ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Blackview BV8900 Pro, the world’s first rugged smartphone to function UWB, is offered for $216.
- Robust, highly effective, nice battery life, and future-proof.
- 4G solely, chunky.
I have been testing a whole lot of Android phones recently, however there’s one function that I really feel is sorely missing on these gadgets — UWB support.
UWB, or ultra-wideband, is a low-energy, short-range radio know-how that is been round for a few many years (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 purposes, reminiscent of pinpointing different UWB gadgets, however the know-how can be proof against interference points that plague Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
In all probability probably the most generally recognized utility of UWB is AirTags, however that is one thing arrange for iPhone customers. Assist 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 function UWB.
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Blackview BV8900 Pro
A ruggedized smartphone that’s built like a tank, which packs the very latest UWB technology under the hood.
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 lots 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 gives round 13 hours of video-watching time, and over a month of standby.
The system is designed to be dropped and abused, and water, filth, mud, mud, or excessive/low temperatures are not 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.
The handset additionally options reverse charging, so you should utilize the cellphone as an influence financial institution and ship energy to different gadgets.
The Helios P90 chip retains this handset buzzing alongside, and it is highly effective sufficient to maintain every thing operating easily with out blasting by means 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.
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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 hundreds.
On prime of all that, the BV8900 Professional has UWB help, which given the present state of help for UWB on Android, doesn’t suggest rather a lot proper now. However I anticipate 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 just like AirTags, are unleashed.
Additionally: This 200W charging beast can power six devices at once (and it’s smaller than you’d think)
Nonetheless, to get you going, the BV8900 Professional comes with a UWB monitoring tile that you could connect to your keys, pet canine, or no matter else you need to regulate.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Blackview BV8900 Pro is presently obtainable for $216, making it fairly a low-cost method not solely to seize a rugged smartphone with a large battery, but in addition one that’s future-proofed by having UWB constructed into the {hardware}.
It is an ideal handset, and one that’s constructed to final.