With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G we see smartphones commencing at an astronomical $one,399 price tag. Even though there is a good deal of innovation in these significant priced phones, they are also glass sandwiches and susceptible to problems if dropped. If you shell out time outdoor or in the area and want a telephone that can just take a beating then you must significantly take into account the new Unihertz Atom L/XL that can be obtained for as minimal as $209.
A few of many years back I examined the small Unihertz Atom and it was a great telephone to just take fly fishing, climbing, and managing. Nevertheless, it was so modest that it was rough to get a lot operate accomplished on it. The new Atom L/XL is a bigger variation of the Atom with improved inner specifications and a sizing that will make it a lot more usable for area operate.
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Specs
- Processor: MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core 2. GHz
- Exhibit: four. inch 1136×640 pixels resolution TFT Liquid crystal display, Gorilla Glass
- Working procedure: Android ten
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 128GB inner storage with microSD guidance
- Cameras: 48-megapixel rear camera and eight-megapixel entrance-going through camera
- Wi-fi know-how: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth four.2, NFC, GPS/BEIDOU/GLONASS, FM radio, infrared
- Toughness scores: IP68 dust and h2o resistant and MIL-STD-810G shock resistance/li>
- Sensors: Fingerprint (entrance-mounted), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, ambient gentle, barometer, and compass
- Battery: four,300mAh battery
- Dimensions: 134.five x 65 x 17.5mm and 224.five grams
1 component that is crucial for your thing to consider are the bands that are supported by this unlocked telephone. It is a twin-SIM telephone as well so you can have your operate and private SIM at the similar time. Unihertz delivered the adhering to facts on wireless bands:
- GSM: Band 2/3/five/eight
- WCDMA: Band one/2/four/five/eight/19
- TDSCDMA: Band 34/39
- FDD/TDD-LTE: Bands B1/2/3/four/five/6/7/eight/12/thirteen/17/18/19/20/twenty five/26/28A/B28B/34/38/39/40/41/66
- CDMA2000: BC0/BC1
The Unihertz Atom XL also supports Digital Cellular Radio (DMR) so you can use the telephone, with the provided antenna, as a walkie-talkie when there is no cellular connectivity readily available. This is a great element for individuals doing work or playing outdoor.
The Unihertz Atom L/XL Kickstarter Early Hen price tag is $239 with yet another pricing level of $259. The complete retail price tag, with a prepared supply of June 2020, will be $329. You can also choose up the Atom L, similar telephone with out the DMR guidance, for $209 with a prepared MSRP of $279. A number of device pricing alternatives are also readily available.
Hardware
The Unihertz Atom L and XL are the specific similar telephone with the exception of the DMR functionality. There is a $fifty high quality for this further functionality and so far I have been unable to check out this capacity, despite the fact that it appears to be awesome for campers, hikers, and other outside adventurists.
The telephone isn’t really unveiled however, the Kickstarter venture has blown earlier its aim and will be funded, with a marketing campaign that finishes on 26 March and envisioned supply of June 2020. Offered that the telephone is designed in China, there may possibly be some delays thanks to the coronavirus outbreak. It arrived in a basic white box with the DMR antenna and charging cable/adapter.
When I 1st eliminated it from the packaging, I instantly thought of the Unihertz Atom considering the fact that it has lots of of the similar design elements (red and black coloration, entrance oblong fingerprint sensor, rugged shell) and just appears to be like a bigger design. It really is basically hanging to place equally up coming to every single other and see how drastically bigger the Atom XL is when compared to the Atom.
Beginning at the entrance, we have the 4-inch Liquid crystal display display screen. The major and bottom bezels are large when the facet bezels only a several mm extensive. The show is a lot more than sufficient ample to get operate accomplished and I hardly ever felt cramped when reading through electronic mail, checking out paperwork, using photographs, and a lot more so it provides a excellent harmony of show sizing and capability to nevertheless be pocketable. The show is flawlessly high-quality, but is not going to gain any awards for brilliance.
The headset speaker and entrance going through camera are higher than the show. Down below the viewable display screen we come across the oblong fingerprint sensor that also functions as a dwelling button when you contact it. There is a process switcher capacitive button to the proper and a back again button to the left of the fingerprint sensor. These are haptic buttons with respectable vibration feed-back.
