Bluboo Maya is one of the latest offerings from Bluboo, the Chinese company. This company is well-known for offering stock Android smartphones at incredibly lower prices. The Bluboo Maya is one of the newest models, with the latest being Maya Max. At just $75, you may be wondering if Bluboo Maya does really have incredible specs or if it’s cutting corners to price the device so low. We understand your skepticism. And that’s why we decided to test the Bluboo Maya ourselves.
First Things First: Bluboo Maya Specs
- 5.5 inch 1290×720 JDI IPS panel
- 2GB RAM
- Quad-core MediaTek MT6580A processor clocked at 1.3GHz.
- ARM Mali-400 GPU
- 13 MP rear camera, 8 MP front camera
- 16GB Storage + Micro SD card slot
Even with these incredible specs, the Bluboo Maya measures just 77mm x 153mm x 8.3mm and weighs 184 grams. It supports dual SIM – a mini SIM + micro SIM.
Bands and Wi-Fi
Bluboo Maya packs in Bluetooth 4.0 support as well as A2DP. WiFi support includes 802.11 b/g/n, dual band and hotspot. It supports GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and W-CDMA 850/2100 bands.
Build Quality and Hardware
If you think that a smartphone under $100 cannot have a great build quality, you’re mistaken. The triangle pattern on the back looks really stunning. The build is also rigid and offers a solid grip. We found the solid grip really convenient – while we end up slipping most phones from our hands, this wasn’t the case with Bluboo Maya. We found that the buttons are also well placed. The company has taken great care in deciding the positions of the buttons and the end result amazed us – perfect positions for the right buttons! We didn’t have a tough time figuring out the location of SIM card slots and micro SD card slot – we found it right under the back cover. The 3.5mm headphone jack is housed on the top of the device.
The 5.5-inch display smartphone didn’t feel too large in our hands – it fits perfectly and we didn’t have trouble navigating the screen width and height. We found that the capacitive buttons don’t light up. Although the capacitive buttons don’t light up, they blend in nicely with the overall design. As for the display itself, the 5.5-inch display is quite stunning. At 720p, it didn’t disappoint us. We were also able to choose between normal and vivid settings.
Performance
We expected sluggish performance on a 2GB RAM phone. But we were quite surprised when Bluboo Maya pulled off quite well. The quad-core MediaTek MT6580A processor with 1.3GHz clock performed pretty well with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Gmail and we didn’t observe any sluggish performance. Ideally, 2GB RAM isn’t enough, but since the Maya comes with stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow, it handles apps quite well. Bluboo Maya is decent when it comes to games, although not suited for high-end, graphics-intensive games like GTA.
Calls and Network
Bluboo Maya supports 2G and 3G/HSPA+. It does not support LTE. We didn’t find any particular issues with call quality – everything looked fine. Voice was clear and the quality consistent – we didn’t face drops in call quality.
Battery
Most smartphones these days sport a 3000mAh battery. Bluboo Maya also does. It has a removable battery. We did some intensive battery testing and found that for heavy users the battery will not last the whole day. But for light users, the battery is just fine and you may get a whole day of charge.
Speakers
There are two speakers at the bottom of the device. Both sides of the phone actually sport speakers, unlike other phones where one is a speaker and the other a microphone. The audio quality isn’t bad and we did find the quality decent enough – no distortion and no noticeable noise.
Software
When it comes to software, Bluboo Maya gets it right. The stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow, devoid of any blow-up software, is a pleasure to use. The stock OS helps the phone manage 2GB RAM really well. If you don’t like the in-built launcher, you can install one on your own from the Play Store. There are only a few changes over and above the stock Android but we were able to get rid of these easily and the next thing we had was an OS that’s as close to stock Android as it can get.
Camera
The 13 MP rear camera produces decent pictures. We shot some pics and weren’t disappointed. The camera software is simple and basic. There’s a feature to turn on GPS location for pics as well. In burst shot, we could capture 40 shots. It can also capture 99 shots. We found the shutter speed quite fast. The pics and the camera may not rival the high-end cameras that come with Galaxy S7 or the Note 7, but for $75, the camera delivers one of the best performances.
Benchmarks
The Bluboo Maya fares well when it comes to benchmarks. On AnTuTu benchmark, we hit a decent number. When compared to flagships like Galaxy S7 it does rank low but what’s important here is the performance-price the Maya delivers. At under $100, this is by far one of the best benchmark numbers we have seen.
Our Verdict
For $75, Bluboo Maya is indeed a great buy. It’s value for money and it’s got great specs. May not be suitable for high-end hardcore gamers. But for all the other features and specs including the stock Android 6.0, we definitely think this phone is worth a buy! The Bluboo Maya can be purchased from AliExpress just for $75.
What do you think about the Bluboo Maya? Own one already and wish to share your experiences? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section!