The $599 Doogee V Max Plus stands out amongst rugged telephones due to its large 22,000mAh battery that lasts exceptionally lengthy per cost. It additionally provides strong efficiency, fast wi-fi connections, respectable cameras, and all of the storage you want for apps and media. Total, the V Max Plus is a positive choose for treacherous worksites or multi-day out of doors excursions in case you can take care of its extreme bulk and underwhelming name high quality, although the $599 Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Professional has the sting on practicality due to its extra pocketable design, clearer cameras, and longer assist phrases. Design: The Unbelievable BulkThe Doogee V Max Plus measures 7.03 by 3.27 by 1.04 inches (HWD) and weighs a hefty 1.18 kilos, making it one of many bulkiest telephones we have examined. It is considerably bigger and heavier than different rugged telephones just like the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Professional (6.65 by 3.15 by 0.39 inches, 8.29 ounces) and the $899.99 Kyocera DuraForce Professional 3 (6.06 by 2.95 by 0.57 inches, 8.36 ounces). Though the cellphone’s tapered sides assist with grip considerably, the general heft and dimensions demand two arms to make use of it successfully. I’ve massive arms and located the cellphone troublesome to navigate with my thumb whereas holding it in the identical hand.
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(Credit score: Iyaz Akhtar)
The correct edge includes a large, easy-to-press quantity rocker and an influence button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor labored reliably in testing. The left aspect includes a customizable button and a SIM/microSD card tray that helps two nano SIMs or one nano SIM and one microSD card; eSIM just isn’t an choice. On the underside, a plastic door protects a USB-C 2.0 port.
(Credit score: Iyaz Akhtar)
Not like the XCover 6 or DuraForce Professional 3, the V Max Plus does not have a detachable again or battery. Clearly, Doogee believes the built-in battery is sufficient. Beneath the triple-camera array on the again, the cellphone has an LED that may glow purple, inexperienced, or blue to point incoming notifications, music playback, or charging standing.
As for sturdiness, the cellphone has an IP68/IP69K ranking and meets the MIL-STD-810H normal, that means it may well deal with excessive environments and harsh remedy. The IP69K ranking, specifically, means the system can deal with intense cleansing with high-pressure jets. A Corning Gorilla Glass Victus panel protects the entrance, and a pre-applied display screen protector provides much more safety. A rubber materials that adorns the highest and backside edges additional cements its toughness. A slot for a lanyard is situated on the highest. For comparability, the Galaxy XCover6 Professional is sort of as rugged due to its IP68 ranking and MIL-STD designation. The DuraForce Professional 3 has the identical two scores, although it comes with the newer Gorilla Glass Victus DX+.Doogee sells the cellphone in Obsidian Black or Pewter Grey (the model I examined).Show: Might Be BrighterThe V Max Plus includes a 20:9, 6.58-inch LCD with a decision of two,408 by 1,080 pixels and an adjustable refresh charge (60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz). The display screen’s shade appears to be like a bit oversaturated, although animations all through the interface are easy. With a peak brightness of 480 nits, the display screen works positive in indoor situations however struggles below direct daylight. For comparability, the Galaxy XCover6 Professional’s 6.6-inch display screen has the identical brightness, whereas the DuraForce Professional 3’s 5.4-inch display screen reaches a barely higher 650 nits.
(Credit score: Iyaz Akhtar)
Thick bezels encompass the show, and the front-facing digital camera dips into the display screen in a V-shaped notch. Contemplating the cellphone’s general measurement, it looks like Doogee may have discovered a means for this to not occur. In any other case, 4 speaker grilles encompass the display screen.Efficiency: It Will get the Job DoneThe V Max Plus pairs a 2.6GHz MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor with a shocking 16GB of RAM. You possibly can broaden its beneficiant 512GB of inner storage with microSD playing cards as much as 2TB. In testing, the cellphone had no bother with every day duties akin to managing e-mail, shopping the net, and taking part in informal video games.
