Imagine the moment you walk into a party, you’ve spent hours shopping for the perfect dress and BAM! Right up ahead there’s someone wearing exactly the same dress as you… but is it a disaster if you wear the dress better?
‘No!’ said Bluboo as they dressed the D5 Pro up to look suspiciously similar to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2… so let’s see how these two phones compare.
Apart from the obvious difference in price tag (£100 vs £340) the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has double the RAM (3GB vs 6GB), a bigger screen (5.5 vs 5.99) and a bigger battery (2700mAh vs 3400mAh).
But when we take another look at that whopping £240 price difference, those lesser specs above start to sound very attractive indeed!
I’m not going to start a smokescreen here though, the Mi Mix series are top-end Android power-houses while the Bluboo D5 Pro is well… a very good looking budget Android device.
You’ve probably been told your whole life that it’s what’s on the inside that counts… well don’t listen to the haters! The Bluboo’s real beauty is on the outside! :D
Let’s take a closer look at what the Bluboo D5 Pro has to offer…
The Good
- The Price Tag!
- The Display!
- Fantastic Budget Design
- Lightweight (150g)
- 4G Ready
- Rear Fingerprint Reader
The Bad
- 2700 mAh Battery
- Android 7
- No Notification LED
Design & Display
Continuing the Bluboo D series trend, the D Pro uses a soft curved zinc alloy frame to keep that glorious display panel held firmly in place.
Its sleek rounded corners coupled with a low overall weight of 150 grams means it’s gonna feel great in your hand. Of course, it looks super similar to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, but they do say imitation is just flattery in disguise… right?
The fingerprint reader has been relegated to the back beneath the single-lens cameras to make room for the star of the show… the 5.5 inch JDI HD Display. At this price range, we only get a 1280 x 640 resolution display but it is using the newer 18:9 aspect ratio.
But… hang on you say, what the fudge is JDI? Well, JDI stands for Japanese Design Inc which is (you guessed it) a Japanese company that makes high-quality LCD mobile displays featuring ultra-low power consumption… sounds promising to me!
Average 260 Display PPI (Pixels per inch) aside, check out those bezels! The D5 Pro features slim bezels across three of its 4 sides.
If you felt disappointed that the UHANS MX only came in a 3G variant, this is the perfect upgrade for you!
Screen Tech Specs: 5.5 Inch JDI HD, 1280 x 640 resolution, 18:9 Aspect Ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (front), 260 PPI
Colours Available: Blue, Black, Rose Red
Performance
Under the hood, we’ve got the MediaTek MT6737 which is a popular chip choice for budget smartphones like the Oukitel C8, the Cubot X18 and even the Blackview A7 Pro. It’s power efficient but there’s no getting around that it’s an entry-level chip. Still, for a sub £100 phone so don’t expect lightspeed!
For the onboard graphics, we’ve got the ARM Mali-T720 clocked at 600 MHz which is a staple graphics chip for budget smartphones. This will play pretty much all game titles apart from the most graphic intensive games.
If you’re a MOBA or Mobile FPS lover, then you’re going to want to skip this and aim for either the Mali-T880 or T860 options.
With 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage to back up the MediaTek chip, day-to-day multitasking will be smooth and stutter free. A fine choice for a medium to light Android user.
CPU: MediaTek MT6737
GPU: ARM Mali-T720 MP1 600MHz
RAM: 3GB LPDDR3
Storage: 32GB (expandable up to 256GB / takes 2nd SIM slot)
Camera
Now I’ve done enough budget phone reviews to not get too excited about the camera until I’ve tried it myself. So watch this space for the full sample album… coming soon!
On the rear, the D5 Pro has a 13MP Omnivision sensor with a dual LED flash and features like self timer, face detection and an HDR mode.
The 8MP selfie camera has a Sony Exmor Sensor and a bottom right hand placement to allow for that larger HD screen. While a little counter-intuitive at first you soon get used to turning your phone 180 degrees before taking a selfie.
Rear Camera:
- 13MP Omnivision
- Dual LED flash
- 720p @ 30fps
- Self timer, HDR, Face detection, Panorama
Front Camera (Selfie time):
- 8MP
- Bottom right corner placement
- Sony Exmor Sensor f/2.8
What’s in the box?
In your Bluboo D5 Pro box, you’ll find a transparent phone case, charger, micro USB cable, SIM pin, a quick start guide and a couple of screen protectors.
Bluboo D5 Pro – The Early Verdict
I feel the Bluboo D5 Pro is having a bit of a personality crisis. The phone itself looks great, with its curved corners and super shiny back but when we look inside… but… it has a very budget CPU & GPU plus a measly 2700 mAh battery.
Even so… there’s definitely a target market out there!
If you’re a light-to-medium Android user who wants the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 good looks but doesn’t need the raw-power… then the D5 Pro is for you.
If you want an alternative to the D5 Pro, the Oukitel C8 is almost identical in size and weight with a slightly larger battery and curved screen design… the choice is yours!
Love the D5 Pro? Check out the best deals below…
Tech Specs & Connectivity
UK Network Coverage? Yes, the Bluboo D5 Pro comes with full UK Support for all carriers.
 |
|
|---|---|
| Smartphone | Bluboo D5 Pro |
| Screen Size | 5.5 inch |
| Pixel Density | 260 |
| Screen Resolution | 1280 x 640 |
| Screen To Body Ratio | 74.87% |
| Screen technology | 5.5 Inch JDI IPS HD, 18:9, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Thickness | 8.8 mm |
| Weight | 150g |
| Material | Zinc Alloy Frame |
| Colors Available | Black, Blue & Rose Red |
| Storage | 32GB |
| Processor (CPU) | MediaTek MT6737 |
| Graphics (GPU) |
ARM Mali-T720 MP1 600MHz
|
| RAM | 3GB |
| Android Version | 7 Nougat |
| IP Rating (Water, dust) | NO |
| Micro-SD Card Tray | YES (max 256GB) |
| Notification LED | NO |
| Finger Print Sensor | YES – Rear Facing |
| Infrared | NO |
| USB Type | Micro USB |
| 4G Bands | B20 (800MHz) / B8 (900MHz) / B3 (1800MHz) / B1 (2100MHz) / B7 (2600MHz) |
| 3G Bands | B1 2100MHz / B8 900MHz |
| 2G Bands | 1800MHz / 1900MHz / 850MHz / 900MHz |
| SIM Support | Micro SIM + Nano SIM / Micro SD |
| WiFi | 2.4GHz + 5GHz (a / b / g / n) |
| GPS Tech | GPS, A-GPS |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.0 |
| NFC | NO |
| Sensors | Ambient light, Accelerometer, Proximity. |
| OTG | YES |
| Battery Size | 2700 mAh |
| Fast Charging | NO |
So, who wore it better?! Are you a die-hard Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 fan or does the D5 Pro tickle your fancy?
Let me know in the comments below! : )