BLU Products (stylized as BLÜ) is an American company, headquartered in Miami. The name BLU stands for Bold Like Us. BLU rebrands low-cost mobile phones manufactured by Chinese ODMs such as Koobee,[2] QiKU,[3]Gionee, Doogee and Tinno Mobile.
History
BLU Products, founded by Samuel Ohev-Zion, was the fastest-growing mobile phone provider in the region, announcing its presence at CTIA Wireless 2011.[citation needed]
BLU products are present throughout Latin America, Central America, the United States, and all of the Caribbean. BLU sold 70,000 units in its first year in 2009, and rapidly became the leading mobile device brand in Latin America, selling 4.1 million units the following year.[4] In Aruba, Digicel introduced in September 2013 a low-cost BLU Android cellphone for the local market, going for only Afl.9 (approximately US$6) with a post-paid plan.[5] In May 2017, BLU became the official shirt sponsor of Spanish football club Valencia CF.[6]
BlackBerry lawsuit
In August 2016, BlackBerry Limited filed a lawsuit against BLU for allegedly infringing 15 patents.[7]
Privacy data collection
In November 2016, security firm Kryptowire detected pre-loaded remote surveillance software on BLU phones sold online through Amazon and Best Buy.[8] In August 2017, Amazon pulled BLU Products from its website over security vulnerabilities that resulted in BLU consumer user data being covertly sent to China.[9] One month later, Amazon reinstated sales of BLU devices on their website.[10]CNET reported, "[Shanghai Adups Technology] Having access to the command and control channel -- a communications route between your device and a server -- allowed Adups to execute commands as if it's the user, meaning it could also install apps, take screenshots, record the screen, make calls and wipe devices without needing permission."[11] Even after Adups publicly reported the spyware to be a mistake, kryptowire discovered that the same vulnerability was still being utilized, except in a more covert manner, which was seen as part of a state-sponsored intelligence gathering campaign.[11]
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) subsequently investigated the widely reported consumer privacy exploitation that was attributed to BLU. The FTC complaint charged that the "company and its co-owner and President Samuel Ohev-Zion misled consumers by falsely claiming that third parties were only collecting information from Blu user devices required to perform their requested services, and no more".[12] In April 2018, the FTC disclosed that their agency had reached a settlement with BLU where it alleged that "BLU misled consumers and put their personal data at risk."[13] A few months later, the FTC officially concluded that BLU "deceived consumers about the disclosure of their personal information"[14] and believed BLU "violated the Federal Trade Commission Act."[15] In September 2018, BLU was ordered to be legally bound to specific stipulations to settle their legal misconduct.[15] The settlement with the FTC "prohibited [BLU] from misrepresenting the extent to which they protect the privacy and security of personal information".[15] The FTC required BLU's security practices to be thoroughly and regularly analyzed for the following 20 years by an independent 3rd party security monitoring entity, and mandated that BLU to develop and maintain a "comprehensive security program" designed for both "new and existing" BLU devices.[15]
Due to the hidden spyware, reviewers have advised against BLU phones despite their low prices.[16][17]
Products
Android Devices
BLU currently produces several lines of Android devices.
Series
Description
BOLD
Introduced as BLU's Flagship series. These devices include "Flagship" features, like an AMOLED Display and In-Display Fingerprint Scanner. All devices in this category are currently designed and manufactured by Koobee.
C
BLU's low-end series of phones. These phones typically run the Android Go operating system.
F
BLU's line of phones that support the 5G network. Their first 5G phone is the BLU F91 5G which is a Mid-range phone. (2022)
G
BLU's mid-range series of phones. The G Series currently has 28 different models. The G91 Max and G91 Pro are the flagship models of that series.
M
BLU's line of tablets that support the 4G cellular network.
S
The BLU S1, released in September 2017, was BLU's first phone to be compatible with Sprint and other CDMA carriers.[18][19] The S series currently consists of the S91 and the S91 Pro.
Studio
BLU's low-end series of phones. Phones in this series often support 4G HSPA and some, LTE. They are known for durability. Battery life ranges from low to medium depending on the specific model.[20]
BLU's feature phones have the bar or flip form factors.[26] Similar to their Android devices, BLU produces several series of feature phones.
Series
Description
Click
The BLU Click adds music controls below the screen.
Jenny
The BLU Jenny TV 2.8 has a retractable antenna and the ability to play analog TV channels through the antenna.
Joy
Phones in this series have bigger buttons as well as a SOS key that is used for emergency contacts.
Tank
Phones in this series typically have a bigger battery compared to the Z/Zoey series.
Z/Zoey
BLU's low-end series of feature phones. They typically offer basic functionality and support 2G or 3G networks. Some phones in this series run the KaiOS software.
