BlueFox Aura A1 presented – a 4.7-inch smartphone for $279

BlueFox has released the Aura A1 – one of the few modern Android smartphones that can truly be called compact.

Chassis and design

The main feature of the BlueFox Aura A1 is its size. The body has dimensions of approximately 117 × 54,6 × 12,3 mm, so the smartphone is significantly smaller than most modern models with screen sizes of 6,5-6,9 inches. The device weighs approximately 150 grams.

The back panel is made of matte AG glass. The main camera protrudes very little above the body, which is quite rare today.

Three colors are available – black, white, and pink. The manufacturer also matched the front panel color to the chassis, so the white version has a white bezel around the display instead of the standard black.

Display

Aura A1 received a 4.7-inch Tianma LCD display with 1600 × 720 pixels resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The density is approximately 373 ppi.

The screen supports a refresh rate of 90 Hz, and the maximum claimed brightness reaches 600 nits. The front camera is located in a small hole at the center of the top part of the display.

Despite the diagonal, this is not a smartphone the size of the classic first-generation iPhone SE: the elongated aspect ratio and body thickness allowed for a larger screen and battery.

Performance

The hardware basis is the MediaTek Helio G100. This is a 6nm eight-core entry-level processor with Mali-G57 MC2 graphics. The main limitation of the platform is the lack of 5G support, so Aura A1 operates only on 4G networks.

Two memory configurations are offered:

• 8 GB LPDDR4X + 128 GB UFS 2.2;
• 12 GB LPDDR4X + 256 GB UFS 2.2.

The smartphone has a separate microSD slot supporting memory cards up to 2 TБ. The tray design allows you to install two SIM cards and a memory card simultaneously.

To dissipate heat, an evaporative chamber with an area of 1900 mm² was placed inside. For a device with the Helio G100, such a cooling system reserve looks unusually serious, especially given the compact chassis.

Cameras

A single main camera with a resolution of 64 MP is installed on the back panel. The OmniVision OV64B40 sensor is used. The camera protrudes almost not beyond the rear panel.

The front camera received a Samsung S5K3P3 sensor with a resolution of 16 MP.

There is no ultra-wide camera, telephoto lens, or additional decorative sensors.

Battery

The manufacturer specifies a battery with a capacity of 3500 мА·ч and wired charging at 18 W with support for USB Power Delivery. Wireless charging is not specified.

Other

Aura A1 runs on FoxOS based on Android 16. The interface was adapted for a small screen and one-handed control.

The system received its own analog of the Dynamic Island around the front camera, a mode for simultaneous operation with two applications, and additional call recording capabilities.

Among other smartphone features:

• NFC
• infrared transmitter for controlling home appliances;
• side fingerprint scanner;
• physical programmable button for launching apps and features;
• stereo speakers and X-axis linear vibration motor;
• microSD with a capacity of up to 2 TБ;
• two SIM cards;
• USB Type-C.

The international version is certified for Google Mobile Services, so it should come with Google services and Google Play.

Prices and release date

In China, the BlueFox Aura A1 is available in two versions:

The global version of Aura A1 is already available for $279. International shipping is fixed at $12. The first batch of devices will begin shipping to customers on September 12.