Ulefone unveils the first rugged phone with a Dimensity 9300+, the Armor 28 Ultra

2024-09-03

Ulefone turns 10 this year and to celebrate, it is launching the first rugged phone with the flagship Dimensity 9300+ chipset. Additionally, the company is releasing its first small rugged smartphone, which is even tougher, despite its small stature.

Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra Thermal Variant

With the Dimensity 9300+ and 16GB of RAM, the Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra performs as well as any Android flagship, but it can 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 jets). Additionally, it has been tested for 2m/6.6ft drop resistance. The phone can survive extreme temperatures too and can work between -30°C and 55°C (-22°F to 131°F).

Besides 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 being a Ulefone device, it naturally has a night vision camera too – a 64MP module with an 80° FoV (based on the OV64B1B sensor). And as you can tell by the name, there is a thermal camera too.

Thermal imaging is done with the ThermoVue Pro app and delivers video at 256 x 192px. This is the highest resolution thermal imaging camera from Ulefone yet. It’s great for professionals (e.g. checking for leaks) and adventurers alike (e.g. it’s another way to see in the dark). Additional accessories can be hooked up to the uSmart Expansion Connector (e.g. an endoscope camera).

Moving on to the normal features, the Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra features a 6.67” OLED display, an FHD+ panel with 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2,200 nits. This is Ulefone's first rugged phone with an OLED display, by the way. And that's not all, there is a secondary circular display on the back too, which shows the time and other info when the phone is face down.

The phone has 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM (+ up to 16GB virtual) and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage, which can be expanded via microSD. The card slot can also hold two nanoSIM cards.

As is typical for the brand, this phone has a monster battery, 10,600mAh (41Wh). That’s double what a typical phone has, so fast charging is essential and Ulefone doesn’t disappoint – the phone does 120W over USB-C and 50W wirelessly.

This is a 5G phone with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 support. NFC is on board too, 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 the headphones as it has an integrated antenna.

The CEO of Ulefone 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 limits.”

Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro

This one is small by Ulefone standards and small in general, if you don’t mind the thickness and weight. The Mini measures 133.5 x 63.3 x 24.9mm and weighs 301g.

The Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro is equipped with a 4.7” display (HD+, 20:9) with 90Hz refresh rate. There’s 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 an accompanying app, which can be used to set a 5-30 minute timer for the light, for example.

The Mini is even tougher than the Ultra. It is rated IP68 and IP69K, but this time it has been tested to 20m/66ft underwater. Also, drop testing went up to 10m/33ft. Like its sibling, it can operate in extreme temperatures (-30°C to 55°C/-22°F to 131°F).

Anyway, this model also has a thermal camera. This time it’s driven by the MyFLIR Pro app and delivers 160 x 120px at 25hz (57° FoV). This joins the 50MP main (Samsung GN1) and 32MP selfie cameras (GD1). The 102 white LEDs are arranged around the rear camera, so they make for one powerful flash.

The Armor Mini 20T Pro is powered by the Dimensity 6300 chipset, making this more of an entry-level model. It’s 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 quite large for this size of device with 6,200mAh capacity (24Wh). Charging is pretty zippy at 33W wired and 15W wireless (reverse wireless at 5W is available if you need to top up another gadget).

The Mini is a 5G phone with Wi-Fi 4 (n) and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. NFC and an IR blaster are on board, as is the headset-free FM radio receiver.

Prices & availability

The Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra is coming soon with pre-sales starting in November. The Ulefone Armor Mini 20T Pro will be out sooner as it will be available in October. Both are launching with Android 14 out of the box. Pricing for both phones will be announced at a later date.