ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Blackview BV8900 Pro, the world’s first rugged smartphone to characteristic UWB, is offered for $220.
- Robust, highly effective, nice battery life, and future-proof.
- 4G solely, chunky.
I have been testing a variety of Android phones these days, however there’s one characteristic that I really feel is sorely missing on these units — UWB support.
UWB, or ultra-wideband, is a low-energy, short-range radio know-how that is been round for a few a long time (it went beneath the title “pulse radio” for some time). UWB makes use of super-fast sign pulses — something as much as a billion a second — despatched throughout a large swathe of the radio spectrum (from 500MHz to a number of gigahertz).
Additionally: I tested Blackview’s new dual-screen phones
This functionality permits UWB to not solely be used for functions, corresponding to pinpointing different UWB units, however the know-how can also be proof against interference points that plague Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Most likely probably the most generally identified software of UWB is AirTags, however that is one thing arrange for iPhone customers. Help for UWB on Android is missing, however it’s getting higher — slowly.
Additionally: UWB: What it is and why you still really need an iPhone to use it
Right here, I take a look at Blackview’s BV8900 Pro, which is the world’s first ruggedized smartphone to characteristic UWB.
Blackview BV8900 Professional tech specs
- OS: Doke OS 3.1, primarily based on Android 13
- Show: 6.5-inch, 1080×2408 FHD+, 405 pixels-per-inch, low-blue-light licensed, Corning Gorilla Glass 7
- RAM: 8GB (+ 8GB digital RAM)
- ROM: 256GB
- Processor: MediaTek Helios P90, octa-core, 2.2GHz
- Rear cameras: 64-megapixel, 8-megapixel, and 2-megapixel
- Entrance digicam: 16-megapixel
- Battery: 10000mAh, with 33W quick charging
- SIM: Twin SIM help
- Biometric: Fingerprint and face recognition
- Water/dustproofing: IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810H
- Finishes: Black, orange, and inexperienced
On the floor, the BV8900 Professional appears to be like like most of the different Blackview handsets I’ve examined and reviewed.
It is a chunky smartphone that is encased in black rubber, with a toughened glass show. The rubber and 10000mAh battery add bulk to the handset, however the tradeoff is that the battery affords round 13 hours of video-watching time, and over a month of standby.
The system is designed to be dropped and abused, and water, dust, mud, mud, or excessive/low temperatures aren’t any match for it. There’s even a lanyard loop constructed into the handset, so you do not lose it within the jungle or over the aspect of a ship when you’re being battered by storms.
This smartphone is a survivor.
Even chilly temperatures aren’t any match for the BV8900 Professional.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The handset additionally options reverse charging, so you should utilize the telephone as an influence financial institution and ship energy to different units.
The Helios P90 chip retains this handset buzzing alongside, and it is highly effective sufficient to maintain every part working easily with out blasting by way of your battery life. I had no issues in any respect with lag or stuttering whereas utilizing this handset, which has 8GB of RAM that is backed up by one other 8GB of digital RAM.
Additionally: My search for the best cheap Android tablet is over
Ruggedized handsets can, by the advantage of being encased in rubber, trigger the processor to overheat and be throttled, however the cooling system — which consists of silicon and graphite heatsinks, and an array of copper cooling pipes — retains the chip cool, even beneath heavy masses.
On high of all that, the BV8900 Professional has UWB help, which given the present state of help for UWB on Android, doesn’t suggest quite a bit proper now. However I count on this case to alter over the approaching months as Google deploys its rival to Apple’s Discover My community, and UWB locater tags for Android, that are much like AirTags, are unleashed.
Additionally: This rugged energy financial institution is without doubt one of the quickest I’ve used – and it is so near good
Nevertheless, to get you going, the BV8900 Professional comes with a UWB monitoring tile that you may connect to your keys, pet canine, or no matter else you need to regulate.
Blackview UWB monitoring tag.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Blackview BV8900 Pro is at the moment accessible for $220, making it fairly a low-cost approach not solely to seize a rugged smartphone with a large battery, but additionally one that’s future-proofed by having UWB constructed into the {hardware}.
It is an ideal handset, and one that’s constructed to final.