A conventional 3.5mm headset jack is uncovered on the bottom with an uncovered open up USB-C port for charging and USB OTG. A red button is on the left facet and it at present will take a screenshot with one particular press and turns on the flashlight with a press and keep. I have however to come across a utility to customise this button. Higher than this button on the left facet is the twin SIM/microSD card slot.
Along the major we have the IR port and a go over for the DMR antenna relationship level. There is application provided on the telephone so you can manipulate remote controls for different digital merchandise. Ability and volume buttons are on the proper facet. The sides are covered in metallic with yet another metallic strip together the centre of the back again.
Every corner has ridges and red highlighted places that seem to provide further corner security. There is a lanyard loop on the bottom of the back again when most of the back again has a textured rubber finish for further grip. The 48-megapixel camera is uncovered centered at the major of the back again with a flash under the camera. There is a loud mono speaker opening on the decrease left of the back again.
The cameras executed high-quality with timelapse, online video, picture, and handbook modes readily available. There is no portrait manner guidance and the photographs will not have lots of superior innovative elements, but they get the position accomplished for area operate. There are a few of samples of photographs in Seattle in my picture gallery.
Also: Unihertz Titan 1st impressions: Big, rugged, extended-lasting, QWERTY Android telephone
Software program
The Atom XL launches with Android ten out of the box and the check device I have came with the January five, 2020 security update. I fired up the two 12 months aged modest Atom and uncovered it has Android eight.one with the April five, 2018 application update so it won’t seem you can rely on a lot application guidance after launch.
The telephone runs a inventory variation of Android with a dwelling webpage working experience like the Iphone wherever you can only place application shortcuts in folders, but all seem throughout different dwelling pages. There is no way I could come across to swap to an application launcher interface. The Google Explore webpage is readily available when you swipe all the way from left to proper to the 1st panel.
In addition to the Google essentials these as calculator, calendar, camera, Chrome, Gmail, Maps, Messages, and a lot more, you get a several apps from Unihertz. These include things like a file supervisor, FM radio, DMR application, IR remote command application, music participant, audio recorder, and Toolbox.
The Toolbox is particularly valuable and flawlessly complements the exercise and outside experience aim of the Atom XL. The equipment in the Toolbox include things like a audio meter, compass, flashlight, bubble level, picture hanger software, coronary heart price monitor, top measuring utility, magnifier, strain sensor, speedometer, underwater camera, alarm, plumb bob, and protractor. It really is neat to see the camera utilised with some of these equipment to offer an augmented reality working experience that provides you with a machine for correct measurements.
The dwelling display screen supports typical application widgets as well so you can customise your Android working experience.
Each day use encounters
The Unihertz Atom XL is readily available to buy now on Kickstarter with some early special prices nevertheless readily available. There is not a lot that competes down in this $300 assortment and when you take into account this telephone is crafted to stand up to so a lot I will not know why all people would not choose one particular up to have a good backup telephone to just take with you exterior.
It really is a excellent telephone for using fishing, climbing, or camping and I can also see it mounted on a bicycle as a excellent bicycle laptop. It did extremely very well with T-Cellular on my everyday route with phone calls sounding great on equally finishes.
The left facet button actions bothered me a bit as I saved double urgent it and capturing errant screenshots when a press and keep released the flashlight at least 2 times as a lot as I desired. The fingerprint sensor worked very well to unlock the telephone and just take me dwelling so that is a awesome element.
The Atom XL drastically boosts the utility of this Unihertz design as the Atom was just as well modest to be extremely successful. There was no dilemma for me to conduct enterprise on the Atom XL with relieve.
The battery also did extremely very well, lasting me for a lot more than two days with standard use and hrs of display screen time. I was extremely impressed with the battery performance and could truthfully use this as my everyday driver when also not obtaining to stress about dropping it off my bicycle or when on the coach.
Unihertz has had a several profitable Kickstarter strategies with these rugged phones and this one particular is off to a great start out with practically $500,000 pledged when I submitted this posting. There are nevertheless 20 days to go so I extremely advocate you take into account this as a good backup telephone or a main one particular to use on your outside adventures.