Lastly, a rugged Android cellphone 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 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 standard Android expertise.

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

1. Handsome however underpowered.
2. Ugly however performs properly.
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 worth vary drops underneath $300. One such cellphone is the Oukitel WP35 5G. Consistent with Oukitel’s custom, it is a massive, rugged cellphone with an enormous battery. 

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Oukitel has been cranking out most of these units for some time now and so far as the market is anxious, the clear chief by far. The WP35 is not fairly as beefy as, say, the Doogee V Max Plus, however it’s definitely shut. And at half the price of the Doogee, the Oukitel makes for a formidable gadget.

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 principal digicam (Sony @IMX682) with a 1/1.73″ sensor, a 8MP evening imaginative and prescient digicam, and a 2MP macro digicam
• 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: Navy-grade drop resistance and IP68 & IP69K waterproof score
• Biometrics: Fingerprint and face unlock
• OS: Android 14
• Twin Nano SIM assist
• Worth: $329 on Amazon or $299 on the Oukitel web site

My expertise

What shocked me essentially the most concerning the WP35 is the dimensions. Despite the fact that the cellphone contains an 11000 mAh battery, it isn’t practically as thick as different telephones with the identical large energy supply. The WP35 is just 14.9 mm thick, the place comparable telephones (with similarly-sized batteries) may be over 20 mm thick.

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The following factor that caught my consideration was its UI. Oukitel has finished a phenomenal 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 easy and well-integrated, with nearly no lag.

Concerning the cellphone’s biometrics, the facial unlock is sort of instantaneous, and the fingerprint scanner (positioned on the facet of the gadget), would not really feel like an affordable afterthought prefer it does on similarly-priced telephones. In reality, every part concerning the WP35 is rock stable. 

After all, the massive draw to this gadget 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 on.) 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, (and final and final) that is the one for you (particularly for those who’re not taken with paying flagship costs).

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

In the event you’re on the lookout for a cellphone that may take a beating, final days between expenses, performs properly, and will not break the financial institution, the Oukitel WP35 is an excellent possibility. 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 want a minimal dwelling display screen, however with this gadget, all apps set up their launchers to the house display screen (ala iOS), which implies it is not possible to sport a minimal UI. 

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Thankfully, 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 Model, you may allow the App Drawer. After enabling the App Drawer, you may then configure Android to not set up new apps to the Dwelling Display screen 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 take pleasure in. After all, to get round that, join a pair of headphones and it is effective. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Oukitel WP35 is an impressive discount that can serve anybody who would 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, however it’s because of the protecting chassis and battery. And for a way properly it is made, it is value each gram.