The Cell phone has become a ubiquitous part of modern-day life. No matter what activity you are doing, there is probably some way that your cell phone can help. Want to form a habit? Use your phone to set an alarm to remind you to do it.
Having trouble sleeping? Play some white noise or music.
What to get into shape? Download an app that tracks your steps per day.
Wanna gamble? There are thousands of online slots and apps for that.
The modern cell phone has an incredibly wide range of uses and features that far exceed “just make phone calls”. Alarms, clocks, GPS, messaging, camera, microphone- the cell phone is the holy grail of infomercial products.
That being said, not all phones are alike. iPhones are sleek, light, with some of the highest quality cameras on the market- and are still probably overpriced. Androids come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, ranging from tiny and sleek to bulky and powerful. However, when it comes to the combination of sheer power, size, and affordability, I really love my Doogee S90 Pro.
The Tank of the Cellular World
The is a brick- except it’s made out of titanium, polycarbonate, and rubber. I have never felt the need to buy a protective case for this thing because I genuinely believe it could be run over by an eighteen-wheeler and be fine afterwards. Not that any normal case would fit it since it’s 16.8cm long and 8.7cm wide. It’s both dust and water-resistant (graded IP68) and is designed to handle shocks and rough conditions.
Now, let me be clear. The Doogee s90 pro is a big ol’ phone, by today’s standards. If you’re used to slimmer iPhones, the Doogee will seem bulky and will have a very noticeable weight in your pocket. That being said, I like it precisely for those reasons. I dislike tiny screens where typing feels like trying to push an ant through a pinhole. The heft means that I don’t have to ever worry about dropping it or even misplacing it since it’s weight is so noticeable in my pocket (although I have gotten used to the feeling).
I am sad to report, however, that it does not come with a headphone jack.
Modules
The modules are one of the main gimmicks that made the Doogee s90 pro stand out when I went researching for a strong budget phone. The Doogee s90 pro has built-in magnets in the back that allow you to snap on different modules that add new features to the phone.
The most useful out of all of these is the battery. While the Doogee s90 pro already has a massive battery of 5080 mAh (just about double the iPhone XS’ capacity), the additional battery pack doubles that to over 10,000 mAh of battery (triple the iPhone XS Max’s capacity)! If you use it moderately, you can probably go two weeks between charges.
That being said, the other modules are not nearly as useful. In addition to the battery, there is a Night Vision Camera module and a Walkie-Talkie module. The Night Vision Camera sounds really cool, but it doesn’t live up to its name. It seems to be light amplifying and makes light sources in a dark environment brighter by letting in more light rather than true night vision like you see in movies. What you get is a wide lens at a lower resolution that is not even that great for night shots.
I must admit that I have never used the Walkie-Talkie module. From what I garnered from just investigating, it seems to allow radio communication instead of cellular, I guess. Since someone else would require a radio or a similar getup to receive your calls, you’ll probably know already if a two-way radio is something that you would get any benefit out of.
There is also a game-pad module, but that didn’t come with my bundle, so I don’t really have anything to say about it.
Software
By far my biggest gripe about the phone, bigger than even the gimmicky modules (since I kinda knew they were gonna be gimmicks going in), is the phone’s software.
Doogee has its own custom version of Android, and it’s… fine, I guess. It runs smoothly, but it’s missing a lot of nice features that come built into the default android. I cannot schedule power-on or off, nor could I find a notification history, both of which are default android features. So while the hardware is chock full bells and whistles, the software seems lacking in comparison.
Affordable
In summary, the Doogee s90 pro is a powerful phone with lots of features, especially at its price point. If you order it from the DoogeeMall, the phone is priced at $259.99, but if you get it with the modules it goes up to $319.99 (You can order it with just the battery for the same price).
It is important to note that the bundle from the DoogeeMall does not include the gamepad, despite all the promo that implies that it does.
However, it’s still the most rugged phone I’ve ever hand, and I do not regret my purchase. Its size is suitable for my meaty hands, and it’s durability blows every other phone I’ve seen out of the water. It may take a little getting used to, but you’ll end up with a very reliable, affordable phone by the end of it.