CUBOT KINGKONG 7 - The monstrously performing smartphone
Once upon a time there was a time when rugged phones, sturdy smartphones designed to withstand falls, bumps, scratches and bad weather in general, were intended almost exclusively for users who carried out heavy and extreme work activities. Nowadays, however, even the common user appreciates the quality of these devices, which have become more and more beautiful from an aesthetic point of view but also perform as common smartphones. Among these, the recent Cubot KingKong 7 certainly stands out, whose name is already a program, which I will tell you in this review.
As always, let's start with the contents of the sales package, which is quite accurate and shows us the design of the product right from the first glance. Inside the box we therefore find the following equipment:
- Cubot King Kong 7;
- USB Type-C cable for charging and data transfer;
- Wall power supply, with European socket and max output 5V / 2A-10W;
- Non-in-ear Type-C wired headphones (Apple style);
- Manuals and warranty certificate;
- Pin for removing the SIM tray;
- Pre-applied plastic film to protect the display.
As already mentioned in the introduction of this review, modern rugged phones abandon the rough and unfinished lines of the past, adopting designs that are rather pleasing to the eye. Cubot KingKong 7 is no exception, with a total black color, where on the back we find a photographic compartment that consists of 3 lenses and a single tone LED flash, set in a rectangle beveled on the edges made of sandblasted metal. The brand logo and two slits for the sound to escape are also present, but be careful, only one speaker is used, so the double slit is inserted solely for aesthetic reasons.
On the rear body, on the edges then we find a knurled surface that increases the grip with this device, as given the nature of the phone, it is proposed with rather considerable dimensions equal to 166,75 x 83,4 x 14 mm and a weight of 267 grams. There are two important certifications for the product category, namely the certification against water and other atmospheric agents, IP68 and IP69K, which allow the smartphone to be immersed in water without suffering any damage, a very useful thing perhaps for all riders who perform the home deliveries even in the rain or snow. The weight and dimensions could affect the comfort of use with a single hand as well as in prolonged use, but personally I have never seen any particular annoyances.
The profiles of the Cubot KingKong 7 are reinforced in brushed metal, where we find on the left side the on / off button, a customizable button to associate a shortcut to the opening of a certain app, or in camera mode it will allow you to take the shot and finally we also find the release sensor with fingerprint. Unfortunately this is too flush with the profile and therefore the recognition of the impression was not always fast and accurate. On the opposite side we find the volume balance wheel, also positioned in an awkward position, not so much for the volume increase / decrease function but for the possible screenshot obtained with the combination of power and volume button -. Apart from this we also find a door that protects the SIM tray from any infiltration of liquids, the latter positioned rather internally with respect to the profile itself, so much so that the extraction tool is not of common length, but rather longer than normal.
The SIM slot is of the hybrid type, therefore able to accommodate 2 SIM in nano format or 1 SIM and a microSD card for the expansion of the integrated memory, up to a maximum of 256 GB. The connectivity is of the 4G LTE type but no 4G + signal hooking, which in any case is more than satisfactory and rapid, despite the classic Speed Test does not demonstrate what has just been said. Reception has also always been stable, also contributing to an excellent audio during the call, while the sound that comes out of the single speaker on the back is poor in low-frequency nuances to the advantage of the medium-high tones, which is not exactly a defect, considering that given the type of smartphone, this will be used mainly in hands-free mode than in multimedia.
The upper profile is free from elements while the lower one houses the main microphone and an additional rubberized door to protect the USB Type-C input for charging and data transfer, as well as OTG support but no video output. The materials used for the Cubot KingKong 7 are of excellent workmanship, in fact in my tests as well as a good dose of carelessness, the device did not report any damage or signs of wear both in the body and on the front glass.
This leads me to talk to you about the display, a real surprise because the company has not spared in this area, offering a 6,36-inch IPS LCD panel in Full HD + resolution (1080 x 2300 pixels), with a density of 395 ppi. A real revolution for the rugged category, where a screen with only HD + resolution is usually used. Visibility under direct sunlight is excellent but also the color rendering was more than satisfactory, also enjoying a good brightness and responsiveness of the panel, although I would have expected greater responsiveness in scrolling with wet fingers. To "dirty" the design of the panel there is a punch hole positioned on the upper left profile, in which a 32 MP selfie camera is inserted which also allows unlocking via Unlock Face technology, not exactly reactive but still useful in certain areas.
There is also the presence of a blue monochromatic LED that warns us of notifications, low battery and device charging, as well as counting on proximity and brightness sensors that work excellently. Unfortunately, net of a good resolution, HDR support is missing and Widevine DRMs are of the L3 type.
