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Oukitel WP210: 30-second review

Having seen a few rugged phones, they typically fall into one of two categories: either being excessively bulky to achieve extended battery life, or lightweight with less longevity and features.

Curiously, the Oukitel WP210 strikes a sweet spot between these two positions, making it appealing to a few distinct user groups who might be drawn to its blend of ruggedness, performance, and sleek design.

At a weight of 311g and with a relatively slim 13.7mm profile, sized like a standard phone, this is a design that manages to hide its rugged credentials effectively. Yet it still manages to deliver its IP68 / IP69K / MIL-STD-810H ratings, enabling it to handle harsh environments and even submersion.

From an aesthetics angle, this is a rugged phone that isn’t trying to be a Sci-Fi prop or project a military resilience; its carbon-fibre accents, matte polycarbonate shell, and metal frame give it a modern industrial look.

Available in red, black and grey, for a rugged phone, this design is classy while being understated, which is something many business customers will like. It’s styled to appeal to both outdoor adventurers and business professionals - rugged, but not overbuilt.

It features a high-end MediaTek SoC, making apps and the interface slick and responsive. It comes with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, but alas, no Micro SD card expansion beyond that capacity. The 6.7-inch OLED display delivers intense colours and brightness, while the rear camera cluster features the 108MP Samsung S5KHM6, capturing high-quality images and videos.

Having high-end features such as these comes at a cost, but in this design, the asking price from Oukitel is only $399.99 for US customers, which seems like a bargain.

While it might not be the best rugged phone I've tested, it's certainly one of the best value devices in its category.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Oukitel WP210: price and availability

• How much does it cost? $400/£311
• When is it out? Available globally
• Where can you get it? Direct from the maker or via an online retailer

Oukitel sells the WP210 directly, though not in all regions. Currently, US customers can get it directly for $399.99.

However, it isn’t shown on the UK, French or German sites. I'm also seeing it on Amazon.com for $499.99 and Amazon.co.uk for £351.49. Worldwide, it's available via Aliexpress, too.

The obvious competitors for the WP210 are the Ulefone Armour 30 Pro and its bigger brother, the WP300.

The Oukitel WP300 has a higher battery capacity, but less RAM, a less powerful SoC, and a lower-quality camera. And, it costs almost the same price. The selling point of the WP300 is its detachable second screen, which doubles as a watch.

The Ulefone Armor 30 Pro features a heavier design at 509g, offering more battery capacity and 16GB RAM, but it comes with a less powerful SoC and a lower-quality camera. If you need longer running, it's an alternative, but it doesn’t offer the same performance levels as the WP210.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Value score: 4/5

Oukitel WP210: Specs

Item

Spec

CPU:

MediaTek Dimensity 8200 (Octa-core, up to 3.1GHz)

GPU:

Mali-G610 MC6

NPU:

MediaTek NPU 580

RAM:

12GB

Storage:

512GB

Screen:

6.7-inch AMOLED,120Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 5

Resolution:

1080×2412 pixels

SIM:

2x Nano SIM (no TF)

Weight:

311g

Dimensions:

163.6 × 77.85 × 13.7 mm

Rugged Spec:

IP68 IP69K dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min), MIL-STD-810H Certification

Rear cameras:

108MP Samsung S5KHM6 + 2MP GalaxyCore GC02M1 macro + 0.3MP depth

Front camera:

32MP Sony IMX615

Networking:

WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3

OS:

Android 15

Battery:

8800 mAh battery (Max 45W charge wired, 10W reverse)

Colours:

Red, Black, Grey

Oukitel WP210: design

• Solid construction
• No headphone jack
• Lacks TF card expansion

What’s great about this phone design is how relatively normal it feels to use. It’s a classic modern Android phone-sized device, slightly thicker than a standard smartphone.

The metal banding about the outside feels solid and secure, and Oukitel provide it out of the box with a solid plastic bumper already mounted.

From a button perspective, there is nothing to see here. It’s the standard layout, featuring a power and audio rocker on one side and a user-customizable button on the other. In this respect, it’s a design that most people could simply pick up and use, rather than needing to adapt.

One nice feature on a phone this affordable is that the fingerprint reader is embedded under the screen, rather than being located on the power button. This makes the phone much easier to use for left-handed users.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

There are a few oddities which aren’t normal, and one of these is that there is no headphone jack, sadly.

However, there is an IR blaster on the top edge, the usefulness of which is undermined by the fact that no corresponding app is provided for its use. I suspect this should have been in the Oukitel Toolbox, but it might work with third-party tools.

Unusually, the SIM tray is next to the USB-C port on the bottom edge, and not the left side. It can accept two Nano SIMs, but it does not have a MicroSD card slot in the tray.

That’s the single biggest disappointment for those who use extra storage, even if Oukitel did give the phone 512GB of space to cushion that blow.

