Even before announcing Bluboo’s local presence on Facebook, we’ve received a number of inquiries from our readers about the imminent — and official — launch of Bluboo smartphones in the Philippines.

We thought we had some good news to share a couple of days ago, when the Chinese OEM listed the Bluboo S8 and S1 on Lazada Philippines. For some reason, however, they were taken down after an hour or so on the online shopping site — but not without us taking a screen grab of the items first.

The official Bluboo S8 and S1 units we at Revü spotted on Lazada Philippines.

The official listings of the Bluboo S8 and S1 on Lazada Philippines disappeared just as quietly as they had materialized. And now we know why: Bluboo has encountered some difficulty with regard to the importation of the phones, hence the unfortunate delay. This was confirmed to us by the company’s local outfit.

Bluboo has encountered some difficulty with regard to the importation of the Bluboo S8 and S1.

It added that the Bluboo S8 and S1 could be available beginning this third week of December — with a surprise.  We don’t know what that surprise will be. Possibly the discounted prices you see in our screenshot or freebies for those who buy the phones early through Lazada?

SEE ALSO: This PH-bound brand’s bezel-less phones start at P7,999 or $158

The 3GB RAM and 32GB storage model of the Bluboo S8 — an unapologetic Samsung Galaxy S8 clone, replete with slim bezels and a taller display — will sell for P7,999 (about $158) here, while the Bluboo S1 — another nearly bezel-less device that takes after the Xiaomi Mi MIX — is priced at P8,399 ($166). The latter will come in black or white color versions; only the black and blue variants of the S8 will ship to the Philippines at launch.

The Bluboo S8 is an unapologetic Samsung Galaxy S8 clone, replete with slim bezels and a taller display, while the Bluboo S1 is another nearly bezel-less device that takes after the Xiaomi Mi MIX.

Of course, there are plenty of quality options available now, both online and offline, if you’d rather not wait.

Learn About This Author

Ramon Lopez

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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.