Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I did quite a bit of research before deciding to purchase this phone. The features I wanted the most was a large screen (at least 5.7 inch); a large battery; good screen resolution; RAM of at least 2GB; ROM of at least 16GB; good wifi performance; and the latest Android operating system at a cost of less than $200. This phone meets all my requirements and is competitively priced. The phone comes with a AC power brick, micro USB cable, earbuds that contain a microphone in line with the wiring for hands-free phone use, screen protector, a soft plastic cover you can attach to protect the back and the sides of the phone, and a quick guide instruction manual. I've only had the phone a few days but I like it overall and consider it to be an excellent value for the price (I paid $140). I’m using it with H2O wireless service which uses AT&T’s network. No problem making and receiving calls so far and I get the 4G icon when data is turned on. This is a huge improvement for me personally because my old phone (a Huawei Ascend Mate) would only connect at 3G. Even though the Mate had 4G/LTE frequency bands, it did not have the bands that the US GSM carriers use. Do your homework before purchasing any unlocked “International Version” phone to avoid unpleasant surprises. Here are the pros and cons I have for this phone: PROS - Has 4,900 mAh battery (will last most people all day) - Dual SIM slots - Micro SD card slot (up to 64GB) - Android 6.0 OS (many competitors in the sub $200 range still use 4.x or 5.X) - 1280x720 resolution looks very good for pictures and videos - Good wifi antenna and performance - LED flash for front and rear cameras - Good performance speed (considering the CPU clock speed is only 1.3GHz) CONS - Back cover needs to be taken off to insert/access SIM and SD cards. Of course, there are no tools or instructions that tell you how to do this properly or safely. I’m used to having Micro SD card access along the edge where I would peel back the cover; eject the card; and then insert it into my PC to add files to it and then put it back in the phone. To avoid repeated cover removal and installation I've resorted to using a wireless file transfer app to get new files from my PC to my phone (and vice versa). If you want to insert different SD cards on the fly, it will not support that type of convenience. - No User/Owner’s Manual available that I could find. There is a “BLU Help” icon/app on the home screen but it does not contain any help or troubleshooting files at all. It only enables you to register your phone online for the 1-year limited warranty. You can probably initiate technical assistance through it after registering but I was looking for reference type information I could potentially use right away. - No phone-specific after-market accessories currently available. This con will eventually go away but since this phone is a new release (released Nov 2016) there are no screen protectors or cases available right now that I could find. It’s too early to tell how well this phone will hold up but I like it so far. Despite the above cons, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars based on the specs, performance and cost. It was bumpy getting started and learning the Android 6.0 OS but thanks to the Internet, I was able to find the info I needed and have everything setup like I want it now. I think this phone is a good choice for someone who wants a phone with a large screen; big battery; good overall performance; and who doesn't want to spend several hundred dollars on a phone. 12/6/2016 Update - Screen protectors are now available but the main thing I wanted to point out is that many people "appear" to be buying the BLU Studio XL D850Q case for this phone as Amazon is indicating that the two are "frequently bought together". This is not the right case for this XL 2 phone. Although the XL 2 and D850Q are very close in size, (you can make the XL 2 fit in the D850Q case), the XL 2 has its USB port on the top left whereas the D850Q has its USB port on the bottom center. I guess one could cut the top left corner off to access the USB port without taking the phone out of the cover to charge it, but the XL 2 back camera and speaker seem to be closer to the edge than on the D850Q.