Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra rugged phone review

Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra: 30-second review

The Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra holds IP68/IP69K and MIL - STD - 810H certifications, which are typical for ultra - tough smartphones. This means it's much more durable than regular consumer smartphones. It can endure being exposed to rain when you're outdoors or survive drops from a height during work. Equipped with a long - lasting high - powered battery, a responsive and bright AMOLED screen, the latest Android 15 operating system, and the ability to connect useful accessories, it's well - suited for those working outdoors or traveling.

In contrast to many rugged smartphones that often lack processing power (apart from being bulky and heavy), the Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra emphasizes premium - level performance. In side - by - side tests with an iPhone 15 Pro, its performance is either on par or better. Although the iPhone 16 Pro has even more processing power, this phone is still quite powerful. It's fast and responsive, and using apps such as Google Docs clearly demonstrates its capabilities.

What makes it stand out are its special features. It can be submerged in water up to 2 meters deep for 30 minutes (I tested it to a shallower depth), and minor drops only cause slight scratches.

One of its unique features is the second AMOLED screen on the back. It can show a traditional watch face, so you can quickly check the time when your phone is face - down, as many people do when working. You can also swipe left or right to view different screens, including notifications. Additionally, similar to some other Armor phones, it has Ulefone’s Smart 2.0 technology, which allows connection to various accessories like endoscopes and microscopes.

It also comes with an infrared camera in addition to high - resolution cameras, making it an excellent choice for those in trade jobs and outdoor workers.

Among all the ultra - tough smartphones I've reviewed, the Armor 28 Ultra is the closest to premium consumer phones in terms of performance and quality. If you're looking for a single phone that can handle all environments and conditions.

Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra: Design

On the bottom of the phone, you have a USB Type-C connector, which needs to be covered with a small rubber bung to ensure that it stays watertight if the phone is submerged underwater. Then, on the right-hand side of the phone, you have another anodised orange button, which is used to activate the camera and function as the shutter button. Above this, you have the power button with fingerprint recognition, and then the volume up and down buttons. Finally, when you look at the top of the phone, there's yet another small rubber bung, which, when pulled out, reveals the standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.

So when it comes to design, it's very much rugged and features pretty much all of the standard functions and features you would expect with this style of phone, but with a few key additions: the U-Smart attachment, the secondary screen on the back, and the additional customisable button on the side.

Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra: Features

he Armor 28 Ultra is a robust and feature - laden rugged smartphone.

Hardware and Performance

· Processor and GPU This device comes with the Dimensity 9300+ paired with the Immortalis - G720 processor. It offers more power than what one would usually expect from a rugged smartphone. The MediaTek MPU 790 AI MPU enhances the performance of these processors further.

· RAM and ROM It is equipped with 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, which proves to be enough for most applications and games. The 1TB UFS 4.0 ROM is extremely fast, faster than that of most smartphones.

· Cooling System To maintain the cool operation of the high - performance CPU, GPU, and MPU, an advanced cooling system has been integrated. This helps in ensuring stable performance throughout.

AI Capabilities

The introduction of the new AI engine, the MPU 790, makes a significant difference. It provides access to processing capabilities for a variety of third - party applications, such as Google Gemini and Meta. Ulefone has also included its own AI software on the phone. This software allows users to make quick image adjustments and access other functions.

Camera System

· Main Cameras There is a 50 - megapixel main camera with a Sony IMX989 1 - inch sensor. This larger sensor offers better performance in low - light conditions compared to ultra - high - resolution sensors. Additionally, there is a 50 - megapixel ultrawide camera and a 64 - megapixel ultra - night vision camera.

· Flash and IR Lenses A built - in flash is available, which can provide useful supplementary light. Four IR lenses are grouped together on the back of the phone. These lenses, used in conjunction with the OmniVision OV64B sensor, enable the Night Elf Ultra 3.0 algorithm to capture night vision images.

· Thermal Camera The phone has a built - in thermal camera that can be accessed via the Thermal View Pro App. It allows users to identify specific areas, measure temperatures, and select and measure sub - sections of the image. This makes it an excellent choice for mechanics and those in trades where a thermal camera on a rugged phone is highly useful.

Connectivity and Functionality

The U - Smart 2.0 technology enables the connection of devices such as endoscopes or microscopes through a dedicated port. This leaves the USB Type - C port available for charging and external power.

Battery

The Armor 28 Ultra is powered by a 10,600 mAh battery. It can keep the phone operational for up to two days. In actual testing, it lasted for a week before needing a recharge. It supports 120W flash charging, which can charge the phone to 40% in just 10 minutes. Moreover, it also supports reverse charging for wireless devices.

Durability

It holds IP68/IP69K and MIL - STD - 810H certifications, which indicate its high - level durability.

Overall, among rugged smartphones, the Armor 28 Ultra stands out as the most powerful and useful in terms of features.

Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra: Performance

When it comes to performance, one of the main features of the Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra has to be just how rugged it is. Like many other tough smartphones on the market, it can withstand more than most, but what I really like about the 28 Ultra is that it sits in the mid-range when it comes to size and weight. This means you can fit it into a trouser or jacket pocket without too much issue.

When it comes to durability, being thrown, dropped, and submerged into a stream seemed to have little effect on the phone in any way at all, aside from getting a little bit muddy and wet. At present, the water temperature is at the point of freezing, so not only is the phone able to withstand water but also extremely cold temperatures. In the test, I left the phone submerged under some rocks in a stream for 30 minutes before returning to see how it was coping, and it was absolutely fine. After a quick dry-off, everything functioned as normal. As ever, because of the capacitive screen, the screen does need a wipe before responsiveness returns, but otherwise, all other functions were absolutely fine.

