Finally, a rugged Android phone that doesn't feel like a downgrade from my Pixel

Oukitel WP210 ZDNET's key takeaways The Oukitel WP210 is available now on Amazon for $599 This rugged outdoor phone outperforms most devices in its category with powerful hardware with next-level durability. You might find it too heavy for everyday use, but it's ideal for outdoor conditions. $499.99 at Amazon Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. What is an "outdoor" phone? Quite simply: one that can take a beating from mother nature. Unlike traditional phones (such as an iPhone or Pixel), these rugged phones scoff at rain, heat, and other harsh conditions. Neither Apple nor Google devices could stand up to what an outdoor phone eats for breakfast. Also: The best rugged phones of 2024: Expert tested From my experience, Oukitel is the leader in rugged phones, with all kinds of interesting features like campfire lights, detachable smart watches, and other handy additions. The one criticism I would have with some these phones, however, is that they tend to be in line with low to midrange devices, often powered by lesser CPUs and depend on virtual RAM. But that isn't the case, anymore. The company's latest release, the WP210 ups the performance game big time. Let's take a look. My experience Every Oukitel phone I've reviewed has been built like a tank (and weighs about as much). They are thick, heavy, and solid. The WP201 follows that same pattern, but is slightly thinner and a bit lighter. It has the same type of rugged casing and similar buttons, but does add an under-screen fingerprint scanner. The big selling point with the WP210 is its performance. The phone ships with an 8-core MediaTek Dimensity 8200 CPU, clocked at 3.1 GHz and a Cortex-A78 / A55 framework. This CPU is on par with the Snapdragon 7 and 8 series, which means it's quite snappy and responsive. Also: Meet the world's first ruggedized Android smartphone with ultra-wideband After the setup was complete (Google, be careful about insisting on using passkeys for setups), I started swiping around and was immediately impressed. With many midrange phones, I'm used to a bit of lag on animations, app opening, and app switching. The Oukitel WP210 does not suffer from that lag one bit. In fact, this is the first outdoor phone I've seen perform this well. I wouldn't say the WP210 was on par with my Pixel 9 Pro, but it's close, and that's saying something for a phone that sells for $599. One of my biggest nits to pick with Oukitel phones is that they all ship with the App Drawer disabled. I'm an Android user, and this feature is expected. I don't want an iPhone-like home screen that's filled with a confusing bunch of launchers… I want a minimalist space so I can manage my apps how I want them. Fortunately, it's easy to enable the App Drawer by long-pressing the home screen, tapping Home Settings, tapping Launcher Style, and then selecting App Drawer. Once I had that taken care of, the WP210 felt like every Android phone I've ever used (and that's a good thing). Also: I'm a diehard Pixel fan, but I'm not upgrading to the Pixel 10. Here's why The WP210 doesn't include some of the gimmicks found on other Oukitel phones; this is a more standard Android phone, stripped of the bells and whistles (except the weatherproofing). Just to see how well it can perform under load, I installed Diablo Immortal. To my surprise, the game ran really well on the WP210. Although it certainly didn't reach the flawlessness of the RedMagic Astra, the gameplay was smooth, and the sound was fantastic. All other apps ran better than expected for a midrange device, and the camera was actually pretty impressive. The default aspect ratio is a bit square, but that can be changed in the camera. Jack Wallen/ZDNET Another feature that really surprised me was the speed of the fingerprint scanner, which is equal to the Pixel 9 Pro. As soon as you unlock the phone with your fingerprint, it happens instantly. That's impressive for a phone at this price. In fact, everything about the WP210 is impressive when you consider the price. A $599 phone should not perform this well and be ready to withstand the elements. As far as the weight of the phone, this is an Oukitel, so you can bet it's going to weigh considerably more than what you currently have in your pocket. As with all of the company's phones, you'd better be wearing a belt if you plan on carrying this around in your pants. ZDNET's buying advice If you're looking for a rugged phone with respectable performance, the Oukitel WP210 fits that bill. It might feel like a brick, but this phone can stand up to modern devices. As I said earlier, in all of my "outdoor" phone testing, the WP210 sits at the top of the heap, so I can happily recommend this device to anyone looking for a mid-range phone that can take the heat and perform like a champ. Oukitel WP210 tech specs Display - 6.7" FHD+ with a screen-to-Body Ratio of 91% and a resolution of 1080×2412 Pixel Density - 394 PPI Refresh Rate - 120Hz Brightness - 500nit typictal Protection -Corning Gorilla 5 CPU - MTK Dimensity 8200 at 3.1 GHz with 8 cores. GPU Model - Mali-G610 MP6 Operating System - Android 15.0 RAM - 12 GB Storage - 512 GB Front Camera - 32 MP Main Camera - 108 MP Battery - 8800mAh