BLU Products, better known to most consumers as BLU, has been in the phone business for a few years now. Based out of Doral, Florida, BLU’s strategy has always been focused on delivering affordable devices with low and mid-range specifications to their customers. BLU has recently released some mid-range devices, which have upped the ante, including their Vivo XI+ and the BLU G9 Pro. While each of those devices were game changing for BLU for various reasons, including aesthetic design and the features they brought to BLU (in display fingerprint sensors, pixel binning cameras, wireless charging), BLU has yet to achieve flagship level device status. Through the years, many tech enthusiasts have taken a skeptical stance on BLU as a brand. BLU’s past issues with the FCC, allegations of Chinese spyware found on some of BLU’s past devices and a very hit or miss track record of updating their devices has left many tech lovers with a foul taste for the brand as a whole. The good news is that BLU has emerged from those troubles, reinvigorated and ready to conquer the marketplace. Doubling down on their organization’s original vision, BLU, on Monday, introduced the BOLD brand to the world, along with the brand’s inaugural handset, the BOLD N1. BOLD is a separate division of BLU, similar to the way HONOR is to Huawei. In breaking from BLU’s pace of multiple device releases throughout the year, BOLD will instead opt to only release one or two devices. Also a break from BLU’s business as usual is that BOLD will only be pushing out flagship level devices.
Overview
At launch the BOLD N1 comes in one color, Raven Black. The device itself is made from a brushed aluminum frame wedged between a curved Gorilla Glass 5 front display, and a glossy, curved glass rear panel. The device sports a 6.4 inch AMOLED display, with a 1080 x 2340 resolution (403ppi), in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. An optical in-display fingerprint scanner sits beneath the display. The device’s bezels are razor thin, with a small chin on the bottom device. Overall screen to body ratio is approximately 92%. Overall, the N1 is a solid, sexy piece of tech, with its brushed aluminum frame and glossy, curved back panel. The phone itself is a fingerprint magnet, but is still very, pleasing to hold. Measuring in at 158.7 x 74.1 x 8.6 mm, and weighing 182g, the phone is lightweight and easily pocketable, although it is slippery if a case is not used (luckily BOLD provides a clear TPU case, and a tempered glass screen protector in the box, along with a pair of wired earbuds, a USB fast charging brick and cable and a BOLD branded sticker). Under the hood, the BOLD N1 is run by a MediaTek Helio P70 octa-core processor, coupled with 128 GB of internal storage and 4 GB of RAM. The internal storage is expandable via MicroSD, but more about that later.
The rear of the phone houses two cameras, and an LED flash. The main camera is 16 megapixels (based on the 1/2.8” Sony MX499 sensor) with an f1.8 aperture. The secondary camera is a 5 megapixel depth sensing camera (based on a 1/5” Samsung sensor with an f2.2 aperture). Speaking of cameras, up on the top of the device, you’ll find the star of the show here, a 13 megapixel pop up style, front facing camera, (based on the Samsung S5K4HZ, 1/4″ sensor) with an f2.0 aperture. The pop up style camera on the BOLD N1 is very similar to pop up camera modules found on the OnePlus 7 Pro, the Redmi K20 and the Xiaomi Mi 9T. The BOLD N1 itself though, seems to be based loosely (or closely, depending on how you view things) on another, lesser known phone model, from the French manufacturer Archos. That model is the Archos Diamond. BOLD claims that the pop up camera feature is capable of being activated over 50,000 times without failure. The pop up camera also features a fall protection feature, which will lower the camera into the body if the phone detects it has been dropped. Testing of this feature indicates it takes a little over 1 full second to completely close the module.
On the right side of the phone, is where you’ll find the volume rocker keys and a separate power button. Meanwhile, the left side of the phone houses the dual SIM card slot. Up top, you will locate a noise cancelling microphone, along with the outline of the pop up camera module. Finally, on the bottom of the phone you will find the USB-C (3.0) charging port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a secondary microphone and a single speaker.
Rounding out the specs on the BOLD N1 are 18 watt fast wired charging capability, 10 watt wireless charging, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi b,g,n and even an FM radio. Sadly, NFC, Facial Unlock and any dust and water resistance is lacking from this model.
