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Blackview XPLORE 2 a “heavyweight” rugged phone

Cristiano Cento

26 September 2025

0

I've never considered them because their hardware was always too poor, but things have changed lately. What am I talking about? Rugged phones, those indestructible phones that have recently become interesting products, precisely because of their hardware. Of course, their audience remains niche because they are really very heavy, but for this audience today I tried the Blackview Xplore 2, the new benchmark for the famous Chinese brand. Let's take a closer look.

CONFEZIONE Blackview XPLORE 2

The standard equipment does not disappoint, in fact in the package we find:

• Rugged Phone Blackview Xplore 2
• 120W ultra-fast charger with dual Type-C and Type-A outputs
• Type C – Type C Charging Cable
• Belt
• Instruction booklet (including Italian language)

BEAUTY

From an aesthetic point of view, I must say that the smartphone is quite "unique." The most striking thing is undoubtedly the thickness and weight. The distinguishing feature of all rugged phones is precisely the thickness and weight, which are necessarily influenced by the battery capacity (a chapter we will discuss later) and the construction materials. But in our case, in my opinion, we have definitely gone one step further. In fact, we are talking about a smartphone that is often well... 3.3cm and the weight of 670GrHonestly, I had never seen anything like this and I wanted to specify this data right away so as to screen out the public who, after reading these numbers, will decide not to continue with the review. The measurements are completed by 17,7cm in height and the 8.3cm wide.

On the right side we find the power button, on the left the volume rocker, the customizable button and the SIM/SD tray, above the speaker and IR, below the TPE-C charging port protected by a cover, the microphone and the second speaker. On the back we have the camera block and 2 very powerful LEDs that will allow us to have a real flashlight at hand.

The audio is stereo But I noticed a significant imbalance in the upper speaker, which seems decidedly more powerful than the lower one. No big deal, the quality remains the same, and the overall volume remains at a good level.

The IR transmitter is always welcome and will allow us to control an incredible series of devices, even if the most used in this case remains the TV.

HARDWARE FEATURES Blackview XPLORE 2

From the hardware point of view I must say that Blackview has really surprised everyone, in fact we find very respectable components and in some parts even top of the range 2025. Let's start from the processor, a Mediatek Dimension 8300, a CPU with a manufacturing process 4nm, not the best from the well-known Chinese brand, but we're at very high levels, 1.300.000 points on AnTuTu. This will guarantee you a truly excellent user experience with the ability to play even very demanding games.

To complete the department we find 12 / 16Gb (+32Gb virtual) of memory Lpddr5x RAM e 256GB/1TB of integrated memory UFS 4.0 (expandable up to 2Tb). For those less familiar with the topic, we are talking about the fastest and most powerful RAM and ROM memories currently on the market.

Below is the detailed technical sheet of all the HW of our Xplore 2!

Blackview Xplore 2 has a certified resistance grade IP 68/69K/ML-STD-810H But what does this mean? MIL-STD-810H is a U.S. Department of Defense standard that describes the requirements for testing the durability of military equipment (and commercial products) under extreme environmental conditions such as high temperatures, shock, dust, humidity, and vibration. MIL-STD-810H includes several methodologies for testing a wide range of conditions, including:
Extreme temperatures: Exposure to intense cold and heat.
Humidity: Test for resistance to high humidity conditions.
Dust and Sand: Evaluation of resistance to airborne particles.
Shock and Vibration: Simulation of drops, impacts and vibrations.
Pressure and Altitude: Tests on devices that may operate at high altitudes or in environments with varying pressures.
IP68, which guarantees total protection from dust and prolonged immersion in water, and IP69K, maximum protection against high-pressure, high-temperature water jets and dust. A certified device IP68 / 69K It is the best available in terms of protection, being designed to operate in extreme conditions where dust, immersion in water and high pressure water jets are a daily reality.

DISPLAY Blackview XPLORE 2

A big surprise for one of the most important elements of a smartphone, the display. It's the first time I've seen a unit AMOLED LPT extension with a resolution QHD di 1440 x 3200, 521ppi and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz but can also be set to 60 or 90Hz. Thanks to LPTO technology, it will be possible to leave it on automatic so that it will decide what frequency to keep the screen at. Truly very beautiful and large, 6.73" which will allow us to enjoy our streaming apps to the fullest. The brightness is also excellent. 2600Nit peak so no problem watching it under direct sunlight, even in August

There are also several possible customizations. Here's a list of the most important ones:

• Dark mode that we can even set to 3 different shades
• Ability to filter blue light, to be used during night hours to facilitate sleep
• Adjust color temperature in 3 presets and even create your own
• Set a shutdown timeout of up to 10 minutes and also keep the screen always on if we are looking at it
• Contrast on 3 different levels
• Customizable screen recording
• Reading mode (which transforms the screen into that of an e-reader)
• Customizable frame rate between 120Hz-90Hz-60Hz or automatic

BATTERY

Another distinctive element of a rugged phone is the battery and here we find something unique. In fact, our Blackview Xplore 2 mounts a well-sized unit. 20.000mAh with a quick charge from 120W wired and one from 45W Wireless. It goes without saying that with this capacity, we'll easily be able to get through at least 3-4 days without having to recharge. Smartphone battery life is always a tricky subject, as it's significantly affected by multiple factors, such as 5G signal strength, Wi-Fi usage, apps used, and so on. But keep in mind that a typical smartphone today has 5.000mAh batteries, so make your own comparisons.

