ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Oukitel WP35 is obtainable now from Amazon for $329. 
• It presents a formidable 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 plenty 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 stunned at what number of fall below the third class, particularly as the value vary drops below $300. One such telephone is the Oukitel WP35 5G. Consistent with Oukitel’s custom, this can be a large, rugged telephone with a large battery. 

Oukitel has been cranking out a majority of these gadgets 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, nevertheless it’s definitely shut. And at half the price of the Doogee, the Oukitel makes for a formidable gadget.

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: Army-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 stunned me essentially the most concerning the WP35 is the dimensions. Despite the fact that the telephone consists of an 11000 mAh battery, it isn’t practically as thick as different telephones with the identical huge energy supply. The WP35 is barely 14.9 mm thick, the place comparable telephones (with similarly-sized batteries) may be over 20 mm thick.

The subsequent factor that caught my consideration was its UI. Oukitel has carried out a ravishing 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 easy and well-integrated, with just about no lag.

Concerning the telephone’s biometrics, the facial unlock is sort of instantaneous, and the fingerprint scanner (positioned on the aspect of the gadget), does not really feel like an inexpensive afterthought prefer it does on similarly-priced telephones. In actual fact, the whole lot 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 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. In order for you a tool with a battery that can final and final, (and final and final) that is the one for you (particularly should you’re not fascinated by paying flagship costs).

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

In the event you’re searching for a telephone that may take a beating, final days between fees, 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 does not embrace an App Drawer, which bothers me to no finish. I desire a minimal house display, however with this gadget, all apps set up their launchers to the house display (ala iOS), which implies it is not possible to sport a minimal UI. 

Fortuitously, that is simply the default configuration. In the event you go to open House Settings (long-press the Homescreen and faucet the Settings icon), after which faucet Launcher Type, you may allow the App Drawer. After enabling the App Drawer, you may then configure Android to not set up new apps to the House 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 get pleasure from. In fact, to get round that, join a pair of headphones and it is high-quality. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Oukitel WP35 is an excellent discount that can serve anybody who does not thoughts carrying a telephone of their pocket that checks 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, nevertheless it’s as a result of protecting chassis and battery. And for the way properly it is made, it is price each gram.