My favorite Android phone can do things my iPhone can't, and it just got a massive upgrade - ZDNet

1 year ago 48

I similar each things Apple, particularly my iPhone 14 Pro Max. It's successful my manus astir of my waking hours.

But I inactive usage an Android phone.

Why?

Because it tin bash things my iPhone can't do.

My erstwhile favourite Android telephone was the Ulefone Armor 9. I've been using this a batch implicit the past mates of years. Not lone has it been my go-to handset erstwhile I request thing that tin enactment up with the harshest of environments, but it had chill features similar a thermal camera and the quality to link an endoscope.

I utilized the thermal camera a lot. The endoscope not truthful much, but determination are times erstwhile that's been precise utile too.

Well, the Armor 9 has been upgraded to the caller Power Armor 18T.

It's a beast of a smartphone.

Ulefone Power Armor 18T tech specs

MediaTek Dimensity 900 5G chipset
6.58-inch FHD+ display, 1080 x 2408 solution moving astatine 120Hz display
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
12GB RAM +5GB virtual representation expansion
258GB ROM + 2TB microSD paper expansion
108MP rear camera + 5MP microscope macro
32MP beforehand camera
FLIR Lepton 3.5 Thermal Imaging
9600mAh artillery + 66W superfast charge+ 15W wireless charging + 5W wireless reverse charging
Extension ports for endoscope and supermicroscope
5G support
WiFi 6
GPS (L1+L5 Dual Band) + Glonass + BeiDou + Galileo
IP68 & IP69K & MIL-STD-810G certified
Built-in bundle tools see Compass, Gradienter, Flashlight, Hanging Painting, Height Meter, Magnifier, Alarm bell, Plumb bob, Protractor, Sound Meter, Pedometer, Mirror, Barometer
Face ID and Fingerprint ID biometrics
Android 12

As rugged arsenic it gets

Externally, the Power Armor 18T is simply a highly ruggedized smartphone that's built to instrumentality a terrible battering. It meets a full array of standards, including IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810G, which means that it's blessed to beryllium immersed successful h2o astatine depths down to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, exposed to high-pressure h2o jets and steam cleaning, dropped from 1.2 metre heights, and it resists particulate getting in, shrugs disconnected immoderate acerb spills, and it is blessed to walk clip successful debased unit environments that tin destruct different smartphones.

Also: The 5 champion rugged laptops

It's a pugnacious smartphone. I know, due to the fact that mine's been retired successful the rainfall and ice, got dropped into mud, fell disconnected the tailgate of my truck, and got near extracurricular successful a thunderstorm erstwhile I forgot astir it portion reviewing it.

Performance

At the halfway of the Power Armor 18T is simply a 2.4GHz Arm Cortex-A78 CPU paired with the Mali-G68 GPU. That's capable powerfulness to support the handset moving super-smooth astatine each times. This is paired with 12GB of carnal RAM and the enactment to augment this with 5GB of virtual RAM for erstwhile the going gets tough.

I've recovered that 12GB of RAM to beryllium much than ample and person not seen the request to boost this to the afloat 17GB.

Also: I enactment the Apple Watch Ultra done a Tough Mudder

But the faster processor, large RAM boost and a doubling of the retention capableness are each things I truly admit successful this upgrade.

The powerfulness is supplied by an tremendous 9600mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which is charged via the USB-C larboard oregon wireless charging. The wireless charging is simply a large upgrade for maine due to the fact that it means not having to unfastened that waterproof flap connected the USB-C larboard if I'm extracurricular successful mediocre upwind conditions.

The camera

The 108-megapixel rear camera featuring a immense ISOCELL HM2 1/1.52-inch sensor delivers immoderate truly bully photos, adjacent successful modular resolution. I've played with this camera successful a assortment of conditions and it's good. Not iPhone Pro Max good, but inactive precise bully for a smartphone that's a fraction of the terms of the iPhone Pro Max.

Do you request 108-megapixel photos?

I tin spot immoderate insignificant quality betwixt the modular and high-resolution photos if I truly look closely, but I person to admit that I'm blessed to instrumentality to regular photos unless I request an representation that I mightiness aboriginal request to edit heavy oregon harvest a lot.

The 32-megapixel beforehand camera is besides beauteous good, but I'd not definite if we truly request that galore megapixels successful a beforehand camera arsenic it's hard to spot real-world improvements implicit cameras with a batch little megapixel counts.

Also: The champion rugged tablets

But megapixel counts assistance sell, and arsenic sensors get cheaper, the megapixel counts volition spell up and up.

My favourite features

On the broadside of the Power Armor 18T is simply a larboard for an endoscope. The Ulefone endoscope (sold separately) features a 2-meter cable, and is rated to IP67. This is cleanable for poking into areas wherever you can't get your eyeballs into, and is simply a large instrumentality for engineers. There are a lot of USB-C endoscopes available, but the information that this 1 doesn't instrumentality up the USB-C larboard is handy

The existent prima of the amusement for maine is the FLIR Lepton 3.5 thermal imaging camera. With 160 x 120 solution and a somesthesia scope of -10℃ - 400℃, this is an astonishing diagnostic instrumentality for technicians.

The thermal camera has 4 times the solution of the erstwhile procreation thermal cameras, and that makes for better, crisper, much elaborate thermal images.

The thermal camera is the slayer diagnostic connected this handset

You tin cheque for overheating components, HVAC issues, doors and windows that are leaking your precious HVAC vigor oregon acold into the outdoors, diagnose car issues, and overmuch more.

Yes, you tin get abstracted thermal cameras for smartphones – even iPhone – but thing beats having 1 built into your smartphone acceptable for use.

For me, this is the slayer feature.

Bottom line

At $699, the Ulefone Power Armor 18T is successful nary mode cheap, but aft utilizing its predecessor for 2 years, and past utilizing this 1 for a fewer weeks, I'm assured that this volition beryllium thing that would wage for itself. It's the cleanable smartphone for outdoor workers, engineers, and archetypal responders looking for a rugged smartphone that doesn't compromise erstwhile it comes to power, show and show quality.

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