BLU Pure XR announced, near-flagship specs for $299

While BLU clearly doesn’t have the same level of brand power as giants like Samsung or even the rising Chinese stars like Huawei and ZTE, it does have a sizable following among those looking for affordable phones with reasonable performance. The vast majority of BLU’s offerings are on the lower end of the scale, though last year’s Pure XL helped change this perception a bit. Now in 2016 BLU are back again with another “flagship” class device, the Pure XR.

Although it is priced at just $299, the Pure XR brings a lot to the table. Aesthetically, the handset is quite similar to the other metal-clad devices that seem to be flooding the market these days. While it isn’t necessarily a head turner at this stage, it’s still a pleasing enough design that fits the “premium materials” culture all the brands seem to be targeting in 2016.

Turning to the specs, the handset features a 1080p Super AMOLED 5.5-inch display with Gorilla Glass 3 and 3D Touch, an octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 (6755) CPU, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage with microSD for expansion. Other specs include a 16MP main cam, 8MP selfie cam, and a 3000 mAh battery. The XR also supports quick charging, has a USB Type-C port, and a fingerprint sensor.

At the end of the day, the Pure XR isn’t perfect, as not everyone cares for MediaTek processors and 1080p is far from a bleeding-edge resolution at this point. BLU also tends to have a mixed record for software updates, though things have gotten a tad better in recent years. Still, it’s hard to beat the price and for those that don’t care about brand identity and simply want a solid performing phone without throwing down a lot of money, this one should fit the bill.

For those interested in picking one up, it’s available now via Amazon in your choice of either gray or gold. For those that are on the fence, we’ll be taking a closer look at the Pure XR in an upcoming full review sometime in the near future. In the meantime, hit the comments and tell us what you think of the device based on what we know so far.