Probably the greatest rugged Android telephones I’ve examined can be one of many most cost-effective

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Oukitel WP35 is accessible now from Amazon for $329. 
• It gives a powerful battery life, a case that protects the cellphone from the weather, and efficiency that belies it is sub-$300 price ticket.
• The cellphone is heavy and requires a little bit of tweaking to get a standard Android expertise.

I’ve reviewed a number of finances Android telephones. Most of them fall into one in every of three classes:

1. Handsome however underpowered
2. Ugly however performs properly
3. Good wanting and performs higher than anticipated

I am all the time shocked at what number of fall below the third class, particularly as the value vary drops below $300. One such cellphone is the Oukitel WP35 5G. In step with Oukitel’s custom, this can be a huge, rugged cellphone with a large battery.

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Oukitel has been cranking out these kinds of gadgets for some time now, and so far as the market is worried, it is the clear chief by far. The WP35 is not fairly as beefy as, say, the Doogee V Max Plus, nevertheless it’s definitely shut. At half the price of the Doogee, the Oukitel makes for a powerful system.

View at Amazon

Oukitel WP35 5G tech specs

• CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ 5G chipset
• Storage: 256GB (expandable to 2TB)
• RAM: 8GB + 16GB digital prolonged
• Cameras: a 64MP most important digital camera (Sony @IMX682) with a 1/1.73″ sensor, an 8MP evening imaginative and prescient digital camera, and a 2MP macro digital camera
• Battery: 11,000 mAh for 60 days of standby, 75 hours of calling, 60 hours music, 15 hours video, and 12 hours gaming
• Show: 6.6″ 2.4K at 1080 X 2408 decision with 400 PPI Pixel Density and Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• Sturdiness: Army-grade drop resistance and IP68 & IP69K waterproof score
• Biometrics: Fingerprint and face unlock
• OS: Android 14
• Twin Nano SIM help
• Worth: $329 on Amazon or $299 on Oukitel’s web site

My expertise

What shocked me essentially the most concerning the WP35 is its dimension. Although the cellphone contains an 11,000 mAh battery, it isn’t practically as thick as different telephones with the identical large energy supply. The WP35 is barely 14.9 mm thick, whereas related telephones (with similarly-sized batteries) could be over 20 mm thick.

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The following factor that caught my consideration was the cellphone’s UI. Oukitel has accomplished an attractive job with the aesthetics of the interface, giving it an nearly iPhone-like look. Pull down the notification shade, and you will get a pleasant blurred background with elegant icons and notifications, and the animations general are easy and well-integrated, with nearly no lag.

The facial unlock is sort of instantaneous, and the fingerprint scanner (situated on the aspect of the system) does not really feel like an inexpensive afterthought prefer it does on similarly-priced telephones. In actual fact, all the pieces concerning the WP35 is rock stable. 

In fact, the large draw to this system is the battery, and boy does it overachieve. You’ll not discover a cellphone from the main gamers (Google, Samsung, Nothing, OnePlus, Apple, and so forth.) that may compete with the battery life of those Godzilla-sized telephones. In order for you a tool with a battery that may final and final, that is the one for you (particularly for those who’re not fascinated with paying flagship costs).

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By way of performance, I’ve no complaints. Apps set up and open rapidly, the show is greater than vivid sufficient, and there are some fairly attention-grabbing options you will not discover on different gadgets (such because the underwater mode for the digital camera that makes it doable so that you can faucet the display screen and take a photograph whereas submerged in water).

In the event you’re in search of a cellphone that may take a beating, final days between fees, performs properly, and will not break the financial institution, the Oukitel WP35 is a superb possibility. It is not with out its misses, although.

First off, like most Oukitel telephones, the UI does not embrace an App Drawer by default, which bothers me to no finish. I favor a minimal residence display screen, however with this system, all apps set up their launchers to the house display screen (à la iOS), which suggests it is inconceivable to sport a minimal UI.

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Luckily, that is simply the default configuration. In the event you go to open Dwelling Settings (long-press the homescreen and faucet the Settings icon), after which faucet Launcher Type, you may allow the App Drawer. After enabling the App Drawer, you may then configure Android to not set up new apps to the homescreen, and also you’re good to go.

One other nit to select is the sound. It is surprisingly quiet. Even maxed out, YouTube movies aren’t actually loud sufficient to take pleasure in. In fact, to get round that, join a pair of headphones and you will be simply effective. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Oukitel WP35 is an excellent cut price that may serve anybody who does not thoughts carrying a cellphone of their pocket that checks the energy and integrity of their belt. The WP35 weighs about as a lot as my Pixel 7 Professional and Pixel 8 Professional mixed (455 grams), so sure, it is heavy, nevertheless it’s because of the protecting chassis and battery. For a way properly it is made, it is price each gram.