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 obtainable now from Amazon for $329. 
• It gives a powerful 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 plenty of finances Android telephones. Most of them fall into one among three classes:

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

I am all the time shocked at what number of fall below the third class, particularly as the value vary drops below $300. One such cellphone is the Oukitel WP35 5G. In step with Oukitel’s custom, it is a massive, rugged cellphone with an enormous 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 actually shut. And 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: 264GB (expandable to 2TB)
• RAM: 8GB + 16GB digital prolonged
• Cameras: 64MP fundamental digital camera (Sony @IMX682) with a 1/1.73″ sensor, a 8MP evening 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: Navy-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 the Oukitel web site

My expertise

What shocked me essentially the most concerning the WP35 is the dimensions. Regardless that the cellphone contains an 11000 mAh battery, it is not practically as thick as different telephones with the identical large energy supply. The WP35 is simply 14.9 mm thick, the place related 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 achieved a gorgeous 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.

Relating to the cellphone’s biometrics, the facial unlock is sort of instantaneous, and the fingerprint scanner (situated on the facet of the gadget), would not really feel like an affordable afterthought prefer it does on similarly-priced telephones. In actual fact, all the pieces concerning 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 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. In order for you a tool with a battery that may final and final, (and final and final) that is the one for you (particularly in the event you’re not all for 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 brilliant sufficient, and there are some quite attention-grabbing 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).

If you happen to’re searching for a cellphone that may take a beating, final days between costs, performs nicely, and will not break the financial institution, the Oukitel WP35 is a superb possibility. It isn’t with out it is misses although.

First off, like most Oukitel telephones, the UI would not embrace an App Drawer, which bothers me to no finish. I favor a minimal residence display screen, however with this gadget, all apps set up their launchers to the house display screen (ala iOS), which suggests it is unattainable to sport a minimal UI. 

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Fortuitously, that is simply the default configuration. If you happen to go to open Dwelling Settings (long-press the Homescreen and faucet the Settings icon), after which faucet Launcher Fashion, 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 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. In fact, to get round that, join a pair of headphones and it is positive. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Oukitel WP35 is an excellent cut price that may 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, but it surely’s as a result of protecting chassis and battery. And for a way nicely it is made, it is price each gram.