Updated 10-17-18: Returned. Will purchase a Nokia 7.1.I gave this phone a shot but was ultimately not happy with it. Design-wise, it's a nice phone and, for the money, the specs are generous; however, coming from past Nokia and Motorola phones, I found the software experience hugely lacking:- The default launcher leaves a lot to be desired. HUGE icons and ridiculous padding around widgets (adding the Google "At a glance" widget to the home screen and two rows of app shortcuts makes the "double tap screen to lock" feature unusable)- The lock screen is pretty useless- Lazy translations: Unclear and unpolished verbiage in system settings and other dialogues- Advertising of apps through the setup process- Plenty of uninstallable 3rd party apps, all of which are useless to me. These or equivalents can be downloaded from the Play Store for those who would find them useful: Notes, Torch, Compass, Opera, Music, Video, Data Clone, etc. -- why are these all uninstallable?- Data Clone app: Background data access can't be turned off for this app (!), which appears to be "tied into" an absolute laundry list of system apps (not all of which are standard Android system apps)- Weird system utilities (that don't work) tied into the OS -- why do I need some dubious "cache/memory cleaner" integrated with the OS when Android Oreo does a better job of managing these tasks on its own?- Missing "standard" Android Oreo features / settings: No Night Light mode, no ability to disable adding downloaded app shortcuts to the desktop, and no access to the System UI Tuner- Alarm in the stock Google Clock app still doesn't work- In addition, I've had several recurring glitches: Bluetooth disconnecting from a speaker I've owned and used without issue for years (still works perfectly with an old Moto G5S and a Moto X Pure), time jumping ahead (or was it behind?) an hour, WiFi dropping a few times (fixed by rebooting), and a couple of random reboots.Again: not a bad hardware design, but in my opinion, really poorly executed software and a semi-glitchy experience. I would recommend Blu investigate Android One. This would give their phones the software their hardware deserves and go a long way toward building trust among potential but cynical customers who might be concerned with some of the past privacy- and security-related concerns raised.Blu was kind enough to send me a free hard case, but to date I haven't received any updates regarding the alarm issue or updates to the disappearing Night Light feature.Updated 09-25-18: Smart Eye Protection option has disappeared (again).I factory reset my phone since first starting it, as I still have issues with the alarm in Google's Clock app not sounding. After the reset, the Smart Eye Protection disappeared from this phone, too. Here's hoping BLU restores it sooner, rather than later -- this is a "standard feature" found in Android Oreo, so it's kind of a miss to not have it. When the feature *was* available, I did use it, and it worked well. Frustrating to not have it.Still no answer regarding the alarm issue I've had with both phones. Either the alarm doesn't sound and I get a "Missed alarm" notification, or the time the alarm was set to comes and goes without anything happening at all. I also noticed that, before the factory reset, the alarm sound options in the clock app all made the same "BOOOOP" sound, as opposed to the sounds they should. The factory reset "fixed" this, but the alarm still doesn't go off. Very frustrating, as this should be such a ridiculously simple thing....I've also seen both phones (the 4/64 GB from Best Buy and the 6/128 GB from Amazon) "reboot" upon logging into the Amazon app (updated from the Play Store). It's not a "full" reboot, however; upon logging into the Amazon app, the BLU start-up screen/animation is displayed for a few seconds, followed by the home screen reloading. This could be due to the Bitwarden app auto-filling my Amazon password, but this never happened with my previous two phones.Updated 09-24-18: Returned the 4GB/64GB version I purchased at Best Buy and received the 6GB/128GB version I bought on Amazon.com.Great phone. Still annoyed by the cache cleaning and a couple other features implemented (they're unnecessary to me) and the apps and utilities that can't be uninstalled, but I'm still happy with it. And it looks like the Smart Eye Protection feature has been restored, so that's a win. Continue to have the same issue with the alarm (in the stock Google Clock app) not going off (detailed below), which is frustrating, as it's worked on all of my previous Android phones. Still, 3 other clock/alarm apps work, so at least I have