It is worth noting that, unlike some other rugged smartphones that are fully waterproof with the USB Type-C port exposed to the elements, here the rubber bung does need to be properly inserted, as does the 3.5 mm jack at the top of the device.

So when it came to testing the ruggedness and durability of the smartphone, as I've seen with other Ulefone devices, I was extremely impressed. This phone really withstands far more than your average consumer smartphone.

Phone Usage Performance

The next test normally highlights where smartphones fall down slightly in terms of processing and graphics abilities. However, after running the full list of benchmarking tests, the Armor 28 Ultra actually maxed out on the Sling Shot 3DMark test. When it came to checking out the Geekbench results and all other 3DMark benchmarks, they actually compared almost directly with my iPhone 15 Pro, producing very similar, if not better, results across the board.

In real-world use, checking out Google Docs and updating spreadsheets over a cellular connection using both EE and Vodafone pay-as-you-go SIMS was no issue at all.

Pushing the processing a little further and using Lightroom Mobile, the phone was able to easily handle the graphics processing power required to make and save image enhancements, as well as browse through the library, which was impressive. Pushing the phone even further, I opened up CapCut to edit a quick social media video, and once again, the processing power of this phone really impressed. It was able to handle 4K video editing, apply edits, and share the content without any slowdown or issues.

Finalising the real-world tests, I loaded up a couple of games and was again impressed with just how smooth the gameplay was. Playing Need for Speed No Limits was an enjoyable experience, with the phone more than capable of handling the graphics.

The final performance test for the phone was to check its cellular connectivity. Utilising both a Vodafone and an EE SIM card, I was able to test how robust and strong the connection is. Now, at present, the local Vodafone mast is a little temperamental, which is why this dual SIM card setup works so well. While the Vodafone mast shows a 5G signal, it currently doesn’t supply any data, whereas switching over to the EE SIM provided a 4G signal. While that might be slower, it works. Driving into the city, the phone hit 5G speeds with impressive results, and likewise, stepping into a café and connecting to the local Wi-Fi, the phone was able to achieve exceptional performance.

Second Screen

The dual-screen approach is something quite new to smartphones, and it's actually the first time I’ve seen it on a rugged phone of any type. I have to say that it’s far from a gimmick. First and foremost, a quick double tap of the rear screen quickly activates it, showing the watch interface. Whilst the default theme is a little steampunk, you can easily swap it for one of the more attractive faces, and doing so is really easy—just another double tap brings up the options.

Swiping through the dual-screen options, the first app is the music app. If you've got this connected to your music library, you can very quickly access your music using this small screen. Swiping left brings up the clock, left again brings up the compass, then calendar, and a final swipe brings up the camera option. Now, what’s interesting here is that when you use the camera option, it actually utilises one of the high-quality rear cameras rather than the usual selfie camera, which I really liked.

So while at first that second screen might seem a little gimmicky, in actual use, it really does come in handy.

U-Smart 2.0

The Armor 28 Ultra isn't the first Ulefone device to include the U-Smart 2.0 connector, which enables you to attach endoscopes, microscopes, and other accessories. For anyone working in trade, this is a superb option. If you need to check down a drain, behind a radiator, or into a small hole, rather than using a mirror or other technique, you can use this small endoscope. In use it enables you to twist and manoeuvre it to get a far better view of what’s going on, and again, for mechanics and tradespeople, this addition makes this phone a worthwhile purchase.

The U-Smart accessories are obviously beneficial, but on top of that, you also have the thermal camera and supporting app—another feature of this phone that will really appeal to those in trade.

Cameras

One of the final big features of this phone that I really wanted to check out was the camera, especially considering that one of them is backed by a huge 1-inch sensor. While a 1-inch sensor isn’t unusual in the photography industry, it’s usually only found in premium compact cameras and has only just started appearing in some of the more expensive action cameras. Essentially, while the resolution of the main camera is 50MP, the larger sensor size means that each pixel is bigger, allowing for better low-light performance than higher-resolution models.

Sure enough, in use, I was really impressed with the image quality of this smartphone. While I wouldn’t say it competes with the likes of the iPhone 15 and 16 Pro, it is still a definite step up from other rugged smartphones and even gives many premium smartphones a run for their money when it comes to detail, tone, and quality.

Switching to the 50MP ultrawide camera, you can really see the quality come through. Landscape shots taken with the ultrawide lens look great, and for anyone travelling who needs a really tough phone, the camera quality will not disappoint.

The final camera is, of course, the low-light camera. When coupled with the IR LEDs, the difference in quality between a standard low-light image and one captured with this phone is significant. The camera captures IR rather than standard visible light, and while the images are monochrome rather than colour, the detail and clarity are superb. It is worth noting that there is a slight limitation on distance.

Battery Life

Finishing off with performance, a mention has to go to the battery. This battery is already far larger than what you find in most consumer-focused smartphones. Using the phone daily in the field, there was little to no need to charge it. Over the course of the month-long test, I probably only needed to charge the phone three, maybe four times, compared to my regular phone, which requires daily charging.

Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra: Final verdict

I’ve reviewed a quite a few rugged smartphones over the last year, and many of them have impressed, with each carving out its own niche—whether featuring projectors, camping lights, ultra-high-capacity batteries, or infrared capabilities. While the Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra doesn’t include a projector, it does have pretty much everything else.

What really makes this rugged smartphone stand out is just how fast the processing is and how much it feels like a regular premium smartphone.

Okay, it is a little bulkier and heavier, but few other smartphones can withstand the drops and harsh environments that this phone takes in stride. It is an ideal option for anyone working in trade or looking for a phone to use while travelling.

At present, after extensive testing, this rugged smartphone is by far the best I have seen.