Bluboo S8 Plus Review: Affordable Stylish Smartphone Inspired by Galaxy S8
Discover the upgraded Bluboo S8 Plus featuring enhanced memory capacity while maintaining its budget-friendly price, offering an excellent alternative for Galaxy S8 enthusiasts.
The Bluboo S8 Plus is the latest iteration of the Bluboo S8 series, now boasting the 'Plus' suffix and increased memory capacity, all while preserving its affordable price point.
The Samsung flagship has made such a significant impact on the mobile market that it has inspired a new category of smartphones, many of which emulate its design and features to varying degrees.
This trend is beneficial: emerging but dynamic Chinese manufacturers are elevating their production quality by following industry leaders, delivering budget-friendly devices that rival premium flagships in certain aspects.
The S8 Plus marks Bluboo’s second attempt to create a “Samsung S8 for the people.” This model features a slightly larger display, increased RAM, and several minor enhancements. Let's explore all the details.
Technical Specifications
| Body | Metal frame, plastic, glass |
| Display | 6 inches, Sharp HD+ (1440 × 720), IPS, 320 dpi, 2.5D glass |
| Platform | MediaTek MTK6750T Octa-core 1.5 GHz processor; ARM Mali T860 MP2 GPU |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| Internal Storage | 64 GB, expandable via microSD up to 256 GB |
| Cameras | Dual rear: 13 MP + 3 MP; front: 5 MP |
| Connectivity | Dual nanoSIM slots (nanoSIM + nanoSIM or nanoSIM + microSD); 2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; 3G WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz; 4G LTE FDD: Bands 1/3/7/8/20 |
| Wireless Interfaces | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, GLONASS, A-GPS |
| Expansion Slots | USB Type-C, microSD (up to 256 GB, replaces second SIM slot) |
| Sensors | Light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer, electronic compass, fingerprint sensor |
| Operating System | Android 7.0 Nougat with 360 OS skin |
| Battery | 3600 mAh non-removable, fast charging supported |
| Dimensions | 72 × 156 × 9 mm |
| Weight | 205 g |
The Bluboo S8 Plus is powered by the MediaTek MT6750T chipset, a popular choice among many smartphones today. It features an octa-core CPU divided into two clusters: one with four cores running at 1.0 GHz for light tasks, and another with four cores at 1.5 GHz for demanding operations.
This multi-core architecture allows the device to boost performance when necessary while maintaining energy efficiency during lighter usage.
One of the few upgrades over the standard Bluboo S8 is the increased RAM, now at 4 GB, which is more than sufficient for multitasking. However, synthetic benchmarks show minimal performance differences, which we detail further below.
Packaging and Design
The Bluboo S8 Plus arrives in a sleek black cardboard box, prominently displaying the model name and RAM capacity on the lid.
The package surprises with extras: alongside the standard charger, silicone case, and screen protector, the manufacturer also includes two identical USB Type-C cables and two identical headphone adapters. While the duplicates may seem unnecessary, they might come in handy.
Visually, the S8 Plus closely resembles the Bluboo S8 — the slight increase in dimensions is hardly a significant change. It retains the same layout and materials.
The Bluboo S8 Plus looks impressive, mirroring the Samsung S8 design. The expansive 6-inch display dominates the front with slim top and bottom bezels, while the side bezels are minimal and unobtrusive.
The right edge houses the power button, and the left features volume controls. The buttons are well-fitted with no wobble or rattling.
The fingerprint scanner is located on the rear, integrated within the camera module. This placement is less ideal, as reaching the sensor often results in smudges on the camera lens.
The bottom edge features a microphone, external speaker, and USB Type-C port used for charging, data transfer, and headphone connection. The top holds a hybrid slot supporting either two nanoSIM cards or one SIM and one microSD card.
Overall, the build quality and design of the Bluboo S8 Plus are commendable. The phone feels comfortable in hand, uses quality materials, and offers an elegant appearance.
Display and Audio
The device sports a high-quality 6-inch Sharp IPS display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, 1440 × 720 resolution, and 320 ppi pixel density. The slightly curved edges add a touch of sophistication. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 4.
Image quality is impressive, featuring vivid colors, excellent contrast, and accurate white balance. For customization enthusiasts, MiraVision options allow tweaking display settings.
The brightness range is broad, ensuring comfortable use in bright sunlight or dim bedside lighting. The only drawback is the absence of an oleophobic coating.
The external speaker is primarily suitable for ringtones, lacking the frequency range for enjoyable music playback.
Audio performance significantly improves when using headphones, delivering rich lows and highs, solid stereo separation, and balanced sound. However, the need for a USB Type-C adapter for wired headphones is inconvenient, so Bluetooth headphones are recommended.
Performance
Given the familiar hardware, we did not expect groundbreaking performance from the Bluboo S8 Plus. Our main curiosity was how the extra 1 GB of RAM compared to the standard Bluboo S8 would affect performance.
The verdict: no significant difference. Benchmark scores between the S8 Plus and S8 fall within margin of error, indicating no immediate need to pay extra for 4 GB of RAM unless planning to keep the device for multiple years. Future resource-intensive apps may make the additional memory more relevant.
Overall, the smartphone delivers solid performance, handling everyday tasks and modern games with ease.
Battery Life
The 3600 mAh battery capacity suggests respectable endurance, but test results are moderate.
According to PCMark Work 2.0 battery test, the Bluboo S8 Plus lasted just over 6 hours. While not exceptional, this allows for intensive use throughout a typical workday, though recharging will be necessary by evening.
Camera
Although the official website claims the main camera uses the Sony IMX258 sensor, the actual hardware features the older Sony IMX135 sensor. However, this does not imply poor photo quality.
Comparative photos taken with the Bluboo S8 Plus and a device equipped with the genuine Sony IMX258 sensor revealed that the S8 Plus delivers more detailed and sharper images. This highlights that sensor model matters, but software processing quality is even more critical.
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