Skip to main content

Look out, flagship phones: The Blu Pure XL is the latest $350 phablet with killer specs

Android phones continue to fall in price, especially when they come from startup operators like OnePlus, Nextbit, Obi Worldphone, and Blu. The last name on the list just launched a new 6-inch Quad HD phablet with an octa-core processor, named the Blu Pure XL, for $350.

Although Blu isn’t well known, low price and impressive spec sheet of its new phone are impressive. Inside the Blu Pure XL is an octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 64GB of onboard storage. Those specs combine to offer enough power to surpass flagship Android smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S6 that cost nearly double the price.

Recommended Videos

On top of all that power, the Blu Pure XL has a 6-inch 2560 x 1440-pixel screen, which is sharper than the one you’ll find on the iPhone 6 Plus. It even matches the screen resolution of most $500+ Android phones.

If that is not enough to whet your appetite, the BLU Pure XL also features a 24-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization and support for 4K video recording. It’s got an 8-megapixel camera on the front side, too, for excellent selfies. Blu also added a 3,500mAh battery, which is larger than the pack inside the Galaxy Note 5.

On the back of the Blu Pure XL, there is a fingerprint sensor, which looks similar to the sensor in the leaked images of the Nexus 5 (2015). The smartphone’s specs round out with front-facing speakers, quick charging, and a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage. High-fidelity audio is also available on the smartphone. ZTE included a similar feature on its $450 Axon phone. Finally, the Blu Pure XL runs on Android Lollipop 5.1, underneath the company’s own skin.

The Blu Pure XL sounds like quite the deal, considering it is less than half the price you would normally pay for a powerful 6-inch phablet. It even supports AT&T and T-Mobile LTE bands in the United States.

The Blu Pure XL will be available in gold or grey when sales start on September 29.

David Curry
Former Digital Trends Contributor
David has been writing about technology for several years, following the latest trends and covering the largest events. He is…
Everything you need to know about the OnePlus 13
Official OnePlus 13 product renders showing rear panel colors.

OnePlus is an excellent brand that offers powerful flagship phones at a great value compared to some of its competitors. We followed every rumor about the OnePlus 13 for months, but now it's here — and it's everything we hoped for. It might not be available in the Western market yet, but it will be soon.

So, what makes the OnePlus 13 so special? Here's everything you need to know about OnePlus' latest flagship.
When is the OnePlus 13 being released?

Read more
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. MediaTek Dimensity 9400: the race is on
Comparison of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite and MediaTek Dimensity 9400 processors.

The flagship mobile silicon race has entered its next phase, one that will dictate the trajectory of Android hardware heading into 2025. Merely weeks after MediaTek wowed us with the Dimensity 9400 system on a chip (SoC), Qualcomm also pulled a surprise with the reveal of the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

But this time around, the battle is not as straightforward. Where MediaTek is working closely with Arm and adopting its latest CPU and graphics innovations, Qualcomm has firmly put its faith in custom cores. These are no ordinary cores, but a next-gen iteration of the same fundamental tech stack that powers Windows on ARM laptops.

Read more
Discolored line on your new Kindle? You aren’t alone
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition on a table.

The new Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is the first full-color e-reader, and a lot of bookworms couldn't wait to get their hands on it. Sadly, many people are reporting the display has a discolored yellow area at the bottom of the screen. The problem is so widespread that the Kindle Colorsoft dropped to an average review rating of 2.6 out of 5, although it does remain the bestselling e-book reader at the moment.

The cause of the discoloration isn't clear. Some users report that it only happens when using the edge lighting feature on the Kindle, while others say it appeared after a software update. Either way, the yellowing is a problem, especially on a device that Amazon has marketed as being great for comics and graphic novel fans. It's hard to enjoy the colorwork in a comic when it's distorted.

Read more