These $300 Rugged Android Phones Are Nothing Like This Good Value

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I’ve been reviewing Oukitel phones for a while and am rarely disappointed. Sure, they’re as heavy as bricks and don’t perform as well as a flagship device like my Pixel 9 Pro, but these phones are a viable option… especially if you work in harsh environments or tend to prefer the great outdoors, where rivers flow, rocks fall, and darkness reigns.

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When Oukitel manages to merge a rugged phone with better-than-expected performance, this device could be considered a winner.

Does the WP58 ProDoes the performance impress me enough to reach that rare category where robustness meets performance? Keep reading.

My experience

As with all Oukitel phones I’ve reviewed, I know what to expect as soon as the cover is removed from the box. The phone will be heavy. Now, the WP58 Pro isn’t as heavy as other Oukitel phones, but it’s definitely heavier than anything you’re currently carrying around.

I turned on the device, went through the onboarding process, and then started using the phone.

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The first thing that struck me was the finesse of the animations. I’m used to budget phones having considerable lag on animations and opening apps, but the WP58 Pro didn’t suffer from the weight of low system resources. The phone runs Android 15, which helps with the speed (the performance improvement from Android 14 to 15 was marked).

I was surprised to find that the phone I was given only had 8GB of RAM. The last phone I used with 8GB of RAM performed exactly as expected…slow. Somehow, Oukitel managed to get a bit more speed compared to the mid-range specs.

Of course, there is always the built-in RAM expansion, which uses the storage space as additional RAM. With this feature, you can double the amount of effective RAM on the system. Is it worth losing 8 GB of storage space? I enabled the RAM expansion feature to see if I noticed a difference. My immediate impression was that this actually seemed to slow down the phone a bit. All of a sudden, the animations were a little delayed. However, the RAM expansion helped me when I had multiple apps open.

I then disabled RAM expansion to see if I figured out the slowdown. To my surprise, the WP58 Pro seemed to work slightly better with the extension enabled (especially with multiple apps open).

To really test the device, I installed Diablo Immortal. The game had to download a large file, which took much longer than expected. This could be attributed to Blizzard’s server, my ISP, or even the phone itself.

When downloading the necessary file, the game played various cut scenes that were (mostly) smooth. What really impressed me was the sound. The WP58 Pro is strong. I had to turn it down to a quarter volume because it became uncomfortable.

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Playing Diablo Immortal on the WP58 Pro wasn’t bad at all. I experienced some lag, but it wasn’t so bad that the game wasn’t playable. Again, this phone was not designed for gaming (at least not to the level expected for such games).

Bright, crazy light

Another thing I’ve gotten used to with Oukitel phones is the gadgets they often include, such as detachable smartwatches, remote controls, small secondary displays, and camping lights.

If you have never experienced the Oukitel camping light, I warn you now: do not turn it on with the light facing you because it is crazy bright. Ambient light produces 900 lumens, while white light produces 1,000 lumens. To use the light, you need to open the Camping Light app and select the type of light you want to use. You can choose from SOS, Super, Full, Half, Quarter, as well as three different colors (white, set, warm).

Weight and battery

The WP58 Pro isn’t as bulky as some of the other phones Oukitel produces, but it’s certainly heavier than anything you’re currently carrying around. The WP58 Pro weighs 370 grams, compared to 199 grams for the Pixel 9 Pro.

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The reason for this weight is the protective case and the massive battery. The WP58 Pro has a 10,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging and 10W reverse charging. For reference, my Pixel 9 Pro has a 5,060mAh battery, which I can make last a day and a half (if I’m careful).

The WP58 Pro battery barely budged from its 79% charge when it arrived. After 24 hours of testing, the phone’s battery level dropped to just 65%. This is impressive and something my Pixel 9 Pro could only dream of achieving.

ZDNET’s purchasing advice

It’s nice to see an Oukitel phone that takes performance as seriously as ruggedness. Although the WP58 Pro isn’t the most powerful phone on the market, if you need something that can withstand the elements and perform better than a Pentium 75 running Windows Vista, this might be the one you want.

The WP58 makes no secret of its weight, but when you can get mid-range performance at a low-end price of $290 (and you need something much more durable than a Pixel Fold), it’s a great option.

Specifications

• 6.7-inch screen, smooth 120Hz refresh rate
• 10,000 mAh battery with 33W fast charging and 10W reverse charging
• Up to 24 GB RAM + 512 GB storage.
• Octa-Core processor (UMS9621S) for efficient performance.
• 64MP triple camera system for crystal clear photos
• Double camping lights with independent control
• 5G connectivity for ultra-fast network speed
• Android 15 operating system
• Weight – 370 grams
• Camp lamp: 900 lumens ambient light and 1000 lumens white light