The best rugged Android phone I’ve tested also has thermal-vision superpowers

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Blackview BL9000 Pro is repeatedly priced at $800, however proper now it is $640 on Amazon with a coupon.
• It is a rugged, feature-rich telephone that is prepared for something you’ll be able to throw at it, and has a really lengthy battery life.
• Its thick, chunky kind issue positively is not for everybody.

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I have been a fan of Blackview smartphones ever since I first laid arms on the BV9000 Pro again in 2018. It is massive, it is chunky, and it is tremendous strong. It is so strong that you would use it as an improvised hammer, and I did simply that on one event (the smartphone thought nothing of it). 

I like that handset, and I proceed to make use of it right now as a after I need a gadget with excessive reliability. So, think about my shock and pleasure when an up to date model landed on my doorstep within the type of the BL9000 Pro.

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The BL9000 Professional is made to be sturdy. It is the right Android smartphone for engineers, mechanics, or technicians who demand a sturdy, robust smartphone that may be dropped, kicked, and take a number of punches. 

View at Amazon

Blackview BL9000 Professional tech specs

• Show: 6.78-inch, 1,080 x 2,460, 20:9 ratio, 396 pixels-per-inch, 120Hz refresh price
• CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 8020
• RAM/ROM: 12GB with 512GB storage
• Entrance digicam: 50-megapixel SK Hynix 5022Q with f2.45 aperture lens
• Rear cameras:
  – 50-megapixel foremost digicam Samsung ISOCELL GN5, f1.88 aperture lens
  – FLIR Lepton 3.5, 160×120 LWIR micro thermal digicam module
  – 13-megapixel 120° Extremely-wide & as much as 2cm ultra-macro Hello-1336 digicam, f2.2 aperture lens
• OS: DokeOS4.0, primarily based on Android 14
• Battery: 8,800mAh, 120W/6A super-fast cost
• Speaker: Twin Harman Kardon Good-PA speaker, Sound by Harman AudioEFX
• Colour: Black and Gold
• Weight: 412g

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To start with, should you want smooth and light-weight smartphones, this is not the telephone for you. The BL9000 Professional is a brick, nevertheless it’s a brick that may survive being dropped from 1.2 meters onto exhausting floor, or submerged in water as much as 1.5 meters deep for half-hour. Whether or not it is freezing at -20°C/-4°F or scorching at 60°C/140°F, the BL9000 Professional will not miss a beat.

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As well as, the display is remarkably immune to scratches and scuffs, and the handset can endure much more abuse than any typical smartphone ought to count on to face.

I’ve no issues about this smartphone’s capability to outlive experiences that I would not. It is constructed to resist excessive situations, making it the right companion on your adventures in any setting you’ll be able to consider.

The efficiency of this handset is spectacular, with its highly effective processor making certain a clean, stutter-free person expertise that exceeded my expectations. The battery life is equally good, lasting a full day below heavy use and stretching to a few days with average utilization. If left alone in a bag or pocket, it could possibly final virtually a month on standby.

Since I do know some individuals love benchmark outcomes, I ran Geekbench 6 on the handset and bought a single-core and multi-core CPU rating of 1,117 and a couple of,859 respectively, and a GPU rating of 4,458 which places its efficiency someplace round that of a Samsung Galaxy S21 or a Google Pixel 7.

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I’ve had issues with some ruggedized smartphones overheating when pushed to their limits, however none but with the BL9000 Professional. That is attributed to using 3D copper pipe liquid cooling expertise and graphite/copper foil to hold the warmth away from the processor and dissipate it into the setting.

When it is time to recharge, the handset helps 120W quick charging, which might take the large 8,800mAh battery from flat to 50% in simply 20 minutes and from flat to full in below an hour. This mix of efficiency and battery effectivity makes it a standout alternative for anybody looking for reliability and energy in a smartphone.

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The show of the BL9000 Professional is each clear and shiny, excelling in numerous lighting situations, from dim environments to direct daylight. Moreover, its audio system are fairly good for a telephone, making it excellent for speakerphone calls, film watching, and music playback.

Outfitted with three visible-light cameras — one on the entrance and two on the rear — the BL9000 Professional delivers passable outcomes. Whereas it could not match the element and vibrancy of pictures taken with an Apple iPhone or Google Pixel, these cameras are greater than satisfactory for social media fanatics, engineers, and mechanics needing to doc repairs or create detailed experiences.

The BL9000 Professional is a superb smartphone, however what really units it aside is its thermal digicam. This characteristic is the crown jewel of the gadget, providing capabilities that transcend the extraordinary. Whether or not you are utilizing it for skilled functions or simply exploring its distinctive performance, the thermal digicam is the standout characteristic that makes the BL9000 Professional a compelling alternative.

The FLIR Lepton 3.5 thermal sensor gives a large 57° discipline of view, a decision of 160 x 120 pixels, and a temperature vary of -10 to 400°C (14 to 752°F). It is excellent for a wide range of functions, from finding your cat hiding in your bed room to figuring out a failing part on a circuit board. I am not exaggerating after I say {that a} thermal digicam is important for diagnostics and repairs, on par with instruments just like the multimeter and soldering iron.

I flip to my thermal cameras so repeatedly and habitually now that I neglect how a lot I depend on them. With the ability to see warmth is a superpower that I discover extremely helpful. The opposite day, I discovered a blockage in a automotive radiator and traced {an electrical} downside to an overheating socket utilizing nothing greater than a thermal digicam.

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Certain, you will get separate thermal cameras for smartphones, however the downside is within the title — they’re separate — and which means they’re simply left behind. Combine it into the smartphone, and also you all the time have it readily available while you want it. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

Whether or not or not the Blackview BL9000 Pro is the telephone for you in the end is dependent upon how dangerous you want a rugged smartphone that may shrug off being dropped on concrete, submerged in water, or left baking on a automotive dashboard. 

Given its options and the standard of the thermal digicam, the value is tough to argue with. Nevertheless, should you search the cutting-edge in smartphones — or in case you are an iPhone person — you may be higher off with a separate thermal camera you can connect to your current gadget.

For those who’ve been contemplating getting a Cat S62 Pro, then the BL9000 Professional could possibly be value a glance. Whereas the thermal cameras on each are the identical, the BL9000 Professional gives a much bigger display, quicker processor, extra RAM, extra storage, and a greater digicam.