BLU Pure View hands-on

Usually when we're dealing with a phone classified as a mid-ranger, most people would assume they would be flaunting prices somewhere between $250 and $450, but when it comes to BLU, it's in a totally different field. BLU just announced the availability of its latest "mid-ranger," the BLU Pure View, which comes in at its usual oh-so tempting price of $179.99.

One look at the BLU Pure View, it's evident that smartphone designs have evolved significantly from what they were like a few years ago. Quite frankly, it can pass for some kind of high-end phone with its curved glass construction! The polished surfaces do nicely to elevate its look versus other, higher priced devices on the market – so it's just incredible that we have something this cheap in price to rival designs from smartphones costing well over $500. And you know what? It even somehow manages to pack along a 3.5mm headphone jack and fingerprint sensor!

While its 5.7-inch 720 x 1440 18:9 display covers much of its façade, it does exhibit noticeable distortion at when it's tilted slightly away from a straight-on view. Naturally, for a phone to be priced where it's at, this is one expected compromise. Under the hood, it's powered by a 1.3GHz octa-core MediaTek 6753 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and expansion via its microSD card slot. Its performance, naturally, isn't the most fluid out there – evident in how it seems to take a little bit more time opening native apps.

Going into the software, however, it's quite a surprise that it's running Android 7.0 Nougat with BLU's custom skin. For a 2018 released smartphone, that's a bit of a disappointment – more so when it's anyone's guess as to whether or not it'll ever get upgraded. Then again, if you're that kind of person that doesn't care about new software, then this won't be much of an issue. Right? Rounding things out, the BLU Pure View also features a single 13MP rear camera, dual 8MP cameras for a wider selfie capture, 3000 mAh battery, and face unlock.

Sure, the $179.99 cost no doubt undercuts most of the competition in the space, but for a limited time only, it'll be offered at the launch price of $129.99 through Amazon. There's no exact word on when this special pricing promotion might end, but if you're strapped for cash, this will certainly save you a chunk in the process!