge-to-edge AMOLED panel is an exceptionally nice touch on a $250 phone. The colors are vibrant without being overbearing, and it’s honestly just a pleasure to look at. As far as AMOLED panels on budget phones are concerned, this one looks great—there’s even a color tuning option in Settings > Display for those who want to warm it up or cool it down a bit.
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Source : Blu’s New Sub-Brand Phone Makes a BOLD Impression with Its First Phone