Overall, the WP210 appears designed not to push anything too radical on the customers, and except for the missing MicroSD functionality, it hits all the key areas that most people are looking for in a rugged phone.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Design score: 4/5

Oukitel WP210: hardware

• MediaTek Dimensity 7050
• 16000 mAh battery

The MediaTek Dimensity 8200 is a powerful mid-range system-on-chip (SoC) designed to deliver impressive performance and efficiency for smartphones. It features an octa-core CPU, combining high-performance Cortex-A78 cores with energy-efficient Cortex-A55 cores, along with a Mali-G610 MP6 GPU for enhanced graphics capabilities.

When compared to other mid-range SoCs, such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, the Dimensity 8200 holds its ground with competitive benchmark scores and efficient power consumption. While the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 may have a slight edge in memory bandwidth and higher clock speeds, the Dimensity 8200 offers a balanced performance that caters to both everyday tasks and demanding applications .

Overall, the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 is a solid choice for those seeking a capable and efficient SoC in the mid-range smartphone market, and I’ve seen it previously in the Oukitel WP200 Pro, which, on specification, bears an uncanny resemblance to the WP210.

The WP210 appears to be an externally redesigned WP200 Pro, which, from an economic perspective, makes perfect sense. But the WP200 Pro cost $200 more when it was launched.

Another common feature of the WP200 Pro is the 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, which is rated at 500 nits and features a 120Hz refresh rate.

This display technology offers vibrant colours, deep blacks, and excellent contrast, enhancing the visual experience for users. Additionally, the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, ensuring durability against scratches and impacts. The high refresh rate provides smooth scrolling and fluid animations, making it ideal for both everyday use and gaming. Overall, the OLED display on the WP210 combines durability with impressive visual quality, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a rugged yet visually appealing smartphone.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The last feature I wish to talk about is the battery, which, by rugged phone standards, is on the modest end of the spectrum. 8800mAh is still about twice what a typical phone has, and as we’ll see later in the benchmarks, it provides decent longevity.

The charging capability is 45W using the included charger of that exact specification, and charging takes about 2.5 hours. It can reverse charge at up to 10W, although in the Oukitel marketing material, it's shown doing this using an addon that then wirelessly charges a tablet. Given that the tablet would undoubtedly have a USB-C port, that would be an idiotic thing to do, as it would further reduce the efficiency of the power transfer.

There isn’t any wireless charging in the phone, even if it looks like the designer made the underside of the phone intentionally flat for that purpose.

To summarise, the SoC is punchy, the screen is lovely, the battery is big enough for the job, and it charges reasonably quickly.

• Hardware score: 4/5

Oukitel WP210: cameras

• 108MP, 2MP and 0.3MP sensors on the rear
• 32MP on the front
• Four cameras in total

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The Oukitel WP210 has four cameras:

Rear camera: 108MP Samsung S5KHM6SX , 2MP GalaxyCore GC02M1 macro, 0.3MP Galaxy Core GC032A
Front camera: 32MP Sony IMX615

This is the identical camera configuration as the WP200 Pro, with the main sensor being the 108MP Samsung S5KHM6SX. This 1/1.67-inch format, 108 MP stacked imager boasts a 0.64 µm pixel pitch, ISOCELL 2.0 technology, and Nonacell Bayer RGB colour filters, according to Samsung.

With a whopping 108 megapixels, this sensor is capable of producing incredibly detailed images or can effectively pixel bin to achieve vibrant colours and HDR contrast. The results, especially in outdoor lighting, can be impressive; however, there are times when the focus system appears to target the wrong object in the shot.

One downside is the absence of optical zoom; instead, the digital zoom transitions can feel quite jarring. The rear camera also lacks wide or telephoto sensors, relying on a somewhat lacklustre 2 MP macro sensor and a 0.3 MP sensor for depth effects. Therefore, the main sensor shoulders the majority of the photographic responsibilities. On a positive note, Oukitel has included a comprehensive camera application that features a full PRO mode for manual controls, alongside options for timelapse, slow-motion, night views, and panoramas.

What I would avoid is a feature that the user-defined button offers, which is to switch into underwater mode. While this phone is rated for full submersion for a limited time period, it's only to a depth of 1.5M, and that could be difficult to control in the ocean or even a pool.

Under the right conditions, images taken are decent, though they might not stand out as extraordinary. But given the price point of this device, the main sensor is a practical choice that is better than some phones that use 50MP sensors.

On the front, the choice of a 32 MP Sony sensor for selfies might seem excessive, especially since it only records at 1080p. It raises questions about the need for such high resolution for 1080p video, but this sensor does manage to capture good-quality images for those who enjoy digital self-portraits.

It's worth noting that this phone lacks Widevine L1 video encryption, offering only L3. This limitation means that when streaming from primary services like Netflix or Disney+, you'll only have access to 480p resolution, even with a fast 5G connection.

In short, the cameras are probably better than one might have anticipated, but they lack the optical focus and stabilisations that premium phones offer these days.

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• Camera score: 4/5

Oukitel WP210: performance

• Decent SoC
• GPU is game-friendly
• Big battery

Phone

Oukitel WP210

Ulefone Armor 30 Pro

SoC

Dimensity 8200

Dimensity 7300X

GPU

Mali-G610 MC6

Mali-G615 MC2

Mem

MediaTek NPU 580

MediaTek NPU 655

NPU

12GB/512GB

16GB/512GB

Weight

311g

509g

Battery

8800

12800

Geekbench

Single

1246

1030

Multi

3968

3269

OpenCL

4310

2509

Vulkan

4736

2502

GFX

Aztec Open Normal

73

36

Aztec Vulkan Norm.

