BLU Dash JR Specs Pricing Pros & Cons Uncovered

Overview

The BLU Dash JR, announced and released in late 2013, is a budget-friendly smartphone targeted at users seeking basic smartphone capabilities. Despite being discontinued, it serves as an illustrative example of early Android smartphones designed to cater to essential communication needs without advanced features. In this article, we'll explore the various aspects of the BLU Dash JR, from its design and hardware to its performance and user experience.

Design and Build Quality

The BLU Dash JR comes with a compact and lightweight design, measuring 116.5 x 62 x 12 mm and weighing only 105 grams. This makes it easy to handle and suitable for users who prefer smaller smartphones. The build is quite sturdy for its category, although the plastic construction aligns with its budget nature. The phone is available in multiple colors, including Black, White, Blue, Silver, Pink, and Yellow, providing some level of personalization for the users.

Display

The device features a 3.5-inch TFT display with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of about 165 ppi. While this may not be impressive by today's standards, it suffices for basic tasks such as messaging, calls, and light browsing. The display supports 256K colors, which delivers decent color reproduction for the device's price range. The screen covers approximately 50.5% of the phone's body, reflecting the larger bezels common in smartphones of that era.

Performance and Hardware

Under the hood, the BLU Dash JR is powered by a 1.0 GHz Cortex-A5 CPU and a Mali-400 GPU, which together offer modest performance capable of handling essential applications and tasks. The phone comes with 512MB of internal storage and 256MB of RAM. While this might seem negligible compared to modern smartphones, it was adequate for basic applications and light multitasking at the time of its release. Users can also expand the storage via a dedicated microSDHC card slot, providing more flexibility in storing media and apps.

Software

The smartphone operates on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), a version of Android that was quite popular during the early 2010s. The OS provides a simple interface with essential Android features but lacks the advanced capabilities and security improvements found in later Android versions. This makes the BLU Dash JR suitable primarily for basic smartphone users or those requiring a secondary device with limited functionality.

Camera

The BLU Dash JR is equipped with a single 2 MP rear camera capable of recording videos at 480p resolution at 30fps. The camera serves the basic purpose of capturing casual photos and videos, although it doesn't offer the quality or features found in more advanced cameras. The absence of a front-facing camera is notable, limiting the device's appeal for users interested in selfies or video calls.

Battery Life

The phone is powered by a removable Li-Ion 1000 mAh battery, which, according to the specifications, offers up to 12 hours of talk time and up to 600 hours in standby mode. This is fairly reasonable given the small screen and limited processing demands, allowing the device to last a full day with moderate use. The battery's removable nature also means users have the freedom to carry a spare if needed.

Connectivity

In terms of network capabilities, the BLU Dash JR supports GSM technology with dual SIM functionality, making it convenient for users who need to maintain two phone lines. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, and a stereo FM radio. However, the device lacks NFC and relies on a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer.

Audio

The device includes a loudspeaker and a 3.5mm audio jack, standard for phones at its time, allowing for straightforward audio output and compatibility with most headphones and external speakers. The presence of stereo FM radio offers additional entertainment for users, particularly in areas with limited internet access.

Conclusion

Overall, the BLU Dash JR offers fundamental smartphone capabilities packaged in a compact and affordable format. While its specifications are not competitive with modern devices, it fulfills its role as an entry-level phone suited for users with basic communication needs. The device highlights how budget smartphones were designed during the early Android era and provides insight into the evolution of smartphone technology.