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 on the market now from Amazon for $329. 
• It provides 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 a number of price range Android telephones. Most of them fall into one among three classes:

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

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

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Oukitel has been cranking out these kinds of units 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, but it surely’s definitely shut. At half the price of the Doogee, the Oukitel makes for a formidable machine.

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 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 help
• Worth: $329 on Amazon or $299 on Oukitel’s website

My expertise

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

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The subsequent factor that caught my consideration was the cellphone’s UI. Oukitel has accomplished a wonderful 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 general are easy and well-integrated, with nearly no lag.

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

After all, 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 so forth.) that may compete with the battery life of those Godzilla-sized telephones. If you need a tool with a battery that can final and final, that is the one for you (particularly if you happen to’re not taken with paying flagship costs).

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When it comes to performance, I’ve no complaints. Apps set up and open rapidly, the show is greater than brilliant sufficient, and there are some slightly 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).

If you happen to’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 an excellent choice. It isn’t with out its misses, although.

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

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Happily, that is simply the default configuration. If you happen to go to open House Settings (long-press the homescreen and faucet the Settings icon), after which faucet Launcher Fashion, 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. After all, to get round that, join a pair of headphones and you will be simply high-quality. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Oukitel WP35 is an impressive discount that can serve anybody who does not thoughts carrying a cellphone 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, but it surely’s as a result of protecting chassis and battery. For a way nicely it is made, it is value each gram.