Unihertz Atom XL hands-on: Four-inch display, 48MP camera, and DMR support for less than $330

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With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G we see smartphones commencing at an astronomical $1,399 rate. Though there is loads of innovation in these high priced telephones, they are also glass sandwiches and inclined to hurt if dropped. If you spend time outside or in the field and want a mobile phone that can get a beating then you should really significantly think about the new Unihertz Atom L/XL that can be acquired for as lower as $209.

A pair of years in the past I tested the tiny Unihertz Atom and it was a wonderful mobile phone to get fly fishing, climbing, and running. Even so, it was so little that it was tough to get a lot do the job carried out on it. The new Atom L/XL is a bigger variation of the Atom with improved inner specs and a measurement that tends to make it extra usable for field do the job.

Also: Unihertz Atom arms-on: Rugged tiny 4G smartphone keeps you related in the field for less than $300

Specifications

  • Processor: MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core two. GHz
  • Display screen: 4. inch 1136×640 pixels resolution TFT Lcd, Gorilla Glass
  • Operating system: Android 10
  • RAM: 6GB
  • Storage: 128GB inner storage with microSD assist
  • Cameras: 48-megapixel rear digicam and eight-megapixel front-dealing with digicam
  • Wi-fi technological know-how: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.two, NFC, GPS/BEIDOU/GLONASS, FM radio, infrared
  • Longevity scores: IP68 dust and drinking water resistant and MIL-STD-810G shock resistance/li>
  • Sensors: Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, ambient light-weight, barometer, and compass
  • Battery: 4,300mAh battery
  • Proportions: 134.five x sixty five x 17.5mm and 224.five grams

A person component that is essential for your consideration are the bands that are supported by this unlocked mobile phone. It is a twin-SIM mobile phone far too so you can have your do the job and personal SIM at the exact same time. Unihertz provided the adhering to info on wi-fi bands:

  • GSM: Band two/three/five/eight
  • WCDMA: Band 1/two/4/five/eight/19
  • TDSCDMA: Band 34/39
  • FDD/TDD-LTE: Bands B1/two/three/4/five/six/seven/eight/12/thirteen/17/18/19/20/25/26/28A/B28B/34/38/39/forty/forty one/sixty six
  • CDMA2000: BC0/BC1

The Unihertz Atom XL also supports Digital Cell Radio (DMR) so you can use the mobile phone, with the integrated antenna, as a walkie-talkie when there is no mobile connectivity obtainable. This is a wonderful characteristic for those people performing or taking part in outside.

The Unihertz Atom L/XL Kickstarter Early Chicken rate is $239 with a different pricing degree of $259. The total retail rate, with a prepared shipping of June 2020, will be $329. You can also pick up the Atom L, exact same mobile phone with out the DMR assist, for $209 with a prepared MSRP of $279. A number of unit pricing choices are also obtainable.

Hardware

The Unihertz Atom L and XL are the precise exact same mobile phone with the exception of the DMR features. There is a $fifty premium for this supplemental features and so far I have been not able to test out this ability, although it seems to be awesome for campers, hikers, and other outdoor adventurists.

The mobile phone just isn’t launched yet, the Kickstarter project has blown earlier its purpose and will be funded, with a marketing campaign that finishes on 26 March and envisioned shipping of June 2020. Offered that the mobile phone is designed in China, there may well be some delays because of to the coronavirus outbreak. It arrived in a plain white box with the DMR antenna and charging cable/adapter.

When I initial eliminated it from the packaging, I right away considered of the Unihertz Atom given that it has quite a few of the exact same design and style factors (purple and black shade, front oblong fingerprint sensor, rugged shell) and just seems to be like a bigger model. It really is truly placing to place the two subsequent to every single other and see how noticeably bigger the Atom XL is when when compared to the Atom.

Starting off at the front, we have the four-inch Lcd screen. The top rated and bottom bezels are massive whilst the side bezels only a number of mm wide. The display screen is extra than sufficient plenty of to get do the job carried out and I by no means felt cramped when looking at electronic mail, checking out documents, having shots, and extra so it offers a superior harmony of display screen measurement and potential to however be pocketable. The display screen is flawlessly wonderful, but is not likely to acquire any awards for brilliance.

