Bluboo S1 Unboxing, Initial Review: Slim Bezels, Dual Camera For Not Much Money

Bluboo S1 Unboxing, Initial Review: Slim Bezels, Dual Camera For Not Much Money

We unbox the Bluboo S1!

While manufacturers are quickly pumping out 18:9 aspect ratio phones like there’s no tomorrow, there’s still something to be said about typical 16:9 devices. Not everything has to conform to the latest bandwagon, and while the Bluboo S1 doesn’t exactly use an original design, the way they executed it makes the S1 look better than the offerings of other companies.

Bluboo S1 specs

  • MediaTek Helio P25 octa-core processor
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 5.5-inch full HD IPS display, 1920 x 1080 resolution
  • 64GB of expandable storage
  • 13-megapixel primary rear camera, 3-megapixel secondary rear camera with LED flash, AF
  • 5-megapixel front camera
  • Dual SIM
  • 3G, LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, fingerprint scanner
  • 3,500mAh battery
  • Android 7.0 Nougat

Packaging and contents:

The Bluboo S1 comes in a premium box much like their S8. The almost all-black packaging only has the S1’s logo on the front, plus a spec sheet on the rear that details the phone’s hardware.

Inside, you’ll get similar accessories to the S8, namely a USB Type-C cable, charger, USB Type-C headphone adapter plus a soft case and a letter from the company’s CEO thanking you for your purchase. The phone also comes with a free tempered glass screen protector, which we applied to the device right away.

Initial impressions: skinny bezel design taken from Xiaomi’s Mi Mix

Once you take the phone out of the box, you’ll quickly see where Bluboo took the inspiration for the design of the S1 from. Xiaomi’s Mi Mix design DNA is easy to spot on the S1, thanks to the almost non-existent side and top bezels plus beefy chin.

While we’re all about 18:9 phones nowadays, the S1’s traditional 16:9 layout plus skinny top and side bezels make it shorter than most phones in the market.

The phone’s rear uses glass though we’re not sure of the protection level for it, so we advise you to use the included soft case in the packaging to keep the phone’s rear pristine and free from scratches.

On the upper left side of the rear sits the dual-camera module of the phone, which sports a combination of a 13-megapixel primary shooter and a 3-megapixel secondary camera. The right side of the phone holds both the power and volume rocker, while the left side contains the microSD/expansion slot. On the bottom sits the USB Type-C plug plus speaker grille. Just like the S8 the S1 doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack, so you’ll have to rely on the USB Type-C 3.5mm adapter to use your headphones.

On the front sits the 5.5-inch full HD IPS display, with the fingerprint scanner located right below it. The phone uses on-screen navigation keys with the fingerprint scanner doubling as the home key. The 5-megapixel selfie camera is on the bottom chin as well, on the lower right side of the bottom chin.

Overall the phone feels solid and well-put together, without any obvious manufacturing issues that’s usually apparent in budget phones.

Powering the Bluboo S1 is a MediaTek P25 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. MediaTek’s Helio P25 chipset is good enough for daily use and light to moderate gaming, with a 3500mAh battery keeping the lights on and Android Nougat 7.0 running the show.

Bluboo is selling the S1 in the Philippines for Php 7,999 for a limited time. You can head over here to check it out on Lazada.

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