Earlier this year, Amazon and BLU revealed the first “Prime-Exclusive” Android smartphone, the BLU R1 HD. The metal/glass budget smartphone turned heads earlier this year with its outstanding price point, but after some controversial software was discovered on the device, it was pulled off the market. Now, it’s back.
About a month ago, BLU, among other budget Android OEMs, was reported to be using software which took customer data and sent the information to China. Later on, BLU pushed a software update to the device to swap out the infringing software update mechanism for Google’s option. Now, Amazon has resumed sales of the device.
For just $50, you can grab the base model of the R1 HD with 8GB of storage (w/ microSD) and a single GB of RAM. There is a 16GB/2GB model, but it’s currently out of stock. Similar to Kindle devices, Amazon is able to offer the phone at such a low price thanks to various ads, most prominently on the lockscreen. However, these don’t get in the way all that much and the device still retains Google Play.
Now that the device is back in stock, eager customers can finally order it once again, and just in time to grab it for the holidays too. At $50, it’s an excellent gift for anyone looking for their first smartphone and with Prime shipping, you can have it on your doorstep well ahead of Christmas.
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