Blackview BL9000 Pro Review

Blackview put the BL9000 Pro on sale through AliExpress in May 2024 at an introductory $430 for the single 12GB and 512GB configuration, and it never had a carrier or a US launch. The headline is the FLIR Lepton 3.5 module beside the 50MP main camera: 160 x 120 thermal pixels, a range of minus 10 to 400 degrees Celsius, and FLIR's MSX mode that overlays visible edges on the heat map, which is what an electrician or a home inspector wants and the same module the Cat S62 Pro carried at $649 in 2020.

Around it is a sensible mid-range phone: a MediaTek Dimensity 8020, a 6.78-inch FHD+ 120Hz LCD under Gorilla Glass Victus, a 13MP autofocus ultrawide, and an 8800 mAh battery that charges at 120W and can reverse-charge a headset. Battery life is measured in days. The body is certified IP68, IP69K and MIL-STD-810H, and at 412g it weighs about as much as two normal phones; nobody carries this by choice.

Software is the usual Blackview story: DokeOS 4.0 on Android 14 from a company whose phones rarely see a second Android version, so the security patches stop long before the hardware gives out. The thermal camera's resolution is too low for precise work. GSMArena's hands-on called it a bargain for anyone who needs FLIR and unsuitable for anyone who does not, which is the right verdict.