ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Ulefone Armor 25T Professional is available from Amazon for $420.
- Full of options that engineers and outside fanatics will get pleasure from, but not as cumbersome as your common ruggedized smartphone.
- Battery life isn’t the perfect, and RAM can get slowed down below heavy workloads.
Whereas I can not see myself changing the iPhone as my each day driver — I am so deep within the Apple ecosystem now that there isn’t any hope for me anymore — that does not imply I haven’t got secondary Android handsets. And my favourite Android smartphones are these geared toward engineers. You recognize, handsets with thermal cameras and night time imaginative and prescient inbuilt.
Just lately I have been utilizing the Ulefone Armor 25T Pro, a 5G, Android 14-powered smartphone, and this has confirmed to be a unbelievable and versatile handset filled with options that iPhone customers can solely dream of having fun with!
Ulefone Armor 25T Professional tech specs
- Octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 6300 6-nanometer SoC (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) and Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU
- 6.78-inch, 1080 x 2460 decision, 120Hz refresh charge show, ~396 pixels-per-inch density, with Corning Gorilla Victus glass
- 12GB reminiscence (6GB RAM + 6GB digital RAM) with 256GB inner storage (expandable as much as 2TB utilizing microSD/TF card)
- 50-megapixel wide-angle rear digital camera, f/1.65 aperture and 1/1.31-inch extremely massive sensor with 1.2um pixel dimension
- 64-megapixel f/1.8 aperture night time imaginative and prescient digital camera with two infrared LEDs illuminators
- ThermoVue thermal imaging sensor, as much as 160 x 120 excessive decision, as much as 25Hz refresh charge, as much as 1000m measuring vary, -20C to 550℃ vary
- 6,500mAh battery (478 hours standby, 48 hours name time, 16 hours video playback)
- 33W quick charging
- Reverse wi-fi charging
- Constructed-in infrared and NFC
- IP68/IP69K, MIL-STD-810H rated for water- and dust-resistance
- 177.4 x 81.4 x 12.5 mm
- 326 grams
There are two elements to the Armor 25T Professional; first, let’s take into account the smartphone facet of issues.
Wanting on the spec sheet for the processor, the show, the battery, and the digital camera, it is honest to categorize this as a mainstream handset, and you’ll really feel the place some compromises have been made. For instance, whereas the processor, GPU, and RAM are sufficient to maintain the handset shifting easily more often than not, there are uncommon events when issues begin to really feel a bit of slowed down. I think that is principally all the way down to the 6GB RAM and 6GB digital RAM configuration, generally not being sufficient.
Pitted head-to-head against the Blackview BL9000 Pro, the Blackview wins each time because of its quicker processor and extra RAM. However that handset prices tons of extra.
Nonetheless, the efficiency of the Armor 25T Professional is sufficient more often than not.
The identical goes for the cameras. They’re filled with megapixels and the output is OK, however not iPhone Professional Max or Galaxy Extremely degree good.
However once more, it is greater than sufficient for many.
Does this cellphone want a 50-megapixel foremost digital camera and a 32-megapixel selfie digital camera? Most likely not, however megapixel counts assist promote, and as sensors get cheaper, the megapixel counts will go up and up.
To construct a handset that does not really feel like a brick within the pocket, Ulefone needed to resolve on what’s essential. At 6,500mAh, this battery is on the small finish with regards to rugged handsets, however once more, it is ok.
Additionally: I’m adding this iPhone thermal camera accessory to my toolkit (especially at this price)
However let’s be sincere: Nobody is shopping for the Armor 25T Professional for the show or processor or battery life. Individuals are shopping for this for the thermal digital camera and night time imaginative and prescient.
This brings us to the second a part of this handset — the superpowers!
The wonderful ThermoVue thermal digital camera is quick, with an excellent refresh and a excessive degree of accuracy.
Thermal cameras have a variety of makes use of, from discovering the place a pet rat is hiding in a bed room to figuring out a failing part on a circuit board. Sure, they are surely that versatile.
I’ve stated it earlier than: A thermal digital camera is a vital software for diagnostics and repairs, on par with a screwdriver, multimeter, or soldering iron.
I used to assume that night time imaginative and prescient was a little bit of a gimmick, however whenever you’re crawling round in a pitch-black loft in search of {an electrical} part, night time imaginative and prescient turns into invaluable.
And utilizing IR night time imaginative and prescient is a complete lot higher on the eyes that blasting a flashlight concerning the place.
Sure, this software additionally has its place within the engineer’s toolbox.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Ulefone is one among my favourite Android smartphone makers. It repeatedly hits it out of the park with its rugged handset vary and manages to construct a tool that is completely suited to the lives of engineers and outside fanatics.
The Ulefone Armor 25T Pro is not any exception, taking mainstream smartphone parts and including helpful options resembling a thermal digital camera and night time imaginative and prescient. These aren’t options for the lots, however if you happen to want them and know find out how to use them correctly, then they are going to be enormously helpful.
And this is likely one of the few armored smartphones to not really feel like a tank within the pocket.