(Credit score: Geekbench/PCMark/GFXBench/PCMag)
On Geekbench 6, a collection of benchmarks that measures uncooked computing energy, the V Max Plus tallied 967 on the single-core check and a pair of,487 on the multi-core one. These figures are respectable for the rugged cellphone class however fall in need of the competitors. The Galaxy XCover6 Professional, which has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor and 6GB of RAM, scored 1,106 and a pair of,834 on the identical check. The DuraForce Professional 3, which mixes a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chip with 6GB of RAM, reached 1,049 and a pair of,821.On the PCMark Work 3.0 benchmark, which simulates common cell duties, the V Max Plus scored 9,872. That is a lot decrease than the XCover6 Professional’s 12,677 however simply forward of the DuraForce Professional 3’s 9,526.Though none of those telephones is supposed for gaming, I nonetheless ran the GFXBench Aztec Ruins check. The V Max Plus managed 16fps, which is a bit of slower than the XCover6’s 18fps. The DuraForce Professional 3 fared the most effective on this bunch at 23fps when examined at related resolutions. Asphalt 9, a considerably resource-intensive recreation, performed effectively with easy animations and no misplaced frames. Regardless of its acceptable gaming efficiency, the dimensions and weight of the V Max Plus make it unappealing to play for lengthy.Battery Life: Nearly 30 HoursAs talked about, the V Max Plus packs a 22,000mAh battery—4 instances the capability of most flagship smartphones. This large cell permits it to run for an excellent 29 hours and 50 minutes in our battery check, during which we stream a 1080p video at full brightness. Doogee claims the V Max Plus can rise up to 64 days of standby, which appears affordable based mostly on my expertise with the cellphone. Unsurprisingly, it far outlasted the Galaxy XCover6 Professional (8 hours and 45 minutes) and the DuraForce Professional 3 (13 hours), each of which have a lot smaller batteries (4,050mAh and 4,700mAh, respectively).It takes roughly 4.5 hours to cost the V Max Plus from 0% to 100%. The cellphone helps 33W wired charging and comes with a charger within the field. A 15-minute cost introduced the system as much as 9%, whereas half-hour yielded a 17% cost. The battery is so large it may well cost different gadgets through USB-C, although wi-fi charging and reverse wi-fi charging will not be supported.Connectivity and Calls: Speedy Wi-Fi, Quiet Audio system The Doogee V Max Plus helps Wi-Fi 6, NFC, and Bluetooth 5.2, together with sub-6GHz 5G with C-band. It lacks assist for high-speed mmWave 5G. On T-Cellular’s 5G community in New York Metropolis, the cellphone reached obtain speeds of 122Mbps and add speeds of 35.1Mbps. For comparability, the Nothing Cellphone (2a) Plus, which has an analogous 5G band configuration, reached 83.6Mbps down and 50.4Mbps up when examined in the identical spot.
(Credit score: Iyaz Akhtar)
On Wi-Fi efficiency checks, the V Max Plus confirmed robust outcomes with obtain speeds of 455Mbps and add speeds of 13.6Mbps at an in depth distance to a Wi-Fi 6 router. In distinction, the Z Fold 5, which helps Wi-Fi 6E, recorded slower speeds of 337Mbps down and 11.7Mbps up. On the fringe of the community, the V Max Plus maintained quick speeds of 391Mbps down and 12.5Mbps up, outperforming the Z Fold 5 once more, which hit 339Mbps down and eight.57Mbps up. I recorded a voicemail to examine the cellphone’s name high quality. In a quiet room, my voice got here throughout a bit of muffled and low, however it was nonetheless comprehensible. I may simply make out background noise, although it was quieter than my voice. Throughout check calls, the speakerphone reached a most of 66.1dB, and the earpiece hit 71.4dB. I discover that volumes at or above 70dB are straightforward to listen to, even with average background noise. A cellphone like that is meant for loud work websites, so voice isolation, background noise rejection, and quantity ought to have been extra of a precedence. Furthermore, some out of doors telephones embrace loud sirens for security; the Doogoo omits that function.After I performed Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” the V Max Plus reached 87.1 dB. That is not very loud, and the upper frequencies of the music aren’t noticeable. Decrease bass notes, like these in The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” are troublesome to make out regardless of the quad-speaker association. As typical, I counsel getting a superb pair of Bluetooth headphones for higher audio.Cameras: Good EnoughThe V Max Plus has three cameras on the again. The 200MP f/1.95 foremost digital camera has an 85-degree area of view and part detection autofocus (PDAF). An 8MP f/2.2 digital camera handles wide-angle and macro situations with its 125-degree area of view. Rounding out the rear digital camera array is a 20MP f/1.8 night time imaginative and prescient digital camera with a 79-degree area of view. A 32MP f/1.8 front-facing digital camera handles selfies.
