BLU Energy XL Arrives With 6" FHD Display, Biometrics, 5000mAh Battery

BLU, maker of relatively inexpensive unlocked phones, has launched the new BLU Energy XL. This smartphone features a giant 6-inch Full HD AMOLED display and a fingerprint reader, both of which are great but pale in light of the handset's 5000mAh battery. According to BLU, owners will see about three days of run time when using the phone as they normally would, and a fantastic 30-day standby time when not using the handset.

BLU phones, for those unfamiliar, hold a certain appeal by offering cheaper-than-big-name smartphones that are more stylish and bring more features than very cheap low-tier handsets. These phones are sold unlocked (with support for only certain carriers, so be sure to check), and usually with a price tag that's within the means of most consumers. In this case, the BLU Energy XL costs $299 USD from Amazon and is compatible with T-Mobile and AT&T.

In addition to its Super AMOLED display, the Energy XL features "Lightning Quick Charge" for rapidly charging the handset, a fingerprint sensor for using biometric security and apps that require the sensor, and a metal body. Under the hood lies a MediaTek MT6753 64-bit octa-core 4G LTE system with an ARM Cortex-A53 64-bit processor and ARM Mali-T720 graphics. There's 64GB of internal storage and 3GB of RAM.

Around back lies a 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), phase detection auto focus with laser assistance, real-time HDR photos, an f/2.2 aperture lens and 1/3-inch sensor; this is trigger-able via a dedicated camera button. On the front, meanwhile, users will find a 5-megapixel camera; there's integrated "beautification" software for sprucing up the selfies.

Other features include USB Type-C charging, DTS surround sound audio, and the ability to charge the battery 43% in half an hour.