We also have two options to prevent apps from draining the battery. One is very simple and convenient, something I'd like to see on every smartphone, even those under €1000. Simply go to the battery options > battery usage > click on the app you want and uncheck "allow background use." This way, when the screen turns off, the app won't continue to run and drain battery power (in my case, after 4 minutes of foreground use, it stayed open for 19 hours in the background). The most glaring example is FB, which, even if you disable notifications, will still drain a lot of battery in the background. The other is a stock app called "freezer": open it and add the apps you want. This way, the app will remain installed but will actually remove the ability to see it in the app list. Really well done, well done Blackview!

CAMERA

I must say that there is nothing to complain about the camera either, it has a double sensor 50Mpx + 20Mpx night visionThe 50Mpx sensor is a Samsung JN1 and shoots with a binding at 12.5Mpx but we will also have the possibility to exploit the full resolution by selecting the 50Mpx shot (which is recommended only in very good lighting conditions). To activate the night camera instead 20Mpx you need to click on the icon that we find on the main screen of the camera (here circled in red)

It's not very intuitive; a dedicated menu could have been created, which would certainly have been easier to find. However, it must be said that the night vision camera works very well. Using infrared, you can actually see in total darkness, which is certainly very useful, for example, for those who prefer the outdoors. Here's an example of how you can see in the dark.

Here are some shots of the main cam so you can get your own idea. I absolutely love it!

SOFTWARE Blackview XPLORE 2

The software is also good, we find Android 15 with a graphical interface DokeOS 4.2 owner of BlackViewThe system is fluid and I found several interesting features, such as the ability to set a time to turn the phone on and off (I can't live without it), the phone locking after a certain number of minutes from when the screen goes off, and I'd like to compliment you on this very convenient option that we never find on any smartphone. Imagine when you're chatting with a friend and every time the screen goes off, the phone locks, a real pain. With this option, you'll no longer have this annoyance! We have the double tap to turn the screen back on and "lift to wake."

It features Android Auto, the ability to connect an eSIM, NFC payments, a truly extensive customization for themes, wallpapers, icons, fonts, notification effects, app shortcuts from the lock screen, and, listen up... the always-on display! That's a lot of stuff considering we're talking about a rugged phone!

The notifications section is highly customizable, there is a parental control section (although I doubt this can be a phone for children) and digital wellbeing where you can monitor your smartphone usage (with timers and notifications to avoid using apps too much).

The emergency section is also detailed, really helpful!

I also found a gem I've never seen before, not even on a €1000 phone... you can set subtitles in real time, meaning it will transcribe all the audio transmitted by the phone, even in Italian! A resizable and draggable window will appear where you'll find the transcript!

Obviously there is gesture navigation, gesture screenshots, quick camera launch and a really useful feature that we now only find on Chinese phones: call recording with several interesting options such as the option to start it automatically even for certain numbers only.

RUGGED STOCK APPLICATIONS

Every self-respecting rugged phone has a series of integrated applications that allow it to be used as a work tool because, as I mentioned, we're talking about a perfect device for those who live outdoors or work on construction sites where these tools are often necessary. Our Blackview Xplore 2 is no exception, in fact, it has a series of really interesting software tools which are:

• Compass
• Height measurement
• Flashlight (LED camera flash)
• Sound Level Meter
• Goniometer
• Mirror
• Alarm
• Magnifying glass (via camera)
• Suspended image
• Plumb (plumb line)
• Barometer
• Camping light

I would focus on “camping light” which I consider to be the most exclusive feature.

As I mentioned above, on the back we find two very powerful LED lights that we can activate from here, adjust to three intensities, set a sleep timer, and use them in three different modes. Let's just say it could be really useful in many circumstances, but especially when camping.

Also worth mentioning is the customizable button (red) on the left side. This button can be used to assign settings or apps with three different sequences, or even a camping light. Note that there's a translation error here, and to customize this button you'll need to go to the "gestures and buttons" menu and click on "Fingerprint to authorize purchases and app access."

HOW IT WORKS

To my great surprise I have to say that our Blackview Xplore 2 It works really well! In everyday use, I've only found one negative aspect: the lack of a widget or gesture to turn off the display without using the button. This is something that really bothers me because I'm used to turning off the device with the on-screen button (widget) or double-tap. Very strange, since double-tap is included to wake it up, and you can also do it simply by picking up the phone. Otherwise, nothing to complain about. Notifications arrive instantly, battery life is obviously endless, 5G data connection is good, the display resolution, quality, and brightness are excellent, there are many typical rugged applications, the LED lights on the back are very powerful for incredible illumination, and the camera is excellent (for the segment we're talking about) and takes truly excellent photos in good lighting conditions, even indoors.

The system's fluidity is also truly excellent, and thanks to a great processor, it's capable of playing fairly demanding games. For example, I tried "Last War," a game where even a low-performance CPU can't handle any loss of fluidity or framerate, and I didn't notice any slowdowns or dropped frames. Here's a demo video, and I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about another gem: the ability to record your screen using your phone's audio, microphone audio, or both. But that's not all... you can also choose to record your entire screen or just a specific application!

PROJECTED IMPACT

As always, to give a final judgment, the quality of the product must be compared to the price. Blackview Xplore 2 The list price is $650 for the 12/256GB version and $715 for the 16/1TB version. The price is absolutely in line with the quality of the product we will be taking home, in fact I would certainly say that it is also a good price! If we consider that, from September 25th to October 10th, thanks to our $50 discount code, at the current exchange rate you can take it home for only 393€At this price I can definitely recommend you buy this Rugged Smartphone and you will be absolutely satisfied.

(I.e. BUY IT HERE
💰 Only € 393 instead of € 437
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