If the Ragavan brand doesn’t ring any bells for you, we wouldn’t blame you. This is the brand new “exploration brand” from rugged phone giant Ulefone, which they launched at last year’s IFA 2025 with their first device, the Xever 7. Today, six months later, we get their second device – the RugOne Xever 8, which is hands-on with us today. We also have a short video about the Xever 8 on TikTok.
Ulefone sees a niche in the smartphone market where youth are looking for a rugged smartphone (hence the name RugOne) with an attractive yet eco-friendly design. Of course, the phone is equipped with a ton of useful features that come in handy for outdoor users and/or people doing construction work or any kind of fieldwork.
The Rugged One Zever 8 still comes with a familiar aesthetic; However, the company offers a slightly different spin on the rugged smartphone category. The Xever 8 feels more premium than your average rugged handset.
Ragavan Zewar 8 details at a glance:
- Body: 168.0×80.0x14.0mm, 320g; Gorilla Glass 3 front panel, metal, rubber and plastic body; IP68/IP69K dust resistant and water resistant (high-pressure water jets; submersion up to 2 meters for 30 minutes), drop resistant up to 2 meters, MIL-STD-810H compliant, dedicated flashlight (230 lumens).
- Display: 6.50″ IPS LCD, 120 Hz, 680 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 405 ppi.
- Chipset: MediaTek Helio G200.
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
- OS/Software: Up to Android 16, 3 major Android upgrades.
- rear camera: wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.7″, 0.8µm, PDAF; night vision: 20 MP, f/1.8, 2 infrared lights.
- Front Camera: 32 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 0.7μm.
- video capture: rear camera: 1440p@30fps, 1080p@30fps; front camera:1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 4800mAh removable battery; 18W wired, 10W reverse wired.
- Connectivity: LTE; é SIM; Wi-Fi 5; BT 5.2; NFC; Wireless FM Radio; infrared port; 3.5 mm jack.
- various: fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Stereo speakers (117 dB).
When it comes to the “boring” side of the specs, the The choice of chipset also means that this is a 4G only device.
The cameras are three in total – a 64MP main unit on the back, a 20MP “night vision” camera and a 32MP selfie shooter on the front. IR sensors assist the night vision camera. That night vision camera is also one of the unique features of the Xever 8 – we’ll show you some camera samples below.
A 4,800 mAh battery powers everything, and it’s replaceable – something we haven’t seen for a while. The Xever 8 takes things a notch further in terms of its battery hot-swappableBecause you can replace the battery with a new battery while the phone is running.
Unboxing the Rugvan Xver 8
The Zevor 8 retail package is a generous package. In addition to the compatible 18W charger and USB-C to USB-C cable, RugOne has also included an additional swappable battery in its own protective case, two back covers, and a pry tool that makes replacing the battery a little easier.
Ragavan Zewar 8 Unboxing
But that’s not all, the box also comes with a tempered glass screen protector, a lanyard, and a 4-in-1 charger that connects to the phone via a pin and can charge the spare battery and the handset simultaneously.
Design and handling
Right off the bat, you can feel that the RugOne Xever 8 isn’t like most rugged phones. It not only feels sturdy in the hand, but also feels somewhat nicer to hold with its more rounded shape than usual.
The iPhone-esque camera island is wrapped in metal with chrome-like accents, while the rubber and plastics used for the rest of the body feel soft, smooth and pleasant to the touch.
Talking about touch, Ragavan also paid special attention to the buttons. All the keys around the frame have some metal accents and different tactile feedback, so once you get used to them, you’ll know which button you’re pressing without even looking.
Ragavan Jeweler 8
Ragavan Jeweler 8
You have a total of four on the right side – two for volume controls, a power button, and an additional shortcut key, to which you can assign different apps or features.
There’s only one button on the left, which launches the flashlight by default, but you can assign different functions. It is connected to a SIM card and a microSD card slot. The phone also supports eSIM.
Ragavan Jeweler 8
As we already mentioned, part of the back panel is detachable. Even though RugOne offers a prying tool to make it easier, you don’t actually need one to change the battery. For example, you might have to turn the latch on the bottom of the cover and pry it out with your fingernail. It comes off easily.
The device comes with two back cover styles to choose from.
Ragavan promises that the The handset also complies with the MIL-STD-810H military-grade standard, ensuring that it can survive harsh conditions and severe drops.
Hardware and Features
The Xever 8 is built with a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The phone also relies on the Helio G200 chipset, which will be good enough for your daily tasks. There are two storage options – 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB. A memory card slot and a 3.5mm audio jack are rare these days, but the Xever 8 has both.
The camera setup is fairly simple, but the Ragavan does offer one camera with night vision. The main 64MP camera with a fairly large 1/1.7″ sensor is joined by a dedicated 20MP f/1.8 shooter for shooting in darkness. It is helped by two infrared light sensors.
Here are some sample photos to see night vision in action. This transforms pitch black environments into recognizable and highly detailed visuals.
low light vs night vision
We also have a bunch of daylight photos taken with the main camera in native 1x crop.
daylight camera samples
Xever 8 helps you see in the dark in more ways than one. It’s got you covered with a powerful built-in flashlight (230 lumens). It has three light modes, one of which can be used for SOS signaling.
When it comes to the battery, the capacity may not be the largest in its class, but the easy replacement and hot swap functionality makes the Xever 8 quite unique. Swappable Battery 2.0 is a feature that allows you to change the battery without turning off the device. You have two minutes to change the battery, which gives you plenty of space, and you can do it in the middle of a call or while browsing, for example.
replaceable battery
Additionally, the charging stand that comes with the phone can charge both the phone and the spare battery at the same time. However, charging power is limited to 18W, which means it’s not very fast.
4-in-1 charging stand
The Xever 8 also has a loud speaker setup. It has dual speakers with large 26mm speaker drivers hidden behind the mesh on the back, right next to the camera sensor. The second 20 mm is at the bottom of the frame. Ragavan advertises 117dB peak output, which is quite impressive.
Speakers aren’t just for convenience and multimedia, they can also be practical. They can be up to 2.6 times louder in SOS mode, increasing your chances of being heard if you’re in crisis.
Xever 8 offers a bunch of useful tools, including an underwater camera mode (which allows you to control the camera using only hardware buttons on the side frame), a compass, a barometer, tools for all kinds of measurements, and a loudness meter. You can also connect to another RagOne phone via Bluetooth and use them as a walkie-talkie.
Android 16 comes pre-installed out of the box, and Ragavan promises 3 years of software updates for the device.
Home Screen • Quick Toggles • Toolbox • Toolbox
Last but not least, the device has a built-in IR blaster so you can control your TV, air conditioner and almost all the electronics at home using the remote control.
wrap up
The RugOne Xever 8 is not your typical rugged phone. Even though it is a lower midrange device, visually it punches above its weight as it feels premium in the hand. It also offers some unique features that may be hard to come by in regular rugged phones like a night vision camera, extra shortcut keys, and a user-replaceable battery.
Talking of battery, the Xever 8 is probably a phone with the most generous retail package we’ve found in quite some time. You get two batteries and a charging stand that can charge the phone and the spare battery simultaneously.
The Xever 8 is available for purchase today, and is $50 off until June 26th. This brings the launch price of the base 8GB/128GB variant down to $379.99. As for the 8GB/256GB configuration, its promotional launch price is $409.99. You can find the Black and Sand Dune colors at all major retailers.