An introduction to the basic specifications of the Ulefone Armor 12 5G
With outdoor smartphones, small Chinese manufacturers have found their niche in which they can sell smartphones without competition from the large manufacturers. Hotwav recently landed a surprise hit with the Cyber 7 (for testing). But while Hotwav is still new to the market, there are also some long-established manufacturers in this niche. Ulefone, for example, has been around for a number of years. In particular, with the Armor series, some of the most expensive and best outdoor phones have been brought onto the market. With the Ulefone Armor 10 5G, the first 5G outdoor phone was developed at the time, with the Armor 11 and the Armor 11 5G two expensive "outdoor flagships" with night vision and thermal imaging cameras. The Ulefone Armor 12 5G is now a little cheaper again, but comes without a special camera and with a MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor. The devices just mentioned all had the slightly faster Dimensity 800 installed.
design and finish
As befits an outdoor phone, the Ulefone Armor 12 is quite powerful. In numbers, that means 176 x 82.5 x 14.3 millimeters and a weight of 296 grams. That's a lot, but slightly below the weight of our leading smartphones from the outdoor leaderboard. One point that could be due to this is the battery. It is rather small for an outdoor smartphone with 5180mAh.
Of course, the Ulefone Armor 12 5G also has decent protection against the dangers of everyday life with a board. In particular, this is an IP certification according to IP68 and IP69K. There is also a MIL-STD-810G certificate. To be honest, that says very little. The IP certifications are more interesting there. The former stands for protection against immersion for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 meters. The second stands for protection against high pressure radiation at high temperatures. In our test, the Ulefone Armor 12 easily lasted half an hour under water.
The Ulefone is also well protected against falls. In any case, a few falls from waist height could not harm him. This is ensured by slightly softer plastic bumpers on the corners of the device and a raised lip around the front of the smartphone. The manufacturer does not specify whether the display glass is a special protective glass. However, light machining with a key could not harm it. It should also be noted at this point that Ulefone states that the Armor 12 is equipped with an antibacterial coating. This would eliminate 99.9% of bacteria within 24 hours. Unfortunately we can't verify it, but it sounds cool!
As we know it from actually all other outdoor phones, the Ulefone Armor 12 is not entirely inconspicuous. Orange elements on the top and bottom are still clearly visible from a distance, along with the thick protective elements in the corners. It's all well made, although we're a bit worried about the orange plastic elements in terms of scratch resistance. The sides of the outdoor smartphone are adorned with metal-look strips, which conceal the volume rocker and the power button on the right. On the left is a SIM card slot that can be removed without tools. A custom button is positioned underneath. This is the only button with a special texture. The fingerprint sensor is also in the power button. The response times are okay, the recognition rate is only okay at around 8/10.
On the underside of the Armor 12 is a USB-C port, next to it is a small eyelet for attaching a wrist strap. This is included in the scope of delivery. Otherwise, the power supply and a USB-C to jack adapter are also included. When you first pick it up, the Ulefone Armor 12 is really powerful. After a few days you get used to it and can handle the device well. The size is a bit annoying only in the trouser pocket. Otherwise, the device feels good in the hand, even if the weight becomes noticeable after a while.