BLUBOO S1 is a nearly bezel-less smartphone for US$150

The budget-priced BLUBOO S1 will sport Corning Gorilla Glass 5 to help with ruggedness. (Source: BLUBOO)

The BLUBOO S1 is a budget-friendly option for those wanting a bezel-less smartphone without leaving them penniless. It is expected to sport Corning Gorilla Glass 5 to help it remain robust despite its tiny bezels.

Douglas Black, Published 05/16/2017

Starting with the Sharp Aquos Crystal in 2014 and then the Xiaomi Mi Max in 2016, the trend of thinly bezelled smartphones has spread to the mainstream with the LG G6 and the Samsung Galaxy S8 this year. Unlike the expensive G6 and S8, however, Chinese manufacturer BLUBOO is looking to launch their bezel-less smartphone design for only US$150. To help with the issues that thin bezels cause for durability, the S1 will be equipped with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection.

According to the company, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 can withstand face-down drops from 1.6 meters in "80% of occurrences". In comparison to Gorilla Glass 4, it has 1.8 times the anti-drop and twice the anti-scratch performance.

The BLUBOO S1 will be powered by a Helio P25 chipset with 4/6GB RAM and 64/128GB storage, and will also sport a fingerprint scanner on the back. It is expected to launch in June at US$150 for the base specs. Of course, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ also feature Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and still seem to have issues with surviving a fall. We'll see how the BLUBOO S1 fares when it launches later this year.