Day to Day Usage
PERFORMANCE:
I have been using the BOLD N1 as my daily driver since the phone’s launch date. The phone is quite snappy, the MediaTek Helio P70 processor, while not as well known, or as fondly looked upon by tech enthusiasts as its Snapdragon counterparts, is able to handle a multitude of daily tasks with ease. Whether that is listening to music, browsing social media, checking emails, sending text messages, taking phone calls, or a combination thereof, the BOLD N1, with its 4 GB of RAM handles everything thrown at it, with ease. Unlike my previous foray into Google’s Pixel line, specifically the Google Pixel 3 XL, with its much touted Snapdragon 845 processor and equal 4 GB of RAM, this phone doesn’t hiccup or hang when the phone is called upon to do multiple tasks. Sorry Google, try again.
CAMERA:
The quality of the pictures from the N1 is quite surprising, given the fact that the phone is a quarter of the price of most flagship phones. The N1’s 16 megapixel main camera is superb. Colors are punchy, albeit a bit oversaturated. Details though are retained and visible even when zoomed in, especially using what BOLD terms as “96 Megapixel Super Zoom” mode, which basically takes each pixel and boosts the resolution by up to 6 times when zoomed in, allowing you to capture more detail. Beyond the 96 Megapixel Super Zoom mode are an abundance of other photo mode options, which are coupled with the phone’s AI capability. You have a choice of Portrait, HDR, Beauty, Pro, and Night modes, as well as the ability to capture slow motion sequences, create GIFs, add filters, take panoramas and even scan barcodes using the Intelligent Scanning feature. As great as the camera is, make no mistake, the majority of the pictures you take with this device are not going to land you on the cover of National Geographic or Vogue magazine, but they will give you snapshots that you can be happy with printing out for family and friends or sharing on social media.
The front facing, 13 megapixel camera meanwhile, does a commendable job with pictures. The camera itself is super wide angle and captures an abundance of detail. Group selfies or selfies with large backgrounds will have no problem fitting in the frame. Highlights in photos taken with the front facing camera are a bit blown out in full lighting, but this can be easily fixed in post. The pop up camera raises with an audible mechanical whir (or, alternately with one of 3 other selectable sound effects), and is ready to take your picture in about a second.
CALL QUALITY:
Call quality on the N1 is great. Using the AT&T network in Northern California, there were no complaints of issues with voice transmission or receipt. Reception on the device holds steady at full bars with no drop in signal (that is, except for Target, reception always seems to drop off in Target). Speakerphone quality is LOUD, with minimal distortion in the speaker. Lastly, users can rejoice with the fact that he BOLD N1 has a hybrid dual-SIM capability, meaning you can opt to use two separate SIM cards (Micro + Nano) or a single SIM card (Nano) and MicroSD card for expandable storage.
BATTERY LIFE:
Battery life on the BOLD N1 holds strong. The 3500 mAh battery is certainly enough to power most users through the workday and still have juice for those evening social media or Netflix sessions. 10 watt wireless charging and 18 watt fast wired charging ensure that you’ll never be at a loss for options when needing to recharge the N1.
DISPLAY:
The AMOLED display is crisp and clear, with colors coming through nice and vibrant, while blacks are dark. Being that the optical fingerprint sensor is housed underneath the display, and the camera is inside the phone, the display itself sits without interruption, except for a tiny, nearly unnoticeable, slit for the earpiece at the top. Readability of the screen outdoors can be challenging if the auto brightness feature is turned on, but at full brightness the phone is easily viewable. Viewing angles from the device are also adequate.
SOFTWARE:
Out of the box, the BOLD N1 runs a very clean version of Android 9 (Pie), with the July 2019 security update. BOLD promises to furnish the N1 with two years of Android security updates and an upgrade to the next full version of Android. BOLD’s parent company, BLU has been plagued for years regarding updates to their handsets, so hopefully BOLD lives up to their promises.
VERDICT
BOLD bares the teeth for BLU. BOLD showcases that BLU means business. The BOLD N1, with its pop-up camera feature, wired fast charging, wireless charging, in-display fingerprint sensor technology and 128 GB storage/4 GB RAM combination is an unprecedented package at the price point BOLD is selling it for. The BOLD N1 definitely makes it loud and clear that BLU is no longer content to stay in the budget phone/mid-range market. This new brand, this new device, is about to make waves for all the phone makers, by bringing premium features at unbelievable price points. For consumers on a budget, who are looking to score flagship features from their next phone, should definitely be looking at the BOLD N1 as a serious contender.
To pick up the BOLD N1 for yourself, please visit one of the links below.
Amazon: $249.99
BOLD website: $199.99 (limited time)
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