The headset speaker and front dealing with digicam are higher than the display screen. Beneath the viewable screen we locate the oblong fingerprint sensor that also functions as a house button when you contact it. There is a task switcher capacitive button to the correct and a back again button to the left of the fingerprint sensor. These are haptic buttons with first rate vibration opinions.

A typical three.5mm headset jack is observed on the bottom with an uncovered open up USB-C port for charging and USB OTG. A purple button is on the left side and it currently takes a screenshot with one particular push and turns on the flashlight with a push and maintain. I have yet to locate a utility to personalize this button. Previously mentioned this button on the left side is the twin SIM/microSD card slot.

Together the top rated we have the IR port and a address for the DMR antenna link issue. There is software program integrated on the mobile phone so you can manipulate remote controls for many digital products and solutions. Electricity and quantity buttons are on the correct side. The sides are protected in metal with a different metallic strip along the centre of the back again.

Each corner has ridges and purple highlighted locations that show up to supply supplemental corner defense. There is a lanyard loop on the bottom of the back again whilst most of the back again has a textured rubber end for supplemental grip. The 48-megapixel digicam is observed centered at the top rated of the back again with a flash below the digicam. There is a loud mono speaker opening on the lessen left of the back again.

The cameras carried out wonderful with timelapse, online video, picture, and manual modes obtainable. There is no portrait manner assist and the shots do not have quite a few state-of-the-art resourceful factors, but they get the work carried out for field do the job. There are a pair of samples of photographs in Seattle in my impression gallery.

Also: Unihertz Titan initial impressions: Major, rugged, extended-long lasting, QWERTY Android mobile phone

Software package

The Atom XL launches with Android 10 out of the box and the test unit I have came with the January five, 2020 security update. I fired up the two calendar year old little Atom and observed it has Android eight.1 with the April five, 2018 software program update so it would not show up you can rely on a lot software program assist after launch.

The mobile phone runs a inventory variation of Android with a house website page expertise like the Iphone where you can only place application shortcuts in folders, but all show up across many house webpages. There is no way I could locate to change to an application launcher interface. The Google Learn website page is obtainable when you swipe all the way from left to correct to the initial panel.

In addition to the Google essentials these kinds of as calculator, calendar, digicam, Chrome, Gmail, Maps, Messages, and extra, you get a number of applications from Unihertz. These include things like a file manager, FM radio, DMR software, IR remote manage application, audio player, audio recorder, and Toolbox.

The Toolbox is extremely useful and flawlessly complements the fitness and outdoor adventure concentrate of the Atom XL. The instruments in the Toolbox include things like a audio meter, compass, flashlight, bubble degree, image hanger instrument, coronary heart amount check, top measuring utility, magnifier, stress sensor, speedometer, underwater digicam, alarm, plumb bob, and protractor. It really is cool to see the digicam applied with some of these instruments to give an augmented reality expertise that offers you with a product for exact measurements.

The house screen supports prevalent application widgets far too so you can personalize your Android expertise.

Daily usage ordeals

The Unihertz Atom XL is obtainable to buy now on Kickstarter with some early unique charges however obtainable. There is not a lot that competes down in this $300 range and when you think about this mobile phone is constructed to withstand so a lot I do not know why anyone wouldn’t pick one particular up to have a solid backup mobile phone to get with you outside.

It really is a great mobile phone for having fishing, climbing, or tenting and I can also see it mounted on a bike as a great bike computer. It did very very well with T-Cell on my daily route with calls sounding wonderful on the two finishes.

The left side button steps bothered me a bit as I held double urgent it and capturing errant screenshots whilst a push and maintain introduced the flashlight at least twice as a lot as I required. The fingerprint sensor labored very well to unlock the mobile phone and get me house so that is a pleasant characteristic.

The Atom XL noticeably improves the utility of this Unihertz design and style as the Atom was just far too little to be very productive. There was no trouble for me to carry out business on the Atom XL with simplicity.

The battery also did very very well, long lasting me for extra than two days with standard usage and several hours of screen time. I was very amazed with the battery functionality and could truthfully use this as my daily driver whilst also not owning to get worried about dropping it off my bike or whilst on the prepare.

Unihertz has experienced a number of thriving Kickstarter strategies with these rugged telephones and this one particular is off to a wonderful start out with approximately $five hundred,000 pledged when I submitted this posting. There are however 20 days to go so I highly suggest you think about this as a solid backup mobile phone or a major one particular to use on your outdoor adventures.