This year Ulefone turns 10 years old and on this occasion the company has launched the first rugged phone with the flagship Dimensity 9300+ chipset. In addition, the company is also launching its first smaller rugged smartphone, which is even more robust despite its small size.
Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra Thermal Variant
With the Dimensity 9300+ and 16GB of RAM, the Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra performs just as well as any Android flagship, but it can also go places they don’t dare – it’s rated IP68 for water resistance (up to 2m/6.6ft for 30 minutes) and IP69K (hot water jet). Additionally, it’s also tested for 2m/6.6ft drop resistance. The phone can also survive extreme temperatures and operate between -30°C and 55°C (-22°F to 131°F).
Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra Thermal Variant
Apart from the chipset, the other standout “normal” feature is the 1-inch sensor in the main camera, the Sony IMX989 (50MP, f/1.9). Daylight photography can also be done with the 50MP ultra-wide camera (Samsung JN1) or the 50MP selfie camera (JN1 again).
This is a Ulefone device, so it naturally has a night vision camera as well – a 64MP module (based on the OV64B1B sensor) with 80° FoV. And as you can guess from the name, it also has a thermal camera.
Thermal imaging is done with the ThermoView Pro app and provides video at 256 x 192px. This is Ulefone’s highest resolution thermal imaging camera to date. It’s great for both professionals (such as checking for leaks) and adventurers (as it’s another way to see in the dark). Additional accessories can be connected with the uSmart expansion connector (such as an endoscope camera).
Talking about the general specifications, the Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra has a 6.67″ OLED display, an FHD+ panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2,200 nits. By the way, this is Ulefone’s first rugged phone with an OLED display. And that’s not all, there is also a secondary circular display at the back, which shows the time and other information when the phone is placed face down.
The phone has 16GB LPDDR4X RAM (+ up to 16GB virtual) and 512GB UFS 3.1 storage, which can be expanded via microSD. The card slot can also accommodate two nano SIM cards.
Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra Thermal Variant is the first rugged phone with Dimensity 9300+
As is common for the brand, this phone has a monster battery, 10,600mAh (41Wh). That’s twice as much as a typical phone, so fast charging is a must and Ulefone doesn’t disappoint – the phone charges at 120W over USB-C and 50W wirelessly.
This is a 5G phone with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 support. NFC is also present, as is an IR blaster. It is equipped with a single speaker, a powerful 1.5W unit, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. The built-in FM radio receiver doesn’t even need headphones as it has an integrated antenna.
Ulefone CEO says: “The Armor 28 Ultra Thermal Variant, a device that stands at the intersection of ruggedness and cutting-edge technology, is our tribute to a decade of pushing boundaries. It is more than a smartphone; it is a steadfast companion for those who push boundaries and explore the frontiers.”
Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro
It’s small by Ulefone standards and small in general too, if you don’t mind the thickness and weight. The Mini measures 133.5 x 63.3 x 24.9mm and weighs 301 grams.
The Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro is equipped with a 4.7” display (HD+, 20:9) with a 90Hz refresh rate. There is no rear display, but instead there are 130 LEDs – 102 white ones (which can be used as a 500 lumen flashlight) and a combination of 14 blue and 14 red ones, which can flash red/blue for emergencies. There is also an app that can be used to set a 5-30 minute timer for the light, for example.
The Mini is even more rugged than the Ultra. It’s rated IP68 and IP69K, but this time it’s been tested underwater up to 20 meters/66 feet. Also, drop testing was done up to 10 meters/33 feet. Like its sibling, it can operate in extreme temperatures (-30°C to 55°C/-22°F to 131°F).
Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro
Anyway, this model also has a thermal camera. This time it is powered by the MyFLIR Pro app and offers 160 x 120px at 25hz (57° FoV). It joins the 50MP main (Samsung GN1) and 32MP selfie cameras (GD1). 102 white LEDs are arranged around the rear camera, so they create a powerful flash.
The Armor Mini 20T Pro is powered by the Dimensity 6300 chipset, making it an entry-level model. It is paired with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM (+ up to 8GB virtual) and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. The expansion slot is a hybrid solution with room for two nanoSIM cards or one SIM and one microSD.
The battery is fairly large for a device of this size, with a capacity of 6,200mAh (24Wh). Charging is fairly fast at 33W wired and 15W wireless (reverse wireless is available at 5W if you need to charge another gadget).
The Mini is a 5G phone with Wi-Fi 4 (n) and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. There’s also NFC and an IR blaster, as well as a headset-free FM radio receiver.
Price and Availability
The Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra is coming soon and its pre-sale will start in November. The Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro will come soon as it will be available in October. Both the phones are launching with Android 14. The price of both the phones will be announced later.