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

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Oukitel WP35 is out there now from Amazon for $329. 
• It affords a formidable 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 conventional Android expertise.

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

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

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

Oukitel has been cranking out a majority of these units for some time now, and so far as the market is anxious, it is the clear chief by far. The WP35 is not fairly as beefy as, say, the Doogee V Max Plus, but it surely’s actually shut. At half the price of the Doogee, the Oukitel makes for a formidable machine.

Oukitel WP35 5G tech specs

• CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ 5G chipset
• Storage: 256GB (expandable to 2TB)
• RAM: 8GB + 16GB digital prolonged
• Cameras: a 64MP primary digicam (Sony @IMX682) with a 1/1.73″ sensor, an 8MP evening 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 ranking
• Biometrics: Fingerprint and face unlock
• OS: Android 14
• Twin Nano SIM assist
• Value: $329 on Amazon or $299 on Oukitel’s website

My expertise

What stunned me essentially the most concerning the WP35 is its measurement. Though the cellphone consists of 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) might be over 20 mm thick.

The subsequent factor that caught my consideration was the cellphone’s UI. Oukitel has executed a lovely job with the aesthetics of the interface, giving it an virtually 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 clean and well-integrated, with nearly no lag.

The facial unlock is sort of instantaneous, and the fingerprint scanner (situated on the aspect of the machine) does not really feel like an affordable afterthought prefer it does on similarly-priced telephones. Actually, every little thing concerning the WP35 is rock strong. 

In fact, the large draw to this machine is the battery, and boy does it overachieve. You’ll not discover a cellphone from the foremost gamers (Google, Samsung, Nothing, OnePlus, Apple, and many others.) that may compete with the battery life of those Godzilla-sized telephones. If you’d like a tool with a battery that may final and final, that is the one for you (particularly if you happen to’re not fascinated by paying flagship costs).

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

When you’re on the lookout for a cellphone that may take a beating, final days between prices, performs nicely, and will not break the financial institution, the Oukitel WP35 is a superb choice. It isn’t 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 house display screen, however with this machine, all apps set up their launchers to the house display screen (à la iOS), which implies it is unattainable to sport a minimal UI.

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

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

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 exams 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, but it surely’s because of the protecting chassis and battery. For a way nicely it is made, it is value each gram.