Lastly, a rugged Android telephone that does not appear to be a brick (and will not break the financial institution)

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Oukitel WP35 is out there now from Amazon for $329. 
• It gives 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 finances Android telephones. Most of them fall into considered one of three classes:

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

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

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Oukitel has been cranking out a lot of these units for some time now and so far as the market is worried, 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. And at half the price of the Doogee, the Oukitel makes for a powerful machine.

View at Amazon

Oukitel WP35 5G tech specs

• CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ 5G chipset
• Storage: 264GB (expandable to 2TB)
• RAM: 8GB + 16GB digital prolonged
• Cameras: 64MP most important digital camera (Sony @IMX682) with a 1/1.73″ sensor, a 8MP night time imaginative and prescient digital camera, and a 2MP macro digital camera
• Battery: 11000 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
• Worth: $329 on Amazon or $299 on the Oukitel website

My expertise

What shocked me essentially the most in regards to the WP35 is the dimensions. Despite the fact that the telephone contains an 11000 mAh battery, it isn’t almost as thick as different telephones with the identical large energy supply. The WP35 is barely 14.9 mm thick, the place comparable telephones (with similarly-sized batteries) might be over 20 mm thick.

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The subsequent factor that caught my consideration was its UI. Oukitel has finished 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 total are clean and well-integrated, with just about no lag.

Relating to the telephone’s biometrics, the facial unlock is almost instantaneous, and the fingerprint scanner (positioned on the aspect of the machine), would not really feel like an affordable afterthought prefer it does on similarly-priced telephones. In truth, every thing in regards to the WP35 is rock strong. 

After all, the massive draw to this machine is the battery, and boy does it overachieve. You’ll not discover a telephone from the main 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 may final and final, (and final and final) that is the one for you (particularly in case you’re not fascinated by 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 somewhat fascinating options you will not discover on different units (such because the underwater mode for the digital camera that makes it attainable so that you can faucet the display screen and take a photograph, even when underwater).

In case you’re in search of a telephone that may take a beating, final days between fees, performs nicely, and will not break the financial institution, the Oukitel WP35 is an excellent choice. It isn’t with out it is misses although.

First off, like most Oukitel telephones, the UI would not embody an App Drawer, 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 (ala iOS), which implies it is unimaginable 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 Model, 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 Residence Display screen 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 it is fantastic. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Oukitel WP35 is an excellent cut price that may serve anybody who would not thoughts carrying a telephone of their pocket that assessments 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, but it surely’s as a result of protecting chassis and battery. And for the way nicely it is made, it is value each gram.