a work around. I just hate having to resort to another app just because one of the stock apps doesn't work.Updated 09-17-18: Installed Nova Launcher Prime and Nova Google Companion.I installed Nova Launcher Prime and Nova Google Companion, and now my phone has the UI look and feel I want (screenshot attached). This launcher works flawlessly with the XI+. If you're looking for a way to change, normalize, and/or resize your XI+'s icons, this launcher will do the trick. After installing Nova Launcher Prime from the Play Store, you have to download and install the Nova Google Companion apk to get the Google Feed to the left of the home screen. You can customize your desktop layout, search bar, icons, wallpaper behavior, and more. It supports gestures, too, so things like swipe down and swipe up functions can be customized.Updated: Added screenshot of Clean Master on the VIVO XI+I purchased the 4GB/64GB version at Best Buy, on sale at $249.My prior review called out BLU for having *potential* spyware installed. This was a concern I voiced based on a number of articles citing Clean Master (and Cheetah Mobile's other software/apps) as "potential spyware at worst...useless at best." BLU did reach out to me and let me know that they confirmed no data was being logged or transmitted from any of the software installed on the device. Still, I do wish BLU had simply chosen not to preload the apps and utilities they did (most of which cannot be uninstalled or disabled), and the Clean Master stuff is completely unnecessary and just needlessly consumes resources, however small (I paid for the phone -- let me choose what's installed and running on it outside of the necessary OS) -- the little trash can icon displayed on the recent items list is, to me, super annoying.Coming from a Moto G5S Plus, I was expecting "stock Android" (as BLU markets the phone's OS) to be stock Android. This is, unfortunately, not "stock Android." I really wish they had gone "more stock," a la Moto or Essential -- zero 3rd party apps installed, other than 1 or 2 which are genuinely useful and add functionality that would not otherwise exist. As for the UI, if an OEM opts for a lightly skinned take on Android, that's fine. I would, however, advise that the OEM (BLU) work with its ODM to ensure that things like language used in the UI is clear and consistent. Some of it obviously suffers due to language barriers/gaps (some of the option descriptions in Settings are a little..."huh?").Beyond this, the phone is a great device, especially for the price. The build is solid, the screen is really nice, and the other features are pretty well rounded out -- face and fingerprint unlock, decent cameras, a speaker that's loud and clear, etc. It's also nice that they include a USB-C to audio adapter, a headset, two cases, a pre-applied screen protector, and an additional (better?) screen protector. The phone is plenty fast, features lots of options, and is tough to beat for the asking price. Where they could do better, in my opinion: Eco-system. While the included cases are okay (it's a nice gesture), they're not for those who want something higher quality and more protective. As it is, there's nothing available in the market. Hopefully, this is a "yet." I would like something with a mm or so lip to better protect the screen. And the phone is thin enough that a slightly heavier-duty case than those included wouldn't add significant bulk. It would also be nice if BLU offered a wireless charging pad or pads -- something they tested and know works. I imagine a bundle would sell well.As much as I like the phone, I've had two issues, one of which has been resolved:1) The alarm doesn't sound in the morning when I set it at night (?). If I set it for 5 minutes from now and set the phone down, the alarm will sound at the time I set it for. If I set it for 7 AM before going to bed at 11, it doesn't sound and I get a "Missed alarm" notification. This has happened every day since I purchased the phone. I do not have Do Not Disturb turned on, and I test the alarm volume before going to bed by setting a test alarm for 1 minute in the future (which works). This is annoying.2) When I first opened and started the phone, I saw the Smart Eye Protection option in the Display settings; however, after factory resetting the phone several times (to see if the alarm would start working), the Smart Eye Protection option is no longer listed anywhere. Would really like this feature, and I'm not sure what the hell happened....Maybe my previous review pissed it off. :)I've sent an email to BLU support about the continued alarm issue and hope they'll be able to help.