Bluboo S1 and S8 are now on sale on Lazada Philippines

Better late (or delayed?) than never, right?

Weeks after being listed and then delisted on Lazada Philippines, Bluboo phones are officially back on the online retail platform. This suggests that the company is now ready to ship its products to customers anywhere in the country.

It bears noting that only the Bluboo S1 and S8 are available here at prices of P7,799 (around $156) and P7,499 ($150), respectively.

Bluboo S1, a Xiaomi Mi Mix lookalike

Bluboo S8, a Samsung Galaxy S8 clone

Interestingly enough, those prices are lower compared to the P8,399 ($168) and P7,999 ($160) price tags mentioned on Bluboo Philippines’ Facebook page. The last-minute change in pricing would entice customers, of course, but we wouldn’t discount the possibility that the offer isn’t going to stick.

Don’t hold your breath for free loot, though; none of the listings contained any information about freebies that aren’t included in the standard package. The discount will just have to do for now.

To recap, the Bluboo S1 and S8 are budget clones of the Xiaomi Mi Mix (S1) and the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ (S8), bearing similar designs and the same attitude — or should we say contempt? — against bezels. It’s unfortunate that the more attractive and cheaper of the two, the Bluboo S8, packs less exciting hardware, headlined by a MediaTek 6750T processor to go along with 3GB of RAM.

Then again, we suppose we shouldn’t be surprised given the sub-P10,000 ($200) price point. As it stands, you won’t find plenty of cheap phones with an 18:9 display on the local market. The Bluboo S1, on the other hand, has a “normal for now” aspect ratio of 16:9, but ditches the top and side bezels of the phone, giving it a modern aesthetic.

The S1 is powered by a MediaTek Helio P25 processor with 4GB of RAM. It also comes with a fingerprint reader under the LCD; a Type-C connector; and dual rear-facing cameras. And if all this sounds slightly familiar, you might recall that another Xiaomi Mi Mix clone, the Doogee Mix, offers identical specs for under P10,000 as well.

Learn About This Author

Ramon Lopez

Reviews editor: Ramon "Monch" Lopez has 16 years of professional experience creating and editing content for print and digital publications such as Yahoo. He headed the gadgets-merchandising division of one of the Philippines’ largest retail operators somewhere in between.