Having trouble picking new phone

I mean dude my pants aren't tight but still... 6... inches? A little too much don't ya think

I've never heard of BLU can I trust their products? I'm looking to keep this phone for the next 2 years so I don't want to take any chances and spend unnecessary money.

BLU seems to have very good feedback from its customers but their phones all seem to be lacking one component that turns me away.

BLU Vivo Air - Great phone. Looks great, a real eye catcher. Can do all the things I want it to do. The downfall... it only has 16 gigs of internal memory with no expandable memory. I don't even what they were thinking with that one. Correct me if I'm wrong on that one because I still don't believe it myself.

BLU Studio 6.0 HD - Doesn't really appeal to the user at first glance but that doesn't matter to me. I'm a function over fashion guy. Expandable memory... check! Runs smooth on an almost vanilla android experience. But it is 1 inch short of being a tablet... too big in my opinion.

BLU Life Pure XL - Seems to be their flagship according to the specs but I could be wrong. 5.5 inches... eh still too much. As I said I'm a function over fashion guy but still I don't want to be carrying around a 5.5 inch brick. No attention to detail WHATSOEVER and the size is just too big.

BLU Life One/ Life One XL - Everything about this phone is good in my opinion. Can do what I want out of a phone. The only thing is I can't find it anywhere and there seems to be no information regarding the release of this phone. I mean they have the phone on their website so it seems official but they seem to have left their customers in the dark in this situation.

I did find a phone to me liking though, the BLU Studio X. It seems to match the Moto G 2nd gen but the brand man... the brand just gets to me. Can I trust them? Oh and it also comes with a case, screen protector and ear buds and it cost less that the Moto G 2nd gen. It seems to good to be true. But if you say you're satisfied I guess I can give them a try.

But I paid hundreds less and have a smoking fast phone. It hits all the right areas to get the speed. Sure you can pick out a model with no memory card but even the big names have dropped memory card support. Have you read why they are doing that? It's not what I hear most folk whine about. It's all about how a bum card can turn a top flight phone into a nightmare. So why not drop the slot and get the millions of users that want it to work right all the time.

Anyhow, I have no trust. I'll plan on it failing in a year and if it works longer then I'm good. Given how much I get for the dollar now I can replace it how many times versus the person that paid 400+?
Bob

True about the memory but buying a phone annually isn't what I intend to do. Seems like those Bens won't be in your wallet for too long. Thanks though you helped shape my decision.

I'm lucky in that I get to try units up and coming. A big attraction was the near true Android experience. I'm one that doesn't care for companies that slather on something on top. Samsung's Knox doesn't interest me at all too.
Bob

If you need a full warranty/product from a company that gives you more of a track record and post-sales support, I would avoid the whole above lot. Grab a subsidized handset made by Samsung/LG/Sony/Moto/Nokia/etc. from one of the major carriers so you aren't forced to pony up the whole amount, and can leverage both warranty, and the opportunity to sell it here at a higher price than you ever would a BLU, since Amazon carries them in bulk now.

I often read the complaints people have now about 'being locked into a contract'. For the vast majority who don't move/take new jobs/live in areas with solid coverage, it won't matter. Often it can still be a better deal to sign up for two more years if you still have such an option. YMMV.

cheers

If it's the Windows Phone models by any maker I wince since most have been left behind.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-of-course-we-threw-windows-phone-7-buyers-under-the-bus/

Folk around me are picking BLU models but there is delusion about support and life span. My bet is the low cost comes with a shorter life span or not taking a drop as well as the usual flag ship models.
http://www.minimalwall.com/wp-content/uploads/minimal-desktop-wallpaper-rainbow-colors.png tells me purple is at the far right of the spectrum so as rare as the blue unicorn.
Bob

...updating my parent's two Lumia 635s to W10 when
it arrives. Then, I am done with Nokia for 2015

Not sure what search terms you used, but it's here-

http://www.amazon.com/BLU-Life-Unlocked-Phone-White/dp/B00F9BFIMA

XL
http://welectronics.com/gsm/BLU/BLU-Life-one-xl-2015.HTML?gclid=CMWYss-F78UCFQemaQodFHQAlw

The first link isn't the phone I'm talking about http://www.bluproducts.com/index.php/life-one-life-one-xl and about the second link... I don't think you can sell the phone if its only been announced not launched.

The first one's definitely a miss, however- I have ordered phones from the Overseas site before. They're right here in Chicago, actually. Usually it's the international versions they sell, not carrier branded or US market. Call them to inquire about the actual specs vs what you are expecting- especially regarding the LTE bands the one they sell ships with. There's another outfit in Miami that sells similar phones- sorry the name escapes me.

My issue would primarily be with spending $249 on a phone with not much of a track record for repair or support. With some carrier deals now, you could get 2 Galaxy S5s for less money- and both supported/warrantied(!) Are you one of those that fears cellular contracts for some odd reason?