(Credit score: Iyaz Akhtar)
The 200MP digital camera takes 12.5MP photographs by default, although you may go for full-resolution photos within the settings. No matter decision, colours are a bit muddy, and brilliant areas usually seem hazy. Nonetheless, footage are usually pleasing.
Primary digital camera (Credit score: Iyaz Akhtar)
The 8MP wide-angle digital camera does not produce good outcomes. Colours are muddy, brilliant areas are overexposed, and particulars are blurry. On the plus aspect, the distortion correction is fairly good.
Large-angle digital camera (Credit score: Iyaz Akhtar)
The night time imaginative and prescient digital camera is not any gimmick. Beneath, you may see a picture I took with the flash and one other with the Evening Imaginative and prescient mode lively. Photographs aren’t in shade, however particulars are absolutely current. Understand that the Evening Imaginative and prescient mode just isn’t the identical because the low-light mode. A picture I took in low mild with out the flash was fully underexposed, for example. With Evening Imaginative and prescient mode on, you may successfully use your cellphone as a viewfinder to see at the hours of darkness.
Left to proper: Flash, Evening Imaginative and prescient (Credit score: Iyaz Akhtar)
The front-facing digital camera takes passable selfies at each 8MP and 32MP. Photographs have barely pale colours, however the particulars look good.
Left to proper: 8MP seflie, 32MP selfie (Credit score: Iyaz Akhtar)
The rear cameras’ video seize tops out at 4K30. The picture high quality is comparatively clear, with good colours. Nonetheless, the dearth of optical picture stabilization makes any motion extremely noticeable, and a few objects seem blurry. The front-facing digital camera can seize as much as 1080p30 video. Recordings have washed-out colours and any motion result in numerous shakiness.Software program: A Quick Replace CommitmentThe V Max Plus ships with Android 14, and Doogee guarantees only one main replace inside six months, with additional updates depending on gross sales. For comparability, the Galaxy XCover6 Professional will obtain 4 OS updates and 5 years of safety updates, whereas the DuraForce Professional 3 provides two OS updates and safety patches. Doogee wants to enhance its replace coverage to be extra aggressive.Usually, Doogee’s software program is useful and stays out of the way in which; most Android customers ought to really feel proper at house. The corporate contains a number of customized apps on the V Max Plus. The System Supervisor app incorporates Energy Supervisor for battery settings, Garbage Clear for clearing cache, and App Lock for securing apps behind a PIN. Moreover, the ToolBag app provides sensible issues like a compass and sound meter, which appears becoming for a tool like this.
(Credit score: Iyaz Akhtar)
You possibly can configure the cellphone’s unmarked bodily button through the settings for fast entry to options like taking a screenshot, turning on the flashlight, or sending an SOS. Doogee’s customized ringtones are catchy and add a little bit of enjoyable to the system. By default, the launcher mimics the iPhone’s type, putting apps on house screens slightly than in an app drawer. You possibly can select between House Display and Default launcher kinds to alter this conduct.Verdict: Massive, Powerful, and Lengthy-LastingThe Doogee V Max Plus offers dependable efficiency and in depth battery life in an exceptionally sturdy design, making it an appropriate alternative to be used on development websites or within the nice outside. Its big measurement, disappointing name high quality, and poor stage of software program assist are downsides, although none of which will matter in case you’re extra within the cellphone’s 64 days of standby time and want one thing that will not break whenever you drop it down a ravine. That mentioned, if you need a troublesome cellphone that may truly slot in your pocket, the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Professional is a worthwhile various with higher cameras and an extended assist window for a similar worth.
Cons
Heavy
Cumbersome
Quiet audio system
The Backside Line
The Doogee V Max Plus is an exceptionally rugged Android cellphone with spectacular battery life, however its large measurement makes it a burden to hold.
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About Iyaz Akhtar
Cellular Analyst
I’m one in all PCMag’s cell analysts. Which means I take a look at telephones, hotspots, and cell networks. Know-how has been my ardour and interest since I used to be a baby. I’ve coated tech professionally for over 15 years at retailers together with The Apple Weblog, This Week in Tech, and CNET.
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