What configurations have Ulefone Armor 8pro upgraded?
After the Ulefone Armor 8 was not particularly convincing in the test, the Ulefone Armor 8 Pro would like to deliver an improved successor. But it is already noticeable on the data sheet: Not that much has changed compared to the predecessor. Because the Armor 8 Pro also comes with a 5580 mAh battery, the same 16 MP triple camera setup and the same external dimensions. The smartphone is priced at around AED 900 and is therefore not very different from its predecessor. A big change, however, is the new Android version. You are now using Android version 11 and no longer Android 10.
Design and Finish
Like its predecessor, the Armor 8 Pro has dimensions of 166 x 81 x 15 millimeters and weighs 281 grams. As is typical for an outdoor smartphone, it is relatively thick and the higher weight also makes it noticeable in your pocket. Thanks to an IP68 and IP69K certification, the device is also very robust and protected against the ingress of dust and water, as well as against damage from falls.
The rubber lip around the display, which Mathias already criticized in his review of the predecessor, is still there and doesn't protect the display particularly well from breaks or scratches. The rest of the design hasn't changed: The buttons are all in the same place as before, all have a good pressure point and all wobble a bit, as was the case with the predecessor. The buttons for volume control, the power button and a fingerprint sensor are on the right side. The hybrid slot for two nano-SIM or one nano-SIM and a micro-SD card can be found on the left. Below that is a self-assignable AI button. The underside still houses the USB-C connection, while the 3.5mm jack connection for headphones can be found on the top. Both connections are well sealed by a rubber flap and thus also protected against the ingress of dust and water.
On the back is the camera setup, the speaker, which is still poor, and the attachment for the wrist strap. The front features the same display as its predecessor and is punctuated by the same 8 MP waterdrop-notch camera. The processing still seems a bit inferior, here I am used to better from Ulefone.
Scope of delivery of the Ulefone Armor 8 Pro
15 watt power supply and USB-C to USB-A cable
SIM tool
screen protector hand strap
Display
The display is the same 6.1 HD+ display that was used in the predecessor. In addition, 5 touch points are supported and I can't see a big change in the color rendering either. The glove mode, which Mathias praised in his Armor 8 review, also caused problems and also works excellently in the Pro model. With a resolution of 1520 x 720 pixels and 281 pixels per inch, it's a solid display overall, but in 2022 one should expect more, especially from a device that carries the nickname "Pro".
perfomance
The smartphone is powered by a Helio P60 processor in conjunction with a Mali G72MP3 GPU. The processor is now several years old and I honestly cannot understand why this processor was installed in a Pro model, because the smartphone does not set itself apart from its predecessor here either.
The first change compared to the predecessor is finally found in the memory: Here, instead of 4GB of working memory, 6GB is now installed 和 Instead of 64GB of internal memory, now 128GB。 In practice, the 2GB more working memory is not particularly noticeable。 I would have preferred it if Ulefone would have installed a better processor, such as the Helio P70, instead of simply adding 2GB more RAM to the P60。 The processor masters smaller games and light everyday tasks with flying colors, but it comes into its own in many multitasking applications limits and starts to stutter。 Newer and more complex games such as PUBG Mobile or Asphalt 9 can be played, but are not quite as much fun as the processor and graphics card quickly reach their limits here。
System
As mentioned at the beginning, the biggest change of the entire smartphone is waiting for us in the system. Ulefone relies on the current Android 11. Ulefone makes almost no adjustments of its own. An app drawer can be switched on or off as desired and navigation is implemented using on-screen buttons or gesture control. In addition, the special button can be assigned three times (single press, double press, hold). This makes it easy to configure functions and apps for quick access. Overall, I like the system very much, because annoying bloatware has been completely avoided and the system has only been expanded with useful features. However, there will be no update to Android 12, which will be released in late summer/autumn.
Camera
As already mentioned, nothing has changed with the camera. The setup consists of a total of three camera lenses: a 16MP main camera, a 5MP macro lens and a 2MP depth camera. Nothing has changed in the software either, apart from one small thing, so that the camera delivers the same results as its predecessor.
The 16MP main camera continues to take below-average photos with poor color reproduction, blurring and poor exposure, although the HDR does not bring any positive changes either.
The 5MP macro lens still has no autofocus, so it only focuses on one part of the image. The images appear very flat and poor in color. Exposure is very difficult, images are very dark and have a lot of background noise.