One of the best ways to play graphics-heavy mobile games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile is with a dedicated gaming phone. In the US, however, you have to pay a pretty penny to build a phone for gamers. Asus and OnePlus have the high-end covered, but what do you do when you're on a budget?
Blu, the Miami-based budget phone company, launches its first gaming phone. And in typical Blu form, it costs you next to nothing compared to other devices that focus on gaming.
I spent a day with the Blu G90 Pro. Here's why I think it might be a great choice for those looking to save a few bucks.
Also read: The best phones to play with
Design and Hardware: How Much Does This Phone Cost Again?
$ 200 doesn't usually get you a lot of cash in the US, but there are a few welcome surprises on the Blu G90 Pro's spec sheet that could help keep mobile gamers happy.
First the chipset. The Blu G90 Pro is powered by the proven MediaTek Helio G90T SoC and the Mali-G76 GPU. It is also supported by 4 GB of RAM. This is the same SoC / GPU combo as the Realme 6 and Redmi Note 8 Pro. It's not a top-notch Snapdragon chip, but it should be more than enough to handle everyday tasks and, of course, gaming.
The G90 Pro performed well during the setup process and while testing some mobile games. I can't say enough about how well the G90 Pro performs in other scenarios, but things look promising so far.
According to Blu, the G90 Pro beats the Moto G8 Plus, Moto G Power, Redmi Note 9 and Galaxy A31 in benchmarks. We'll review these claims after we get more time with the device.
The phone is also equipped with a liquid cooling system that is designed to keep things from heating up while playing. The phone got quite warm during the setup process, but not so much that it would affect gameplay. I will monitor this as the testing continues.
A large 6.5 inch LCD display is what you will see while playing mobile games. It gets super bright and a lot darker. I haven't used an LCD in a while and I have to say I don't mind this panel. You will find minimal bezels around the display. There's a small waterdrop notch for the front facing camera on top and a slightly larger bezel on the chin.
It's a big phone. Chunky too. It's a bit bigger than the Pixel 4 XL, not quite as big as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. At least this large chassis allows for a huge battery. The G90 Pro has a 5,100 mAh cell that I can already tell will last well over a day. After playing a handful of games, checking my email, and leaving it on standby for about an hour, the battery was only 1% drained.
There are four cameras on the back - three plus a depth sensor if that's what you want to count. The primary lens is a 48MP Sony IMX582 sensor. There is also an 8MP wide angle sensor ƒ / 2.2 at 120 degrees, as well as 2MP macro and depth sensors. This combination should provide a versatile camera array. I'm already looking forward to a wide-angle camera again. There is a 32MP selfie camera in the front.
There is a fingerprint sensor under the rear camera setup. It's easy to find without digging for it, but so far it hasn't worked well for me. It was seldom possible to recognize my fingerprints on the first try, even after deleting and re-adding the fingerprint data. And this is after this The fingerprint sensor failed while setting up the phone.
The front facing camera allows for face unlocking. It's pretty fast and definitely more reliable than the fingerprint sensor. Face recognition technology from Google and Apple is far more secure than Blu's camera-only implementation, but it does offer a great way to access your device.
Blu threw in a few goodies over the phone. You get a very protective rubber cover, a cleaning cloth, a screen protector, a pair of earphones, a Blu sticker as well as a USB-A to USB-C charging cable and a component. The charging cable has a strange sticky plastic coating that makes me not use it.
Playing with the Blu G90 Pro
This is a gaming phone so let's talk about games. Over the past few days I've played a variety of mobile games including Altos Odyssey, Fortnite, and Lego Star Wars: TFA. Overall, things went pretty smoothly.
I have no problems with Alto's Odyssey and Lego Star Wars: TFA. Minimal frames dropped and no lag. Running Fortnite on a smartphone takes a bit more power, and the Blu G90 Pro handled the game with few problems. I didn't play long, but I went through the whole process of downloading Fortnite, starting a match, playing for a few minutes and switching to another app to answer an email. The G90 Pro didn't slow down until I tried switching to another app. There is only 4GB of RAM here, so this could be the reason for the delay.
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Software struggles
The Blu G90 Pro will run Android 10 instantly. Blu took over Google's implementation of Android 10 and adapted some selected parts of the operating system. The Home Screen Launcher looks a lot like the Pixel Launcher, although there is no search bar at the bottom. You can also enable or disable the app drawer.
My biggest criticism so far is the bloatware. The Blu G90 Pro contains exciting games like Candy Crush Soda and Coin Master as well as apps like TikTok and VivaLive TV. Shortcuts to Bing and Yahoo are also included on the home screen, although they are just mobile web shortcuts, not apps. Fortunately, you can uninstall any pre-installed third-party apps you want.
Blu has also committed to quarterly security updates for all of its smartphones. Full system updates are a different story - the company only releases critical software updates for select phones, and we're not sure if the G90 Pro is on that list or not.
It also begs the question of whether or not you should be considering a Blu phone at all. The company certainly has a checkered history of privacy and security issues, but Blu has reportedly done its part in building its reputation and improving device security.
Technical data of the Blu G90 Pro
Blu G90 Pro competition, price and availability
If all of this sounds good to you, now is the time to buy. The Blu G90 Pro is available now for a temporary sale price of $ 199.99. At the end of the promotional period, the normal MSRP of USD 249.99 will be reached again. According to Blu, there is no precise time frame for this promotion. The phone will only be launched in the United States and Latin America.
That $ 200-250 price tag is on par with stiff competition like the Moto G Power, TCL 10L, and Samsung Galaxy A51 (or the Pixel 4a if you take advantage of the latest Verizon deal). Phones in this price range offer tremendous value, but often have a major tradeoff or two in order to achieve that lower price point. It will be interesting to see if the Blu G90 Pro can keep up with competing products.
It's way too early to tell whether or not the G90 Pro is worth the money, but you won't have to wait long to find out. Look forward to our full Blu G90 Pro review soon.
