BLU R1 HD with Android Marshmallow starts at $100 without ad, $50 with lockscreen ads

U.S based budget smartphone maker BLU has announced an ultra-affordable Android smartphone dubbed R1 HD in the U.S The phone supports 4G LTE, VoLTE (added via OTA update) and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and is upgradable to Android N.

The BLU R1 HD comes with 5-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) IPS display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection and is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6753 processor backed by Mali-T720 GPU. It comes in two variants — 1GB RAM + 8GB internal storage and 2GB RAM + 16GB internal storage — with storage expansion option via microSD card (up to 64GB).

For photography, it gets 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, 1.12mm pixel size, 1/4 inch sensor, f/2.0 aperture and 1080p video recording. For video calling and selfies there's 5-megapixel front camera accompanied by LED flash.

In addition to 4G LTE, the dual-SIM phone supports 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS connectivity. It is fueled by 2500mAh battery.

The Blu R1 HD is priced at $99.99 for the 1GB RAM model and $109.99 for the 2GB RAM model. You can get the phone for as low as $50 with Amazon ads, which means you'll be forced to view ads very often on the lock screen. The R1 HD is now available for pre-order via Amazon in the U.S and the shipping will start July 12.