The landscape of rugged smartphones, after an initial period of difficulty, is now particularly appreciated by a certainly smaller niche of users, but still consistent.
For those who still do not know it, these are particularly resistant smartphones, with certification against dust, water and falls, and which can also be used in more extreme conditions or scenarios.
The F150 smartphone is the latest born from a partnership with Oukitel, even if it does not carry the latter manufacturer's brand. From the certainly contained technical characteristics, however, it has several arrows to its bow, including the price: in fact it costs only 100 euros, maximum 120 euros.
F150 presents itself as a traditional rugged smartphone. Apparently it is certainly not minimal like a common smartphone, and indeed it offers rough lines, with angular corners, but it immediately returns that feeling of robustness that is expected from a smartphone of this kind. .
The corners are in any case in rubber, just to cushion falls, while the edges are well welded to the skeleton of the terminal due to some screws in plain sight, an aesthetic element typical of rugged phones .
Clean front, where there is only the 5.86-inch display, surrounded by rather evident frames, which in any case can be justified for the type of terminal.
On the other hand, there are many buttons that adorn the sides of the device: on the right side, in addition to the volume rocker, also the power key and the recess for fingerprints, while on the left side the micro SD slot with two micro Sim compartments (obviously well set inside the frame and covered by a rubber and plastic tab), as well as a quick function key which we will talk about soon.
On the lower part, USB-C input and 3.5 mm headphone jack , always set inside the body and covered by a rigid plastic tab.
Even more aggressive on the rear, where there is a set of four cameras and each sensor is aligned horizontally, in an octagonal shape, all topped by an LED, which of course will also act as a flashlight.
Aesthetically, in short, it is a rugged in all respects, and does not fear comparisons with some more expensive exponents of the same type.
Data sheet
What, probably, immediately catches the eye is a rather modest technical data sheet. In all. It could not be so given that in any case we are talking about a rugged device that tries to contain costs, and which has a price list of just over 100 euros, which will likely be almost always available at a street price of less than 100 euros.
CPU MediaTek Helio G25 , which on paper returns a very modest benchmark, of 148 points in single core, and 779 in multi core. The processor, useless to turn around, does what it can, and we must not expect too much from this terminal in terms of performance and speed. There is some lag, from time to time, in the transition from one application to another, even if the universe of standard Android apps works without problems.
The terminal will allow you to easily manage emails, chats, messaging services, social networks, and small casual games. In short, the bare essentials. Streaming apps like YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, and more work too. While exploring outdoors, it will still allow you to enjoy everything you need for a standard Android experience.
After all, those who buy such a terminal do so for its waterproof rating, which in this case is IP68 and IP69K . The display, as already mentioned, is 5.86 inches, with HD + resolution. That's not bad, although don't expect one of the best panels ever enjoyed on a similar device.
The brightness is not the best, but outdoors it still manages to return sufficient readability. The colors are represented well, the blacks turn slightly to gray, while on the whites there are some slight shadows on the edges, which obviously disappear in normal use.
The data sheet also states the presence of WIFI (2.4G / 5G). Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C and surprisingly one 8000mAh battery. To tell the truth, all third-party diagnostic apps recognize 4000, but we have no doubts in believing the official data sheet, both for the weight of the terminal, of 318 grams , and for the infinite duration: we managed to stress the device for over 2 days , even reaching the third day with a more moderate use .
As for the audio, the mono speaker placed on the back is totally lacking in bass, but all in all for an outdoor trip it will ensure a high volume, and sufficient quality to enjoy good music.
Cameras
Another sore point, unfortunately. The rear camera offers 13MP sensors with AF + 2MP + 2MP + a VGA sensor, while the front camera is 8MP. Unfortunately, nothing can be expected from the room department that goes beyond sufficiency.
Just in optimal light conditions it will be possible to take home some good shots, while as soon as darkness falls, or the sun begins to hide even slightly, there is little to do, with noisy images, without details.
It is clear, even in this case the price plays a fundamental component in the quality of the rooms: in a smartphone for just over 100 euros, it is impossible to expect more, especially if a large part of the budget is used for rugged construction and waterproofing certifications.
As for connectivity, the terminal is equipped with acceleration sensors, G-Sensor, P-sensor, L-sensor, gyroscope, E-compass, Fingerprint sensor, NFC. Speaking of the fingerprint sensor, we had to register the fingerprint several times, because after a few days of use the recognition accuracy seems to drastically drop. Ultimately, we have chosen to refer to the classic PIN for faster unlocking.
Operating system
Basically a stock Android 10, disguised as some proprietary theme, but nothing more. Also present is an F150 Mode, that is a mode that can be activated by pressing and holding the side key for 5 seconds.
Not that it does much, other than changing icons and presenting larger widgets for clock, compass and ambient noise level.
We liked, however, the possibility of customizing the left side button: on the one hand because it will be possible to choose to start a quick function among those dedicated to exploration, such as compass, torch and others; on the other hand, because with a double tap you can choose to quickly start a specific app.
Again, what we really liked is the presence of an emergency mode . By pressing the button 5 consecutive times (perhaps a little too much for a real emergency), the terminal triggers an audible alarm, turns on the flashing torch, and calls an emergency number selected by us.
Conclusions
Who is this smartphone for, and why buy it with such a mediocre technical data sheet? Well, the F150 still makes sense. In fact, it offers a rugged phone in all respects at a very competitive price .
It is well built, and has its greatest strength in autonomy. If you need a terminal to take on a trip, perhaps during an excursion, and you don't want to run the risk of running out of power, this device is for you. It won't be fast and responsive, but it's a low-cost endurance champion. Physical and battery resistance.
You can buy at this address at a price starting from about 100 euros and you can buy it by clicking on the following links:
