Update: BLU R1 HD

Back on August 9th we reviewed the BLU R1 HD, which is a midrange phone at a very very deep discount through Amazon Prime. It’s been my main phone for the last 5 months. A few weeks ago I started to notice some very slight warping (bending) of the phone. It’s progressed now to the point where the touchscreen works only intermittently. Of important note: I keep the phone in my front pant pocket, alone with no keys, card, pen, knife or anything else. The phone is always screen towards my thigh, to help protect it from any random encounter. Yet this phone is bending in the exact opposite way I would think of. In addition to all of this I’m a pretty tall guy (6’6″) so there’s very little that, if leaned up against, would hit the phone at all. I’ve included a gallery of photos below, but it’s bending at the weakest location right at the power button. The screen crack is from an impact with hard concrete days after the review. Totally my bad, no case or screen protector to help. I’ve since added a gel style case, and plastic screen protector (there weren’t any tempered glass when I looked earlier).

Update 12/29/16: While waiting for replacement phone I was able to carefully bend back to straight and return functionality 95% of the time.  However the crease on the side by the power button has grown. This phone is officially being retired as my daily driver.