I don't know about you but rugged smartphones have always intrigued me and among the points of reference in this market we find CUBOT with the KingKong series which for years has offered reliable and robust terminals but with the X model, the company also wanted to focus on performance and partly with iconic design. KingKong I'll tell you about it in this review.
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[World Premiere] CUBOT KINGKONG in 5 days)
235,44€ available
Design and materials
The impeccable construction and the use of ad hoc materials to resist any accident allow the CUBOT KingKong X to be used without any additional cover which would unnecessarily weigh down the device. The company has managed to diversify the design of this smartphone from the rest of the rugged world: KingKongX is made partly of metal, polycarbonate and shock-proof TPU along the side edges, combinations of materials that ensure maximum resistance but above all create a good effect final optical.
The rear body features a camera module divided into two sections, as in the center stands out the presence of a secondary display whose usefulness will be described later, where the second microphone for reducing noise during calls is located above. In the lower part of the body we find the mono speaker but which offers a high listening volume, with a prevalence of medium-high tones over low ones. A defect? It depends on your point of view, personally I don't think it is such if we consider that the device will generally be used in open and noisy environments, such as construction sites and therefore it is preferable for the sound to be exposed upwards, for ringtones, speakerphones, listening to voice notes etc.. Also on the back we find a sort of metal plate, to reinforce the body but also as a decoration of the design.
The classic IP68, IP69K and MIL-STD-810H certifications cannot be missing, which distinguish a good respectable rugged device. On the other hand, CUBOT KingKong This technological beast is not exactly portable considering dimensions of 1,5 x 30 x 2 mm and weight of 170.9 grams, but apart from this I had no problems always taking it with me on the beach or during evening walks by the sea. Definitely not pocket-sized and almost impossible to keep in a shorts pocket.
The left frame of the smartphone houses the hybrid dual-SIM slot, leaving you the choice whether to use two nano-format SIMs or 1 SIM and a micro SD card with 1 TB support to expand the integrated memory. However, be aware that there is no e-SIM. Under the SIM slot, protected by a silicone cover to ensure waterproofness and dust resistance, we find a small customizable orange button which, via single/double click or long press, allows you to recall some actions, such as screenshot, turning on the flashlight. or launch an application directly. The right profile houses the volume rocker and the power button with built-in fingerprint reader. Finally at the bottom there is the main microphone and the USB Type-C port with OTG support, also protected by a silicone door. I liked the fact that you can use any cable for charging/data transfer, something that is not so obvious when it comes to rugged ones, which generally offer a connector distance that is too deep, so you need a cable with a non-standard pin protrusion. standard.
Display
CUBOT KingKong anything else, but I can say that during my rather wild experience of use the panel did not suffer any scratches or anything else.
Compared to the average display mounted on this type of smartphone, that of the KingKong X was among the brightest and most comfortable to use even outdoors in sunlight. We do not have support for Widevine L1 which stop at L3, which translates into playback from streaming platforms in SD quality but we do however have support for HDR content. The color fidelity is good while the viewing angles are less so but overall it is still a cut above many of its competitors already on the market.
I must also mention the 1,85 inch secondary display which, in addition to giving an elegant and modern look to the super armored CUBOT smartphone, this also allows you to have some information at a glance, being able to take advantage of the remaining battery charge, calendar , notification control, compass, music control, answer calls but above all use it as a monitor to take very high quality selfies, using the rear camera.
Hardware, performance and connectivity
We usually associate a rugged smartphone with a low-performance device but this KingKong X stands out for its good technical sheet but above all for its real performance in the field. Under the armor we find the MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset (the same one seen on the Realme 12 series) made with a 6 nm production process and an octa-core architecture clocked at 2.6 GHz accompanied by the ARM Mali-G68 MC4 GPU. The smartphone also has 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, further expandable with another 16 virtual GB, obtaining a total of 232 GB of RAM, while the internal UFS 3.1 memory is 256 GB and can be expanded via a microSD card with a capacity of up to 1 TB. This combination of hardware allows it to exceed 580 thousand points on AnTuTu.
I used it for a whole week, without depriving myself of any apps. I used social media a lot, messaging, email, browsing the internet and via GPS but I was also able to enjoy some long gaming sessions on Asphalt and CoD without ever noticing significant drops in performance or slowdowns of any kind. The smartphone is fluid and can be used for every operation. Reliable and responsive are the first two terms that come to mind if I had to describe this smartphone in two words.
On the connectivity front, as mentioned before, it supports two Nano format SIM cards with compatibility with 5G networks. I personally could not benefit from the speed of this connection but I cannot complain about the results obtained in 4G, for example in the use of video content on Netflix or downloads in general. There is also compatibility with Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6 and GPS with all the main systems including Galileo. No problems even with Google Wallet and payments via NFC as well as OTG support. The sensors are also quite rich, counting on a gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, light and proximity sensor, the latter being very reactive and super functional in listening to voice notes and calls in general.
Software
On the software front, there isn't much to say compared to what has already been seen on other smartphones from the CUBOT brand, except that on this KingKong take into account that this device will probably never receive any major update and security patches will probably be released slowly. In any case, the system is practically stock, except for some additions aimed at increasing performance such as the presence of the Game Booster to make the most of the hardware in games, or the cleaning assistant useful for removing temporary files, duplicate files etc. Inevitable, however, is the toolbox with the usual suite of apps such as torch, compass, protractor, level, SOS, magnifying glass and so on.
Camera and video
CUBOT KingKong Specifically on the primary camera we find a 3 MP sensor which by default takes photos at 100 MP and offers a dedicated mode for taking photos at the full resolution of 25 MP. Then comes a 100 MP macro lens and 5 MP auxiliary sensor. It would have been better to equip the device with an ultrawide lens, also considering the possible use in the construction sector. We can shoot videos up to 0.3K at 4 fps, fixed framerates on all recording resolutions. There is no real stabilization but overall, with a good steady hand, we manage to take home a good video.
I was actually surprised by the capture of details in low light conditions, without using the special night shooting mode, which in all honesty does not improve the final result much. At a software level we find the presence of HDR but only manual and AI scene recognition, to better balance the automatic shooting settings. On the front, however, a 32 MP lens is housed.
The quality of the shots is above average and beyond my expectations; very good during the day where the photo quality is acceptable, with a good amount of detail captured and fast focusing.
Autonomy
The battery is undoubtedly one of the elements that contributes to the considerable size and weight of the smartphone, and this is because on balance it turns out to be double in terms of mAh compared to what we find on common devices. We are talking about a 10200 mAh unit which can guarantee in practical terms even 7-8 days of normal use, and up to 3 and a half days of intense and stressful use. We don't have wireless charging included, but it would also be quite useless on a device like this. We have support for "fast" charging at 33W and it is no coincidence that I use the term in quotation marks, because considering the quantity of mAh the term fast is not the most appropriate. If necessary, this tech monkey can transform into a powerbank, providing charge to other devices, in wired mode.
Price and considerations
CUBOT KingKong To win it at this price you must redeem the coupon from the purchase page and then click on the BUY NOW button which will automatically give you a further discount.
[World Premiere] CUBOT KINGKONG in 5 days)
235,44€ available
We have interesting hardware with excellent performance, tank-like resistance and a lot of autonomy, without giving up anything in terms of productivity, entertainment and even photography. The weight could probably make you give up on the purchase but you just need to get used to it and then if we plan to take it to the seaside or to the mountains, including deckchairs, umbrellas and camping tents, its approximately 400 grams certainly won't be a factor in the package. general.
