One of the best rugged Android phones I’ve tested is also one of the cheapest

ZDNET’s key takeaways

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

I’ve reviewed numerous funds Android telephones. Most of them fall into one in all three classes:

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

I am all the time stunned at what number of fall underneath the third class, particularly as the worth vary drops underneath $300. One such telephone is the Oukitel WP35 5G. In step with Oukitel’s custom, it is a large, rugged telephone with an enormous battery.

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Oukitel has been cranking out these kind 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, however it’s definitely shut. At half the price of the Doogee, the Oukitel makes for a powerful gadget.

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 fundamental digicam (Sony @IMX682) with a 1/1.73″ sensor, an 8MP night time imaginative and prescient digicam, and a 2MP macro digicam
• 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
• Value: $329 on Amazon or $299 on Oukitel’s site

My expertise

What stunned me essentially the most in regards to the WP35 is its measurement. Despite the fact that the telephone contains an 11,000 mAh battery, it isn’t almost as thick as different telephones with the identical large energy supply. The WP35 is just 14.9 mm thick, whereas comparable telephones (with similarly-sized batteries) may be over 20 mm thick.

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The subsequent factor that caught my consideration was the telephone’s UI. Oukitel has accomplished a gorgeous 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 total are easy and well-integrated, with just about no lag.

The facial unlock is sort of instantaneous, and the fingerprint scanner (situated on the facet of the gadget) does not really feel like an inexpensive afterthought prefer it does on similarly-priced telephones. In actual fact, every little thing in regards to the WP35 is rock stable. 

In fact, the massive draw to this gadget is the battery, and boy does it overachieve. You’ll not discover a telephone from the key gamers (Google, Samsung, Nothing, OnePlus, Apple, and many others.) that may compete with the battery life of those Godzilla-sized telephones. In order for you a tool with a battery that can final and final, that is the one for you (particularly in the event you’re not thinking about 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 shiny sufficient, and there are some somewhat fascinating options you will not discover on different gadgets (such because the underwater mode for the digicam that makes it potential so that you can faucet the display screen and take a photograph whereas submerged in water).

In case you’re in search of a telephone that may take a beating, final days between costs, performs nicely, and will not break the financial institution, the Oukitel WP35 is an excellent choice. 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 want a minimal dwelling display screen, however with this gadget, all apps set up their launchers to the house display screen (à la iOS), which implies it is unattainable to sport a minimal UI.

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Fortuitously, that is simply the default configuration. In case you go to open Residence Settings (long-press the homescreen and faucet the Settings icon), after which faucet Launcher Fashion, you’ll be able to allow the App Drawer. After enabling the App Drawer, you’ll be able to 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 nice. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Oukitel WP35 is an excellent discount that can serve anybody who does not thoughts carrying a telephone of their pocket that assessments the power 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, however it’s as a result of protecting chassis and battery. For the way nicely it is made, it is value each gram.