While Ulefone’s series, the ruggedized Armor, is already rather popular in its native China, models like the Ulefone Armor 5 Smartphone are starting to make their debut in the rest of the world too. Its predecessor, the Armor 2, definitely amazed us with its build quality and impressive performance, but with the Armor 5, things get even better. It is basically an IP68-rated tough phone, somehow squeezed into a slim sandwich design.
| Weight | 228 grams |
| Processor | Mediatek Helio P23 MT6763T 8 x 2.3 – 2.5 GHz, Cortex-A53 |
| Memory | 4096 MB |
| Display | 5.85 inch 18.9:9, 1512 x 720 pixel 286 PPI |
| Storage | 64 GB eMMC Flash, 64 GB, 55 GB free |
Armor 5: Design
The first thought that might cross your mind when you see the Armor 5 is the fact that it looks like an iPhone inside a close-fitting case. Well, this is not exactly the case, as the metal bezel holding the Gorilla glass front and acrylic plastic back in place is no other than the actual frame of the phone. This is the first sign of a rugged phone, on top of the rubber bumpers at the four corners and rubber seals covering the three openings. All of the ports can be sealed tightly and therefore become water and dust proof. The phone has only two buttons: the power one and the volume rocker, both made out of metal.
In order to make the Armor 5 visible in the dark too, flashes of colour in the detailing around the ports and the edge of it were added. The back is made out of acrylic, which is heavily resistant to knocks and scratches, and is available in two colors: black and a shimmery blue.
Armor 5: Display
Even though the display is set at 1512 x 720 pixels in a form factor that measures nearly 6-inches, the performance is still pretty good. Everything is clearly displayed and the colors are bright. Because Gorilla Glass 4 is used, the users will not have to worry about scratching the screen by just putting the phone in their pocket. It takes so much more even for the smallest scratch. With a ratio of 19:9, you can watch videos, read, and browse comfortably. All in all, even though this type of screen is not too advanced, it will be hard to find another one to be so resistant.
Armor 5: Performance and Battery
Even though the Armor 5 has a 5,000 mAh capacity battery, it is not really the greatest thing ever. While the company claims that it should last up to 10 hours, people claim that 5 hours and 30 minutes is closer to the truth. These numbers do improve if the power-saving features are on. When speaking about charging, it lasts about 3 hours and 15 minutes, which is 15 minutes longer than the advertised time.
On the other hand, the performance leaves a good impression. The tests showed a performance just below the Samsung Galaxy S7. This means that the phone will generally be able to keep up with whatever tasks users throw its way. Do not get carried away though, as it will not be able to play the highest-intensity games at their very best. Just somewhere in between.
Armor 5: Software
The Armor 5 comes with Android 8.1, which performs freely without a lot of bloatware. Alongside the usual softwares, there are also 5 camera-based ones. They measure how level things in the surrounding environment are within given contexts. Therefore, you have the bubble level, picture hanging level, height meter, magnifier, and a plumb bob.
Camera
Overall, the camera is good, but nothing too impressive. Sometimes, the shutter and focus speed tend to lag, and when the focus is placed on other things aside from the sky, they tend to get washed out. Other than this, it is just enough for nearly any use. Considering the price range, it is definitely acceptable. When it comes to the selfie camera, things are pretty much in the same situation. It suffers from the same low-light graininess seen with other smartphones.
Connectivity and Audio
With the Armor 5 model, Ulefone has decided to keep the 3.5mm headphone jack, and include an AW8736 high-quality audio chipset. We think it is important to mention that there will be no headphones included in the package, but it is most likely that everyone already has a pair at home. The reason why we believe that the chipset is pretty performant, is because even with just a single rear-facing speaker, the sound is remarkably good. Of course, it does not get close to what you might experience with a top-tier handset, but it is still impressive. The bands the phone supports are 2G, 3G and 4G.
In conclusion, the Armor 5 is a phone for the people who need durability, but do not want to splurge, or sacrifice features. Even though it has a few downsides, we do not consider them to be deal breakers. In fact, most of them could be easily fixed with a couple software updates. Therefore, if a rugged phone that you can depend on is what you have been looking for, you can take a look on AliExpress and check out the Armor 5.
