- Analysis by KJ David
A revamped version of BLU's low-end Grand M2, which came out in 2017, the BLU Grand M2 2018 shares most of its ancestor's entry-level DNA, still settling for a 3G-only network reach 
, despite 4G-LTE connectivity being the golden standard among Android phones as of this technical Phonerated review -- explore the newest 4G-ready smartphones here.
Just like the original Grand M2, this edition's cons include low-caliber hardware components, particularly, an old-fashioned 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek 6580 processor coupled with a paltry 1GB-only RAM . It also sticks to a mundane Mali-400 graphics engine , which was the go-to GPU for tons of other low-end smartphones available when it hit the market.
One of this 2018 model's biggest pros over the older phone is that it ships with the Android 8.1 Oreo Go Edition operating system 
, which is a stripped-down version of Android 8.1 that's particularly designed for low-end phones with its kind of hardware composition -- get to know other Android Go models here. Its Go Edition ecosystem features watered-down versions of essential Google apps that are meant to eat up less data and phone storage, while conserving battery power. Speaking of power, its assortment of pros and cons feeds off a 2600mAh battery that's somewhat average, at least as far as low-budget Androids go.
Another key difference between the Grand M2 2018 and its 2017 predecessor is that the former dons a 5.2-inch HD (1280 x 720) curved-glass display , whereas the latter is marred an FWVGA-only (854 x 480) interface. Its screen is met by a metal housing with an aluminum battery cover, with dual SIM card slots joining its specs as well.
Related: Best Dual-SIM Android Phones
When it comes to imaging, this 2018 follow-up model upgrades its direct predecessor's 5-megapixel-only camera to an 8-megapixel one, which is accompanied by a standard LED flash and a Full HD (1080p) maximum video-recording resolution. As for selfies, it comes with a basic 5-megapixel front-facing camera that's spruced up by a dedicated frontal LED flash -- some of its low-end rivals either do not come with front-firing flashes or settle for makeshift screen flash functions.
So, with the kind of pros and cons that it offers, the Grand M2 2018 sounds like a viable choice for practically-minded shoppers eying a low-budget Android phone.
On-paper Review rating: 
The BLU Grand M2 2018 can record high-resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) movies. Bravo! But we couldn't determine whether it had an HDMI port or not. Granted, HDMI (which lets you connect to your HDTV), is not an absolute necessity, but it seems like a desirable feature on an HD phone.
- Also check out: The latest HDMI phone models
Not too long ago, this smartphone's processing specs would have appeared nice, but compared to recent smartphones, this 1.3GHz MediaTek 6580 processor with only 1GB of RAM looks a little pale.
It's frustrating that we were not able to find information about its weight.
- Also check out: Photo gallery of the latest slim phones
Not only does it have a 1.3GHz processor clock speed, but it also has 4 cores.
- See also: List of the fastest Android smartphones
The screen is big, making it a phablet: 5.2 inches and a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels means about 11.55 square inches and an image sharpness of at least 282 dots per inch (DPI)!
- Related link: View other large smartphones and phablets
The Grand M2 2018 is not sold with a memory card but it can accept up to 64GB in memory expansion, which is convenient to store pictures and video clips taken with the built-in 8-megapixel camera.
Above-average camera resolution - of 8-megapixel
The selfie camera resolution seems just about average.
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