Cubot KingKong 7 offers a MediaTek Helio P60 processor under the body, octa-core solution at 2.0 GHz (4 x Cortex-A73 from 2GHz + 4 x Cortex-A53), flanked by an 72 MHz Mali-G800 GPU, as well as 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB UFS 2.1 of expandable storage. Certainly a technical data sheet that does not scream a miracle, but which is well optimized also because the basic software is Android 11 stock, with the absence of particular customizations by the brand. In other words, I have always managed to move within the system quickly and without slowdowns or app crashes, but above all I have always been able to count on the terminal to carry out any task, even allowing myself some gaming sessions, with titles also important, such as Call of Duty Mobile, Aspalt 9, Real Racing 3 etc .. obtaining stable frame rates and excellent general fluidity, perhaps giving up graphic details at the highest levels, but with CPU temperatures always under control, so as not to show phenomena of thermal throttling.
As already mentioned before, the Cubot KingKong 7 uses software very close to Android stock in version 11 with security patches dating back to July 2011. There is no type of customization, except for the one related to the button mentioned above and this surprised me a bit, because I would have expected the inclusion of a suite of apps dedicated to the world of work, such as a level, a ruler or other, but no big deal as it will be the user who decides what and if, to install on their smartphone. It should only be specified that I do not know how much the company will support the terminal in terms of updates, therefore you could take into account that the smartphone could remain anchored to the Android version and patches just mentioned.
The photographic sector of a rugged phone has never shone for quality and unfortunately also for the Cubot device we cannot express totally positive judgments. On the rear there are 3 optics, whose primary sensor is a 64 MP which is accompanied by a 16 MP wide-angle lens and a 5 MP macro lens, while the selfie camera relies on a 32 MP unit.
During the day, the photos are more than sufficient, with a good amount of detail, but if we use the ultrawide camera, we can notice a certain color aberration, resulting in unrealistic and tending towards yellow tones. At the software level, many functions are missing, such as HDR, which in certain situations would have been useful and saved the shot. Beyond these aspects, the attention to detail is good, even if the use of the sensor for macros does not particularly excel, as well as the night shots are of poor quality, especially when there are artificial lights in the scene, which slightly put the system in crisis. The bokeh effect or rather portrait mode, needs to be slightly revised as the edges of the faces are not always outlined precisely.
MACRO 
ULTRAWIDE MACRO 
The selfie camera takes decent shots, but in the dark the sensor really struggles, returning muddy colors. All this also applies to videos, which can be shot at a maximum resolution of 1080p 30fps, without any stabilization, not even digital with obvious blurry results. But ultimately, it's fair, considering that it would make little sense to use expensive sensors on a smartphone that is theoretically destined for falls and other nastiness. The flash is good, used in low-light situations, which overall does not burn the subject in the frame but enhances its details.
FLASH LED 
ULTRAWIDE
In terms of connectivity, the Cubot KingKong 7 is equipped with a Dual Band WiFi module that can guarantee good performance even in the least covered areas of the house. In addition, the presence of Bluetooth4.2, FM radio, GPS / Glonass / Beidou and the NFC sensor should be noted, which will allow payment on the go without having to take out wallets or cards, useful if you have dirty hands.
One of the big benefits of a rugged is to be able to count on a more than decent autonomy and the model proposed by Cubot relies on a 5000 mAh battery that allows you to finish an entire working day without any problem, even with rather intense use. , keeping at least a good 25/30% of residual charge at the end of the day. In the event that you have to use it more mildly, therefore, you could even reach two full days of use. The only drawback perhaps, the recharge, which using the proprietary charger, will end in about 3 hours.
PROJECTED IMPACT
Regardless of what we have said so far, Cubot KingKong 7 is a rugged phone, which can also be used as a common smartphone, which I recommend especially if you are, like me, a user who is not very careful about taking care of the product.
Given its features and performance, this terminal is a candidate to be one of the best rugged phones in circulation, resulting stable and reliable in every area. It certainly wins on the multimedia side, being able to count on a nice resolute display, for great autonomy and resistance even in difficult conditions, such as rain, sand and much more. Let's talk about the price, because the Cubot KingKong 7 can be purchased directly on the Amazon store with Prime shipping and guarantee from the online shopping giant, at a price of € 249,99 but at the moment, valid until November 13, you can redeem a 20% coupon directly from the purchase page, thus bringing the final price to a value of € 199,99. What are you waiting for, run to buy it….
