Blu is best known for its large variety of budget Android phones - some good, some not so good. Today the company announced two new devices - the Vivo XL3 and Vivo XL3 Plus. But unlike most of Blu's lineup, they aren't a good value at all, unless you buy one of them on sale.

Vivo XL3

First up is the lower-end model, the Vivo XL3. The MSRP is $179.99, but for "a limited time," you can get it for $109. Honestly, the sale price is about as much as I'd pay for it. The highlight feature is the 5.5-inch 18:9 display, but it's still 720p. The MediaTek processor isn't great either.

On the plus side, you do get Android 8.0 Oreo, which still hasn't arrived on many budget devices. The 3,000mAh battery should easily last a day or two as well.

SPECS

Display

5.5-inch HD+ 18:9 720 x 1440, 293 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 3

CPU

MediaTek 6737 1.3GHz Quad Core

Storage

32GB

RAM

3GB RAM

Software

Android 8.0 Oreo

Cameras

13MP rear, 13MP front

Battery

3,000mAh

Connectivity

Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n, microUSB

Bands

(GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 42Mbps) 850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz, (4G LTE Cat 4 Up to 150Mbps) FDD 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/28

You can get the Vivo XL3 from Amazon here.

Vivo XL3 Plus

The Vivo XL3 Plus is priced at $199.99, but like the cheaper model, you can get it for $129.99 while supplies last. It has a beefier Snapdragon 425 processor, with a matte aluminum design instead of glossy metal.

Unfortunately, the XL3 Plus is a downgrade in almost every other regard. It has a larger 6-inch 18:9 screen, but with the same resolution of 720p. That is definitely not a "vivid cinematic display," as Blu puts it.

For some reason, the Plus also runs an older version of Android. The XL3 has Android 8.0 Oreo, while the XL3 Plus has Android 7.1.2 Nougat. Since this is Blu we're talking about, it probably won't ever be updated to Oreo.

SPECS

Display

6.0-inch HD+ 18:9 Widescreen Ratio 720 x 1440, 269 ppi

CPU

Qualcomm Snapdragon 425

Storage

32GB

RAM

3GB RAM

Software

Android 7.1.2 Nougat

Cameras

13MP rear, 16MP front

Battery

3,000mAh

Connectivity

Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n, microUSB

Bands

(GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 42Mbps) 850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz, (4G LTE Cat 4 Up to 150Mbps) FDD 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/17/28

You can buy the XL3 Plus from Amazon here.

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