Essentially the most sturdy Android cellphone I’ve examined additionally has a week-long battery life

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Doogee V Max Plus is offered for $499 ($130 off) on Amazon.
• It is an exceptionally rugged cellphone with a powerful case that protects the system from out of doors extremes, with a battery that lasts longer than you may suppose potential.
• The V Max Plus forgoes the standard Android App Drawer, the cameras are merely serviceable, and efficiency is on par with mid-range Android gadgets.

Do you spend time in rougher terrain? Perhaps you are an avid hiker or climber, or possibly your development job requires you to work in off-the-grid areas with no means for charging your gadgets. In that case, you perceive the necessity for a cellphone that may not solely stand as much as the weather but in addition has sufficient battery energy to go the gap.

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You definitely do not need to be caught in a state of affairs the place it is advisable to contact somebody, solely to search out out your battery is simply too low or useless. I have been there. It isn’t enjoyable.

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If that appears like a realistically believable state of affairs, the Doogee V Max Plus could be the cellphone for you. The corporate is thought for producing gadgets that may take a beating and carry on ticking, and the V Max Plus is not any exception.

Let’s state the plain: this cellphone is large and heavy. Put this in your pants pocket, and also you may discover it is heavy sufficient to tug your trousers down. Yeah, it is that heavy. The explanation for that is the ultra-beefy case and the big battery. It is so huge that it’s a little off-putting at first, till you understand simply how lengthy this factor lasts.

Doogee V Max Plus tech specs

• CPU: Dimensity 7050 / Octa-core / 5G
• RAM: 16GB + 20GB Digital
• Storage: 512GB DDR5
• Show: 6.58″ FHD+ 120 Hz IPS with 480 nits, 16.7 million colours, 1500:1 distinction, and Gorilla Glass Victus
• Rear cameras: 200MP + 20MP + 8MP
• Entrance digicam: Sony 32MP
• Battery: 22,000 mAh with 33W charging
• OS: Android 14
• Value: $499 on Amazon

My expertise

Each time I maintain a Doogee cellphone, I am unable to assist however snigger at how large and heavy it’s. Whenever you’re accustomed to carrying round a Pixel 8 Professional, the dimensions and weight distinction is appreciable. On the similar time, I perceive why these telephones are designed as such.

Additionally: One of the vital sturdy Android telephones I’ve examined can also be one of many most cost-effective

If it weren’t apparent by now, it ought to be clear that the Doogee V Max Plus is not geared toward your conventional consumer. These telephones are extra at dwelling in rugged terrain, the place dropping a daily cellphone would nearly definitely result in catastrophe. So for anybody who spends a great period of time round rocks, water, mud, and different less-than-idyllic environments, this cellphone is for you. 

You’ll be able to drop it, and it will snigger at you. You’ll be able to sandblast a wall, and it will carry on keepin’ on. It is powerful, and it means enterprise.  

Essentially the most spectacular function of the V Max Plus is the battery. We’re speaking hours right here that few telephones can match:

• 1,540 standby hours
• 156 calling hours
• 142 music enjoying hours
• 45 video-watching hours
• 18 net shopping hours

After preliminary setup, I made a decision to shelve the cellphone and see what occurs when it is simply left on. After every week, the battery had barely budged. Perceive, throughout that point, I did not use the cellphone and I hadn’t put in any third-party apps that may run within the background. Even so, that is critically spectacular. If I attempted that with my Pixel 8 Professional, I might be fortunate to get two or three days out of it. That is what occurs once you set up a 22,000 mAh battery in a cellphone: it lasts seemingly perpetually. 

So far as the efficiency of the cellphone goes (the battery apart), it is definitely not going to outdo Google’s or Samsung’s flagship gadgets, however it holds its personal within the midrange house. Animations have been clean, apps opened rapidly, and navigation had little or no lag. I’ll say that the fingerprint scanner is not fairly as much as par — it is on the facility button and a bit gradual to acknowledge fingerprints. The face unlock will also be a bit hit-and-miss; generally it was sooner to only kind in my PIN.

If I needed to knock the cellphone for one thing, it will be the truth that its Android UI would not include the App Drawer. Due to that, each app you put in will add a launcher on the house display. For many who favor a minimal interface, you will have to put in a third-party dwelling display launcher (resembling my favourite, Nova Launcher).

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For photograph hounds, the cameras are serviceable. With sufficient gentle, you may take some good photographs. When the lighting will get a bit dim, be sure you have a really regular hand, in any other case your entire photographs will end up blurry. Talking of blur, the primary digicam does a reasonably good job with background blur, so in case you like taking extra creative photographs, you may.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Doogee V Max Plus is focused at a particular viewers: those that want a cellphone that may take a beating and barely run out of battery. If that sounds such as you, this cellphone won’t disappoint. It is a strong entry within the midrange house, and its sturdiness and battery life make it stand out. In the event you favor your telephones to be extra petite, it’s best to draw back from this beast.