57

42

Car Chase

60

36

Manhattan 3.1

114

61

PCMark

3.0 Score

13970

11282

Battery

22h 44m

26h 38m

Charge in 30 mins

%

26

42

Passmark

Score

16455

14377

CPU

8490

7142

3DMark

Slingshot OGL

Maxed Out

7238

Slingshot Ex. OGL

Maxed Out

5446

Slingshot Ex. Vulkan

Maxed Out

3814

Wildlife

6023

3284

Nomad Lite

625

360

I chose the Ulefone Armor 30 Pro as the phone to compare with the WP210, because it's roughly the same price, has a similar profile and also has plenty of RAM and storage.

However, what the 30 Pro lacks is the Dimensity 8200. It uses the Dimensity 7300X instead, and the difference is striking in terms of performance. In many graphical tests, the WP210 is twice the speed of the Armor 30 Pro, and even in pure computing benchmarks, it has about a 20% edge.

Where the Armor 30 Pro is advantaged is with its battery capacity, which is 45% bigger.

However, the flip side of that win, and its increased longevity, is that it takes twice as long to charge the battery, and the battery life wasn’t 45% longer. When you also consider the weight difference, the WP210 is a much better option unless total running time is your only criterion.

Overall, the WP210 delivers the same excellent user experience as its WP200 Pro brother, with the exception that it has more storage and RAM. But the price difference between them makes the WP210 a better value, as it does in comparison to the Ulefone Armor 30 Pro.

• Performance score: 4/5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Oukitel WP210: Final verdict

There is plenty to like in the WP210, as it manages to magically provide a decent battery life and a punch processor without being the size and weight of a house brick.

Those aspects, along with the OLED screen and 108MP camera, should bring the WP210 plenty of attention, and the mid-range pricing should seal the deal.

I don’t understand why Oukitel left the SD card option from the card slot, or why this is a dramatically more powerful phone than the WP300, but these are mysteries that only the designers at Oukitel could answer.

Overall, for those who want a well-built mid-range rugged phone, you could do substantially worse than the WP210, which surprised this reviewer at numerous points.

It’s also an excellent choice for anyone who fancied the WP200 Pro but didn’t like the price, as it is roughly the same phone with less storage and RAM for a significant cost reduction.

If there is a question mark over this device, it’s the level of support that Oukitel is likely to provide throughout the product's life. My review phone came with Android 15 installed and a June security update, but it’s worth flagging the trade-off between upfront cost and lifecycle reliability. Only time will tell, but Oukitel is not known for timely Android version upgrades or regular security patches, and its customer service is also not a strong point.

These points are equally applicable to the majority of Chinese rugged phone makers; however, it's worth noting that two to three years is the typical life cycle of these products, and beyond that point, they are often no longer supported.

Should I buy a Oukitel WP210?Oukitel WP210 Score Card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Affordable for a phone with these specs

4/5

Design

Not much heavier than an ordinary phone, but rugged and well-featured

4/5

Hardware

Gorgeous OLED screen, 512GB of storage, but no TF expansion

4/5

Camera

Excellent main sensor, slightly undermined by a lack of anti-shake on video capture

4/5

Performance

GGreat performance and decent battery life

4/5

Overall

A practical and effective design that many will love

4/5

Buy it if...

You need an outdoor phone
The WP210 is a robust design that can withstand being dropped 1.5M and exposure to water. This makes it ideal for outdoor occupations, adventure vacations and those who are inherently clumsy.

You carry lots of data or apps
With 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, this phone is ideal for those who like to carry data and install numerous apps. However, there is no TF card expansion beyond that capacity.

Don't buy it if...

You want more than 512GB storage
Without a TF card (Micro SD card) expansion, you can’t expand the internal capacity of this phone beyond its default 512GB. You could connect an external SSD, if it takes less than the 10W of power output of the USB-C port, but that’s less than an ideal option.

You want WiFi 7
The MediaTek Dimensity 8200 used in the WP210 supports 5G comms and WiFi 6, but it doesn’t connect using multiple bands over WiFi 7. That would require the Dimensity 9200, a chip that isn’t in this phone.

Also Consider

Ulefone Armor Mini 20 Pro
Another practical, rugged design with an inbuilt camping light, night vision camera and about 25% more battery capacity than the A56. It’s also dramatically cheaper, but conversely, the cameras aren’t as good, and the SoC isn’t as powerful. For those needing a cheap, tough phone, the Ulefone Armor Mini 20 Pro might be a good choice.

Read our full Ulefone Armor Mini 20 Pro review

Oukitel WP300
Another dial display phone, but with this one, the small second screen is detachable and becomes a smartwatch. It costs more than the WP210, but it has a bigger battery that gives it extended running time.

Read our full Oukitel WP300 review

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