Doogee S98 Smartphone First Impressions
When Doogee announced the S98 rugged smartphone in early March, there wasn't too much fanfare surrounding the delightfully intriguing form factor other than a slew of queries regarding its unlikely use of an actual smartwatch embedded in the rear as a secondary screen. Does it do much? Is it necessary? Or is it simply overkill?
I can say that my first impressions of the device were similarly formed. However, the additional screen is, rather surprisingly, really starting to grow on me! Controlling media, checking notifications, and simply checking the time is now more fun than ever, with a dedicated 1.2" screen for customizing, interacting with, and simply enjoying.
What wasn't so excitedly indicated in its initial rumours and news bites, was the sheer heft of it in hand and its genuinely incredible hardware loadout that includes an actual 20MP night vision camera as standard! With the device firmly planted in my hands since it arrived on Tuesday morning, I can honestly say that come rain or shine, I simply can not put it down, especially in the pitch dark!
Giving the phone a once over, visually, it definitely puts me in mind of those 90's JCB or CAT branded phones that were made to be dunked in wet concrete and run over by a tractor; this phone is rock solid and an absolute unit to boot! The screen is a huge, bright and vibrant 6.3" 19:9 FHD+ gorilla glass-coated water-drop screen with full metal chassis keeping it secure, plentiful seals around the main ingress points, and heavy-duty military-grade rubber inflexions to protect the corners, the S98 is made for submersion and scuffs, it's built to be dropped or stomped on, and it is certainly tough enough to survive even the most severe impacts you may encounter in day to day life!
This is very much the rugged phone internally too, with a beefy 6000MaH battery to fuel its 2.05 GHz 8-Core MediaTek helio G9 CPU, paired with Arm Mali-G57 GPU, for up to 432 hrs standby, 20+ hours of calls, or roughly 10 solid hours of gaming or media ingestion, while giving you 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and a plethora of outdoor-come-productivity apps such as Under Water Camera, Gradienter, Height Meter, Compass, Plum bob and laser level-style Painting Hanging apps pre-bundled as standard. It's got 15w wireless charging, 33W (2hr) turbo-charging, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, face ID, expandable storage, dual sim card slots and it is all powered and secured by Android 12.
Amongst the triple rear camera, of which you will find a 64MP main lens, an 8MP wide-angle snapper, and a dedicated 20MP night vision camera with IR illuminator baked into the stylish rear detailing. Originally I assumed that the camera mode would be for low lighting, a 'nightshot' style mode, something minorly tacked on to up the feature count, but on closer inspection, and pummelling my expectations into yesterday: the night vision is legit, professional-grade technology, that is incredibly useful, intuitively injected into the software and thoroughly noteworthy. I have been all around my house, ghost hunting, and trying to find any caveats with the tech, and honestly, so far it holds up remarkably!
Keep your eyes peeled for my full review on how the Doogee S98 handles day to day life and much more very soon!
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