The Bluboo Picasso finds itself in the range of entry-level Chinese phones that try hard not to suck at being smartphones. Another phone that comes to mind from this segment is the UMi Rome X.
Both, the Bluboo Picasso and the UMi Rome X are available for well under $100. We now have both these phones in the office… but let’s talk about the Picasso for a bit.
Let’s get the spec sheet out of the way first, shall we. Here’s what this $69.99 piece of kit comes with:
- 5-inch 1280 x 720p display
- 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6580 processor
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB ROM (expandable)
- 8 mega-pixel front and rear cameras
- Dual micro SIM card slots
- 2500mAh battery
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
The MediaTek MT6580 isn’t something you’d want to write home about. That said, the SoC has found its way into a lot of entry-level phones… which seem to be doing well. Speaks a bit about the SoC, I believe.
The phone itself comes in a very pleasing box made out of thick paper (not even cardboard; cost cutting at the right places). No fancy retail kits here folks. Inside, there’s the phone, USB cable and user’s manual. No nonsense; we all like that.
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Interestingly, right when I took the phone out of the box I learnt it has a selfie flash as well. I was later disappointed to know that it’s only a soft-flash. Bluboo call it ‘selfie fill light’. It works, but hardly changes anything.
Anyway, I’ll reserve my judgements about this phone for the review. Meanwhile, take a look at some hands on photos here.
The phone is made out of (or at least seems to be) durable material. There’s a lovely texture on the back that reflects light at angles, and also makes gripping the phone a one-handed affair.
What I can definitely say is that it definitely doesn’t feel like a phone that costs just $70. It feels like a device at least twice (to a GizChina reader) or thrice (to everyone else) that much.
Since it’s a 2016 phone, we have the mandatory black bezels around the screen we’ve all come to love so much (pun intended).
While the rear is textured and there’s a nice Bluboo logo on there, there definitely is something about the back of the Picasso that reminds me of the Xiaomi Mi 5.
At 152g the Bluboo Picasso isn’t the lightest entry-level phone around, which does add to the flavour of the phone and helps the cause a bit.
That’s it for now. Stay tuned for the full review! Meanwhile let us know if you have any questions about the phone, or get one via Geekbuying (which is where we got ours from!).
The MT6580 isn’t too bad, I recently bought a Blu Energy X for a relative which has this chipset. It’s good for someone who only needs the basics.
I got my wife a Blu Energy X Plus and she is very pleased… The cameras are the weakest link though… Even more so CO pared to the pictures I get from the Pure XL beast.
what ORIGINAL model does the pure xl equate to?
The old XL was the Gionee E7, the new XL is the Gionee E8 I think.
Gione Elife E8
nice !
Yea I got it for my cousin who is in high school, he loves it. Compared to the Pure XL most cameras are weak lol.
Veeeery weak in deed. This camera in the XL is something else… The only thing it lacks is SlowMo video and they sent an update just 3 weeks ago many thing got rigth. But missed SlowMo… Maybe in the next one, if I get marshmallow I would let it pass. 🙂
but MTK could do well to replace it with an ultra cheap 64 bit CPU … its a win-win , right ?
Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the chip.
Do you have any idea how the MT6580 compares to MT6582? I still have an old phone with MT6582 (which is in fact a slightly updated MT6589). The chipset is still acceptable for entry level phones.
It’s based on the same chipset so performance should be near identical. I think the only difference is in the modem.
MT6582 is a slightly downgraded version of MT6589 I think. MT6580 and MT6582 are far not enough at IGP front in 2016. Mali 400 is a crap! Even PowerVR SGX531/Ultra (in MT6589/T) are more powerful. The new low budget 64bit SoC is MT6735/M/P.
I agree, but at same time I think a updated version of MT6592 would be amazing here.
for such affordable price, i think it worthes.
The biggest issue with MTK6580 is the GPS. I use GPS almost everyday, which forced to get a smartphone that uses atleast a MTK6753 processor. That said, I think the Gionee S6 at $120 seems to be much more enticing.
You should try to not Tinder that much!
Yea the older MTK SoCs which this is based on where notoriously bad for GPS. The newer ones starting with MT6732 are all very good tho.
Oukitel K6000 Pro VS Ulefone power VS Leagoo Elite 1 VS Elephone P8000 VS Umi Touch VS Jiayu S3+ VS Doogee F5
https://youtu.be/32ZLIYQfAfY
GPS signal test of Ulefone Power, Oukitel K6000 Pro, Umi touch, Doogee F5, Jiayu S3+, Elephone P8000, Leagoo Elite 1
https://youtu.be/4ZkRcVlhAAw
I received my Picasso. I thought it looks like a very nice phone However, when I took a few pictures I could not believe how TERRIBLE the photos are. I can not believe they put an 8 mp camera in the phone. It takes the worst pictures I have ever seen on a phone and I purchase about 12 phones a year just because I like trying new phones.
The photos are very low quality, they appear to be taken from a 2 mp camera. There is no way the camera has a 8 mp camera. Today received a firmware update and was the first time taking photos with the was after that was installed.
Are others experiencing such bad images?
It could very well be an 8mp sensor. Problem with phones this cheap is they use very cheap optics and the software optimization is usually non existent. You could use the sensor from the Galaxy S7 in this phone and the pictures will still look bad without a good lens.
[I like the device with 2 GB of super fast RAM “Bluboo Picasso”]
I already have bought a Bluboo Maya at $69.99,The shipping of bluboo maya has already begins from 10th of july,Now i am just waiting to get it in my hands.